General Terms
Music Symbols
Time and Rhythm
Theory and Composition
Notes
100
The 5 horizontal lines and 4 spaces on which music is written
What is a staff?
100
This symbol looks like a floating apostrophe or floating comma in music, and it tells the player when to breathe.
What is a breath mark?
100
Each of these:
are classified as this
What is a Time Signature?
100
A piece of music featuring two different parts played or sung together at the same time.
What is a Duet?
100
This type of note gets FOUR beats in 4/4 time.
What is a Whole note?
200
When one person plays alone
What is a Solo?
200
This symbol is found before a note, and looks like a hash tag. It raises a note by a half step.
What is a Sharp?
200
This is a line connecting the SAME NOTE.
What is a Tie?
200
The first 7 notes of the alphabet is called this
What is the musical alphabet?
200
This type of note receives ONE beat in 4/4 time
What is a Quarter Note?
300
The dynamic level that means to play LOUD
What is Forte?
300
Sharps or flats that are placed after a clef. They tell the performer which notes to play either sharp or flat.
What is a Key Signature?
300
This term refers to how fast or slow music is to be performed. The speed of music is this.
What is Tempo?
300
This is a specific dynamic marking which means to play QUIET or SOFTLY
What is Piano?
300
This type of REST receives TWO beats in 4/4 time
What is a Half Rest?
400
The quietness (p) or loudness (f) of a piece of music
What are Dynamics?
400
This symbol looks like a lower case "B" and lowers the pitch by a half step.
What is a Flat?
400
This symbol:
which means to repeat the previous measure.
What is a One-Measure Repeat?
400
The name of the symbols pictured here:
What are First and Second Endings?
400
This symbol adds HALF of a note value to the note, and is found to the right of a note.
What is a Dot? (or dotted note)
500
When a SMALL GROUP or SECTION plays or sings
What is a Soli?
500
A Dot found ABOVE or BELOW (not next to) a note, and it means to play the note "separated" or "detached".
What is Staccato?
500
The symbol that means to Hold a note until the director cuts it off with a hand gesture.
What is a Fermata?
500
This is the fancy pants terms for sharps, flats, and natural symbols
What are Accidentals?
500
This type of REST receives HALF of a beat ( .5 beats) in 4/4 time
What is an EIGHTH REST?