Understanding Musical Concepts National 3, 4 & 5 Performing

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Understanding Musical Concepts National 3, 4 & 5

Performing Listening Composing

• Your coursework is made up of these 3 learning activities and the musical concepts in this dictionary will be present all of these activities in some shape or form. • As the course progresses, you should try to recognise the concepts in your own work.

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National 3 Music Concepts

What you need to be able to recognise and describe when hearing a piece of music: Melody/Harmony Rhythm/Tempo Texture/Structure/Form Timbre/Dynamics Style Ascending Accent/accented Accompanied Accordion Blues Chord Adagio Harmony/chord Acoustic guitar Jazz Chord change Allegro Ostinato/riff Bagpipes Latin American Descending Bar; 2, 3 or 4 beats in a bar Round Blowing Musical Discord Beat/pulse Solo Bowing Pop Improvisation Drum fill Unaccompanied Brass Rock Leap (leaping) Faster Unison/octave Choir Rock ‘n’ Roll Question & answer March Drum kit Scottish Repetition On the beat/off the beat Electric guitar Sequence Pause Fiddle Step (stepwise) Reel Folk group

Repetition Orchestra

Slower Organ Waltz Percussion (tuned/untuned) Piano Plucking Scottish dance band Staccato/legato Steel band Striking (hitting) Strings Strumming Voice Woodwind

National 4 Music Concept List What you need to be able to recognise and describe when hearing a piece of music: Melody/Harmony Rhythm/Tempo Texture/Structure/Form Timbre/Dynamics Style Arpeggio A tempo Cadenza Backing vocals African music Broken chord Accelerando Canon Bass guitar Baroque Change of key Anacrusis Chorus Brass band Concerto Chord progression (I, IV, V) Andante Imitation Brass (trumpet, trombone) Mouth music Drone Compound time Middle 8 Distortion Opera Major Dotted rhythms Ternary (ABA) Harpsichord Ragtime Minor Jig Theme & variation Muted Rapping Octave Rallentando Verse Pan pipes Reggae Ornament Scotch snap Percussion (timpani, snare Romantic Pedal Simple time (2/4, 3/4, 4/4) drum, side drum, bass Scots ballad Pentatonic scale Strathspey drum, cymbals, triangle, Swing tambourine, guiro, Scale Syncopation xylophone, glockenspiel) Scat singing Recorder Vamp Strings (violin, cello, double bass, harp) Literacy: Literacy: Voices (soprano, alto, Treble clef stave C-A’ Semiquaver tenor, bass) Sequences Grouped semiquavers Wind band Paired quavers Woodwind (flute, clarinet, Repeat signs saxophone)

Literacy: mf, mezzo-forte f, forte

National 5 Music Concepts What you need to be able to recognise and describe when hearing a piece of music: Melody/Harmony Rhythm/Tempo Texture/Structure/Form Timbre/Dynamics Style Atonal Compound time (6/8, 9/8, Alberti bass A cappella Aria Chord progression (I, IV, V, 12/8) Binary (AB) Arco Bothy ballad VI – major key) Cross rhythms Coda Bodhran Celtic Chromatic Moderato Contrapuntal Brass (horn, tuba) Chorus Cluster Ritardando Ground bass Clarsach Classical Contrary motion Rubato Homophonic Con sordino Gaelic psalm Countermelody Scotch snap Polyphonic Flutter tonguing Gospel Descant (voice) Rondo (ABACA…) Percussion (castanets, hi- Indian music Glissando Strophic hat, bongo drums) Minimalist Grace note Walking bass Pizzicato Pibroch Imperfect cadence Reverb Rock Literacy Inverted pedal Rolls Symphony Dotted crotchet Melismatic Sitar Waulking song Dotted quaver Modulation Strings (viola) 1st time bar Perfect cadence Tabla 2nd time bar Pitch bend Voices (mezzo soprano, Semitone baritone) Syllabic Woodwind (piccolo, oboe, Tone bassoon) Trill Whole tone scale Literacy Literacy Accidentals ff, fortissimo Scales & key signatures: C, F, G major; A minor pp, pianissimo Chords: C, F, G major; A minor sfz, sforzando

