Music Vocabulary List
Grade 1
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
Grade 2
piano ( p ) - soft
forte ( f )- loud
crescendo ( < ) – gradually getting louder
decrescendo/ diminuendo ( > ) – gradually getting softer
legato - played smoothly
staccato – played detached
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
binary (AB form) – a piece of music with two different sections.
Verse and Chorus – a form of music where the verse part and the chorus
part switch back and forth. Verses are usually different. Chorus is the
repeated part of a song – and usually the catchier part that people remember.
Grade 3
staff – the five lines and four spaces on which the symbols of standard
notation of music are written.
piano ( p ) - soft
forte ( f )- loud
crescendo ( < ) – gradually getting louder
decrescendo/ diminuendo ( > ) – gradually getting softer
presto – very fast
largo – very slow
legato - played smoothly
staccato – played detached
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
verse and chorus – a form of music where the verse part and the chorus part
switch back and forth. Verses are usually different. Chorus is the repeated
part of a song – and usually the catchier part that people remember.
section – a part of a larger piece of music that is longer than a phrase (a
sentence in music). This could be an introduction, a verse, a chorus, or coda
(outro.)
coda – an ending section of a piece of music.
ternary (ABA form) – a piece of music with three (3) sections: a first
section, a second different section and a third section that is the same as the
first.
Grade 4
staff – the five lines and four spaces on which the symbols of standard
notation of music are written.
treble clef – the clef used for higher-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the G Clef.
bass clef – the clef used for lower-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the F Clef.
key signature - The pattern of sharps or flats placed on the staff
immediately to the right of the clef to show which notes are to be played
sharp or flat throughout a piece of music.
time signatures – a numerical symbol showing the number of beats in a bar.
The value of the note that gets one beat. For instance 4/4 time means that
you have 4 beats per bar. Each beat is worth a quarter note (1 beat).
major and minor keys -
What distinguishes major keys from minor is whether the third note in the
scale is major or minor.
The biggest difference is that in the minor scale there is only a half step
between the second and third tones as compared to the major scales where
the difference between third and fourth note and between the seventh and the
eighth note is half. The change in the scale from MAJOR to MINOR
changes the mood of the music to sound serious, sad or scary.
sforzando ( sfz ) – a sudden or very forceful emphasis – often on a whole
chord
piano ( p ) - soft
forte ( f )- loud
crescendo ( < ) – gradually getting louder
decrescendo/ diminuendo ( > ) – gradually getting softer
presto – very fast
largo – very slow
legato - played smoothly
staccato – played detached
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
verse and chorus – a form of music where the verse part and the chorus part
switch back and forth. Verses are usually different. Chorus is the repeated
part of a song – and usually the catchier part that people remember.
section – a part of a larger piece of music that is longer than a phrase (a
sentence in music). This could be an introduction, a verse, a chorus, or coda
(outro.)
introduction – a beginning section of a piece of music
coda – an ending section of a piece of music.
ternary (ABA form) – a piece of music with three (3) sections: a first
section, a second different section and a third section that is the same as the
first.
repeat – a line or section of music that is repeated.
Grade 5
staff – the five lines and four spaces on which the symbols of standard
notation of music are written.
treble clef – the clef used for higher-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the G Clef.
bass clef – the clef used for lower-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the F Clef.
key signature - The pattern of sharps or flats placed on the staff
immediately to the right of the clef to show which notes are to be played
sharp or flat throughout a piece of music.
time signatures – a numerical symbol showing the number of beats in a bar.
The value of the note that gets one beat. For instance 4/4 time means that
you have 4 beats per bar. Each beat is worth a quarter note (1 beat).
major and minor keys -
What distinguishes major keys from minor is whether the third note in the
scale is major or minor.
