Elements of Music
The pulse of music
Beat
This part of the instrument holds up the strings and is not attached to the instrument
Bridge
This type of note gets one beat
Quarter note
The number of letters in the musical alphabet
7
This concert piece required violins/violas to play Low 2s to reach their F & C naturals. Cellos had to play their second finger on the D string to play their F natural
Rockin' Strings
Tempo
These parts of the instrument, when turned, make large adjustments in a strings pitch. It's best not to turn them unless you know what you're doing!
Tuning pegs / pegs
This type of note gets four beats
Whole note
The stick a conductor uses
Our only concert piece with whole notes
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
The pattern of sounds and silences
Rhythm
A retractable metal or carbon fiber rod on the bottom of large string instruments like cellos and basses that supports the instrument's weight and adjusts its height, allowing it to rest on the floor
End pin
This type of note gets 1/2 of a beat. When happening with other notes of its type, they are often stemmed together
Eighth notes
Playing notes short, detached, and separated, indicated by a dot above or below the note in sheet music
Staccato
Bile 'em Cabbage Down
How loud or soft the music is
Dynamics
The fine tuners are located on top of this part of the instrument
Tailpiece
At the beginning of a piece of music, these two numbers tell you how many beats per measure there are and what type of note gets the beat
Time signature
A musical line that accompanies the main melody, created by playing different notes simultaneously to add depth, richness, and texture to a song
Harmony / Harmony line
The only piece on our concert where the melody is passed from one instrument group to another
The overall structure or blueprint of a musical composition. Example: ABA
Form
The small, half-moon shaped metal plate at the base of the frog that secures and protects the point where the horsehair attaches
Ferrule
This rest looks like a little rectangular black box and it sits on top of the third line on the staff
Half rest
The sheet music that a conductor reads that includes all written parts in a given piece of music
Score
This piece included a "hooked bow" in one of the instrument parts
Jingle Bells