Concept √ Meaning/Explanation Level A cappella Unaccompanied choral singing 5 A tempo The music returns to the main tempo (speed) after there has been a 4 change AB Two-part form - music in two sections: A then B. These sections may 5 be repeated ABA Three-part form – music in three sections: ABA. The B section is 4 ‘sandwiched’ in the middle Accelerando The music gradually becomes faster 4 Accented Notes which are louder than others 3 Accompanied Other instruments/voices which support the main tune 3 Accordian An instrument often called a “squeeze box” – see Scottish dance 3 band Acoustic guitar A 6 stringed guitar sometimes called a Spanish Guitar which does not 3 need an electric amplifier to produce the sound African music Much African music features voices and/or African drums. 4 Alberti bass Broken chords played by the left hand outlining the harmonies whilst the right hand plays the melody. Classical composers like Haydn & 5 Mozart used this extensively in their piano music Alto The lowest female voice, see Soprano, Tenor and Bass 4 Anacrusis The note which appears before the first complete bar of the music – 4 sounds like an up beat Answer A reply to a musical question – see question 3 Arco Instruction given to string players to use a bow. Often follows a 5 pizzicato section Aria A solo song sung in an operatic style, in an opera, oratorio or cantata, 5 with orchestral accompaniment

Arpeggio Notes of a chord played one after the other – spread out 4 Ascending Notes which rise (go up) in pitch 3 Atonal No feeling of key, major or minor. Very dissonant – a feature of 20th 5 Century music. Backing vocals Singers who support the lead singer/s usually in harmony 4 Bagpipes A musical instrument having a flexible bag inflated either by a tube with valves or by bellows, a double-reed melody pipe, and from one to 3 four drone pipes Baritone A male voice which lies between that of a tenor and a bass 5 Baroque Music from 1650 to 1750 like Bach and Handel 4 Bass guitar The bass guitar is pitched lower than a guitar. It is an electric string instrument and has only four strings, two fewer than an electric 4 guitar Bass voice The lowest male voice – see soprano, alto and tenor 4 Beat The basic pulse you hear in music. The pulse may be in groups of 2, 3, or 4 with a stress on the first in each group. See 2, 3, 4 beats in the 3 bar Binary A B – it is a form in which the music is made up of two different 5 sections where each section may be repeated Blowing How sound is produced by blowing across or into a mouthpiece eg. 3 Brass, Woodwind and recorders Blues Started as Black American Folk music. Often in 4/4 time with a 12 3 bar chord structure Bodhran An Irish wooden drum, held in one hand and played with a wooden 5 beater Bothy ballad A folk song, usually with many verses, from north-east Scotland 4

Bowing How sound is produced by drawing a bow across the strings of a stringed instrument 3 Eg. Violin, viola, cello and double bass Brass band A band of Brass instruments and Percussion 4 Brass Instruments (ORCHESTRAL) Trumpet and Trombone 4 Brass Instruments (ORCHESTRAL) French horn, tuba 5 Broken chord The notes of a chord played separately 4 Cadence The end of a musical phrase 5 Cadenza A passage of music which allows a soloist to display their technical 4 ability. Cadenza is usually found in a Concerto Canon Strict imitation. After one part starts the play/sing, another part 4 enters with exactly the same melody Celtic rock A style of music that mixes Celtic folk music and rock together 5 Change of key The music moves from one key to another 4 Choir An organised group of singers 3 Chord Two or more notes sounding together 3 Chord progression A series of related chords based on the 1st, 4th and 5th notes of the 4 1, 1V, V (major keys) major scale Chord progression A series of related chords based on the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th notes of 5 1, IV, V, VI (major keys) the major scale Chorus 1) A group of singers with more than one voice to a part 2) The music written for these voices 4 3) The refrain between the verses of a song Chromatic Ascending or descending one half step at a time 5 Eg. C C# ~ D D# ~ E F ~ F# G Clarsach A small Scottish harp, used in folk music. Clarsach is Gaelic for harp 5

