Musical Terms
Term indicating a gradual decrease in speed (tempo)
What is a ritardando?
The note located on the first line of treble staff
What is E?
The symbol that raises a pitch by a half step
What is a sharp?
The name of the major key with no sharps or flats
What is C Major?
What is a mellophone?
The vertical distance between two pitches
What is an interval?
The note located on the second space of the bass staff
What is C?
A dot directly above or below a note head indicating the note should be played short, detached, and separated
What is staccato?
The name of the scale with all the sharps and flats
What is a chromatic scale?
The double-reed instrument between the oboe and bassoon in pitch and range
What is an English horn?
Term referring to the pattern of accents in a group of beats over time
What is meter?
The note located on the middle line of the alto staff
What is C?
The name of the thick straight or diagonal line connecting two or more 8th (or shorter) notes together instead of using individual flags
What is a beam?
The name of the minor key with no sharps or flats
What is a minor?
The number of black and white keys on a standard piano
What is 88?
The tempo marking meaning "extremely fast" at about 168-177 beats per minute
What is presto?
The lowest note of a chord indicated with a Roman numeral I for the scale degree
What is the root or tonic?
The curved line above two or more notes of the same pitch indicating a combined duration
What is a tie?
A musical scale containing five notes per octave
What is a pentatonic scale?
The main historical music period of composer, John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), "The March King"
What is the Romantic period (~1820-1900)?
The Italian term meaning literally, "to the head," or beginning of a piece
The note on a ledger line directly between the bass staff and treble staff
What is Middle C?
The clef that looks like a backwards, cursive, capital "E" played by violas in modern times
What is the alto or C clef?
A scale made up of the one of the following six-pitch sequences: C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A♯ OR C♯–D♯–F–G–A–B
What is the whole-tone scale?
The term for musical instruments producing sound by a vibrating column of air in the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system
What are aerophones?