Classical A term used to describe/refer to music composed during the period 5 1750-1810 approximately; the era of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven Cluster A term used to describe a group of notes played on a keyboard instrument with the palm of the hand or even the forearm. Used in 5 some 20th Century music and sometimes called a chord cluster Coda A passage at the end of piece of music which rounds it off 5 effectively Col legno Instruction given to string players to turn the bow over and bound 5 the wood on the strings Compound time The beat is divided into groups of THREE 4 Compound time 6 9 12 Two, three or four beats in a bar where the beat is divided into 5 8 8 8 groups of THREE Con sordino Using a mute changes the sound normally produced on an instrument 5 Concerto A work written for solo instrument and orchestra eg. a flute concerto is written for flute and orchestra. It is normally in three 4 movements Contrapuntal Two or more independent melodies sounding together – see 5 polyphonic Contrary motion Two parts which move in opposite directions – as one part ascends, 5 the other descends Countermelody A melody played against the main melody 5 Cross rhythms Contrasting rhythms played at the same time or played with unusual 5 emphasis on notes Descant Another melody above the main tune, mainly in vocal music 5 Descending Notes which fall (go down) in pitch 3 Discord A chord in which certain notes clash 3

Distortion An electronic effect used in rock music to colour the sound of an 4 electric guitar Dotted rhythms A short note following a longer one 4 Drone 1) A note, held on or repeated in the bass. Often called a drone bass. Sometimes there is more than one note. 4 2) The low pitched pipes of the bagpipes which accompany the melody Drum fill A rhythmic decoration eg. when the drumkit player goes round the 3 drumkit to produce an exciting rhythm Drum kit A set of drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments used with 3 drumsticks in jazz and popular music Electric guitar A guitar which needs an amplifier to produce the sound 3 Faster The speed increases 3 Fiddle Another name for the violin when used in Scottish folk music 3 Flutter tonguing A method of tonguing in which the player rolls the letter “r”. It is 5 used by wind players and is particularly effective for flute and brass Folk group A group of singers and instrumentalists who perform traditional music from a particular country eg. Scotland, Latin America or 3 Ireland Gaelic Psalm Psalms (hymns) which were sung in Gaelic, unaccompanied 5 Glissando Sliding from one note to the other, taking in the notes in between in 5 possible Gospel Music written with religious lyrics, often in praise or thanksgiving to 5 God Grace note A type of ornament played as a quick note before the main note of 5 the melody

Ground bass A theme in the bass which is repeated many times while the upper 5 parts are varied Harmony The sound of two or more notes at one time 3 Harpsichord A keyboard instrument which looks like a small grand piano. The keys are laid out in the same way as on a piano but are opposite in colour – 4 the majority of the keys are black, and the raised ones are white Homophonic Texture where you hear melody with accompaniment or where all the 5 parts move together rhythmically. See Harmony and Polyphony Imitation Where the melody is immediately copied higher or in another part. 4 It does not have to be exactly the same Imperfect cadence A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. In an imperfect cadence the second chord is the dominant (V) creating an 5 unfinished sound. In the key of C the second chord of an imperfect cadence would be G Impressionism A term borrowed from painting in which brief musical ideas merge 5 and change to create a rather blurred, hazy and vague outline Improvisation The performer creates music during the actual performance. There may be suggested chords as a guide. Improvisation is an important 3 feature of jazz and popular music. See Jazz and Pop Indian Music from India which uses instruments such as the sitar and tabla 5 Inverted pedal A pedal point which sounds in an upper part instead of in the bass. 5 See pedal Jazz At first this was the music created by black Americans in the early 3 20th Century. Some styles include The Blues, Swing and Big Band Jig A fast dance in compound time usually with two or four beats in a bar 4 Latin American Dance music from South America (Latin America.) Percussion 3 instruments provide lively off-beat dance rhythms

Leap Moving between notes which are not next door to each other. 3 Compare with stepwise Legato The notes are played or sung smoothly – see staccato 3 Major The music sounds in a major key 4 March Music with a strong steady pulse with two or four beats in a bar 3 Melismatic Several notes sung to one syllable – compare with syllabic 5 Mezzo soprano A female singer whose range lies between that of a soprano and an 5 alto – see soprano, alto, tenor and bass Middle 8 In popular music, a section which provides a contrast to the opening 4 section, it is often 8 bars long Minimalism A development in the second half of the 20th century based on simple rhythmic and melodic figures which are constantly repeated 5 with very slight changes each time Minor The music sound in a minor key 4 Moderato A medium tempo (speed) 5 Modulation A change of key 5 Mouth music Gaelic nonsense words sung in imitation of the bagpipes as an accompaniment to dancing. This was necessary after the 1746 Rising 4 when bagpipes were banned Musical A musical play which has speaking, singing and dancing and is performed on stage. In recent years the musical has seen a revival 3 and may now deal with very dramatic stories and contain little or no dialogue eg. Phantom of the Opera Muted Using a device which reduces the volume or alters the sound of an 4 instrument. ‘Con sordino’ means with a mute. ‘Senza sordino’ means without a mute

Octave The distance between a note and the nearest note of the same name 4 eg. C – C’ Off the beat The main accents are against the beat – see on the beat 3 On the beat The main accents fall on the beat – see off the beat 3 Opera A drama set to music with soloist, chorus, acting and an orchestral 4 accompaniment. It is usually performed in a theatre Orchestra The four families of instruments playing together i.e. Strings, Brass, 3 Woodwind and Percussion sections Organ A keyboard instrument which has a pedal board for your feet to play and usually at least two keyboards (manuals) for your hands. Organs 3 are found in churches Ornament An ornament decorates a melody by adding extra notes. Ornaments 4 are often short and add melodic and rhythmic interest Ostinato A short musical pattern repeated many times. See repetition and riff 3 Pan pipes Pipes which are graded in size and are bound together. The sound is made by blowing across the top of the pipes. One of the oldest wind 4 instruments from South America Pause A sign indicating that a note or rest is to be held 3 Pedal Short for pedal point. A note which is held, sustained or repeated in 4 the bass beneath changing harmonies. Pentatonic Scale Any 5 notes scale. Often used in folk music. The 5 black notes on a 4 piano/keyboard form a pentatonic scale Percussion Instruments Timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, guiro, 4 (ORCHESTRAL) xylophone, glockenspiel Perfect cadence A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. A perfect cadence is the Dominant to the Tonic chords (V – I). In the key of C 5 major, chords G to C. See imperfect cadence

Piano A keyboard instrument which produces sounds by hammers hitting 3 stings Pibroch The classical music of the highland bagpipe, always in theme and 5 variation form Pitch bend Changing the pitch of a note, for example by pushing a guitar string 5 upwards Pizzicato Abbreviation pizz. An instruction given to string players to pluck the 5 strings instead of using the bow. See Col lengo and Arco Plucking Sound made when you pluck the strings of a stringed instrument with 3 a finger of fingers. Compare with Bowing Polyphonic Texture which consists of two or more melodic lines, possibly of equal 5 importance, which weave independently of each other Pop A style of popular music played by a group of musicians. See pop 3 group and rock band Pulse The basic beat in music. The pulse may be in groups of 2, 3, or 4 with 3 a stress on the first in each group Question An opening phrase. It may be followed by an answer – see answer 3 Ragtime A style of dance music which became popular at the end of the 19th 4 century and which helped to influence jazz Rallentando The music gradually slows down 4 Rapping Rhyming lyrics that are spoken and performed in time to a beat. 4 Rapping is popular in hip-hop music Recorder A wind instrument from the flute family – usual sizes descant, treble, 4 tenor and bass Reel A Scottish dance in simple time with 2 or 4 beats in a bar, and it is played quite fast. Each beat divides equally into groups of two 3

Reggae Popular music originating in the West Indies; repetitive bass riffs and 4 regular chords played on the off beat by a guitar Repetition A musical idea heard more than once 3 Reverb An electronic effect which can give the impression of different hall 5 acoustics eg. as if the performance is in a cathedral Riff A repeated phrase, usually a bass part, in Jazz and popular music 3 Ritardando The music slows down 5 Rock A style of popular music with a heavy, driving beat. Usually features 3 electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit Rock ,n, roll 1950s American music which grew from the combined styles of jazz, 3 blues, gospel and country Rolls A very fast repetition of a note on a percussion instrument, eg on a 5 snare drum or timpani Romantic In music, the period between 1810 and 1900 approximately, which 4 followed the Classical period Rondo A B A C A. A form where the 1st section (A) comes back between 5 contrasting sections Round Each part sings or plays the same melody entering one after the 3 other. When they reach the end they start again eg. Frere Jacques Rubato A direction to the performer which allows freedom to change speed, 5 thus allowing more expression Saxophone Single reed woodwind instrument used a lot in Jazz 4 Scale A pattern of notes moving by step either ascending or descending 4 Scat singing Nonsense words, syllables and sounds are improvised (made up) by the singer. Sometimes the singer is imitating the sound of instruments. 4 Used in Jazz singing Scotch snap A very short accented note before a longer note. See Strathspey 4

Scots ballads A slow Scottish song which tells a story 4 Scottish Music which represents various elements of Scottish music 3 Scottish dance band A band which plays music for people to dance to. The instruments 3 may include fiddle, accordion, piano and drumkit Semitone Half a tone eg. C to Db. From one fret to another on a guitar – see 5 tone Sequence A phrase repeated higher or lower 3 Simple time Music has 2, 3, or 4 beats in each bar. Each beat is usually one 2 3 4 crotchet. The first beat of each bar is accented 4 4 4 4 Sitar A plucked, stringed instrument from India. In addition to melody strings, it has a drone and strings which vibrate in sympathy with one 5 another Slower The speed decreases – compare with faster 3 Solo One instrument or voice. One prominent instrument or voice can be 3 solo even when part of a larger ensemble Soprano The highest range of female voice. See Alto, Tenor and Bass 4 Spanish The folk music of Spain 5 Staccato The notes are short and detached – compare with Legato 3 Steel band A West Indian band whose instruments are made out of oil drums called pans. The top of each drum is hammered into panels to make 3 different pitches Step Moving up or down between notes which are next to each other – 3 compare with leaping Strathspey A Scottish dance with four beats in the bar and usually featuring the 4 Scotch snap Striking The sound is produced by hitting the instrument 3

String Instruments (ORCHESTRAL) Violin, cello, double bass, harp 4 String Instruments (ORCHESTRAL) Viola 5 Strophic A vocal/choral composition in which each verse has the same tune 5 Strumming A finger, fingers or plectrum are drawn across the strings of an 3 instrument, usually a guitar Swing A Jazz style which started in the 1930’s. The numbers and types of instruments in the Big Bands increased during this period, through 4 the influence of swing Syllabic Vocal music where each syllable is given one note only – compare 5 melismatic Symphony A large work for orchestra, usually in four movements 5 Syncopation Strongly accented notes playing off or against the beat 4 Tabla Two Indian drums tuned to different pitches and often used to 5 accompany the sitar Tenor voice A high adult male voice – see Soprano, Alto and Bass 4 Ternary ABA A B A A form where the first section is always repeated at the end. 4 It could begin with a short introduction and end with a Coda Theme and Variation The structure of a piece where the melody is heard (the theme), then 4 returns several times with variations Tierce de picardie The final chord of a piece of music in the minor key is changed to 5 major Tone An interval of two semitones making a major 2nd eg. C to D on a 5 keyboard, two frets on a guitar Trill Rapid or repeated movement between two adjacent notes 5 Triplets Squeezing three notes into the space where there are normally two ? Unaccompanied No other instrument(s) or voice(s) sound 3 Unison Two or more parts or voices sounding at the same pitch 3

Untuned percussion Percussion instruments which are unable to produce a specific pitch 3 eg. triangle, tambourine Untuned percussion Castanets, hi-hat, cymbals, bongo drums 5 Vamp A rhythmic accompaniment with a bass note played on the beat and a 4 chord off the beat. Usually played on the piano or the guitar Verse and chorus A structure/ form popular in many songs. The music of the verse will repeat, often with different words, and between verses the chorus 4 will normally repeat and features different music to the verse Voice Musical sound produced by human vocal cords 3 Walking bass A moving bass line with notes of usually the same value. It often 5 moves by step but not always Waltz A dance with three beats in a bar in simple time 3 Waulking song A rhythmic song sung in Gaelic by the women in the Western Isles of 4 Scotland while they waulked woolen cloth to soften and shrink it Whole tone scale A scale containing no semitones but built entirely on whole tones 5 Wind band A band with woodwind, brass and percussion instruments playing music 4 composed for the concert hall rather than marching Woodwind Instruments Flute, clarinet, saxophone 4 (ORCHESTRAL) Woodwind Instruments Piccolo, oboe, bassoon 5 (ORCHESTRAL)

Level 3 64 Level 4 65

Level 5 65 Total 194