The biggest difference is that in the minor scale there is only a half step
between the second and third tones as compared to the major scales where
the difference between third and fourth note and between the seventh and the
eighth note is half. The change in the scale from MAJOR to MINOR
changes the mood of the music to sound serious, sad or scary.
sforzando ( sfz ) – a sudden or very forceful emphasis – often on a whole
chord
piano ( p ) - soft
forte ( f )- loud
crescendo ( < ) – gradually getting louder
decrescendo/ diminuendo ( > ) – gradually getting softer
presto – very fast
largo – very slow
legato - played smoothly
staccato – played detached
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
verse and chorus – a form of music where the verse part and the chorus part
switch back and forth. Verses are usually different. Chorus is the repeated
part of a song – and usually the catchier part that people remember.
section – a part of a larger piece of music that is longer than a phrase (a
sentence in music). This could be an introduction, a verse, a chorus, or coda
(outro.)
coda – an ending section of a piece of music.
ternary (ABA form) – a piece of music with three (3) sections: a first
section, a second different section and a third section that is the same as the
first.
repeat – a line or section of music that is repeated.
AABA – form of music that involve the same musical idea the 1st, 2nd and 4th
time with a different idea in the 3rd section.
ABAC – form of music that have an idea followed by a different idea with a
return to the original idea followed by another different idea.
rondo – a musical form where the main theme switches with different themes
- ABACA OR ABABA. It usually has 5 sections, of which the first, third and
fifth are the same or almost the same.
Grade 6
staff – the five lines and four spaces on which the symbols of standard
notation of music are written.
adagio – music to be played slowly
allegro – music to be played quickly
treble clef – the clef used for higher-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the G Clef.
bass clef – the clef used for lower-pitched instruments and voices. Also
called the F Clef.
key signature - The pattern of sharps or flats placed on the staff
immediately to the right of the clef to show which notes are to be played
sharp or flat throughout a piece of music.
time signatures – a numerical symbol showing the number of beats in a bar.
The value of the note that gets one beat. For instance 4/4 time means that
you have 4 beats per bar. Each beat is worth a quarter note (1 beat).
major and minor keys -
What distinguishes major keys from minor is whether the third note in the
scale is major or minor.
The biggest difference is that in the minor scale there is only a half step
between the second and third tones as compared to the major scales where
the difference between third and fourth note and between the seventh and the
eighth note is half. The change in the scale from MAJOR to MINOR
changes the mood of the music to sound serious, sad or scary.
sforzando ( sfz ) – a sudden or very forceful emphasis – often on a whole
chord
pianissimo - ( pp ) - very soft
fortissimo - ( ff ) - very loud
piano ( p ) - soft
forte ( f )- loud
crescendo ( < ) – gradually getting louder
decrescendo/ diminuendo ( > ) – gradually getting softer
presto – very fast
largo – very slow
legato - played smoothly
staccato – played detached
duration – how long you hold a note for – this also refers to beat, rhythm
(patterns of long and short sounds), metre (how you count each bar in music)
and tempo (how fast or slow music is)
rhythm – patterns of long and short sounds
beat – a steady pulse in music – beat keeps the time of music.
pitch – how high or low a sound is
timbre – tone colour
dynamics – changes of loud and soft sounds in music
unison – a group singing or playing the same thing at the same time
ostinato – a rhythm or melody pattern that is repeated over and over in a
piece of music.
phrase – a musical sentence that is both rhythmic (patterns of long and short
notes) and melodic (different pitches.)
call and response – also called a question and answer form in music. A
leader calls out one part of the song (question) and is responded (answered)
by another singer or group. E.g. “Must Be Santa.”
verse and chorus – a form of music where the verse part and the chorus part
switch back and forth. Verses are usually different. Chorus is the repeated
part of a song – and usually the catchier part that people remember.
section – a part of a larger piece of music that is longer than a phrase (a
sentence in music). This could be an introduction, a verse, a chorus, or coda
(outro.)
coda – an ending section of a piece of music.
ternary (ABA form) – a piece of music with three (3) sections: a first
section, a second different section and a third section that is the same as the
first.
repeat – a line or section of music that is repeated.
AABA – form of music that involve the same musical idea the 1st, 2nd and 4th
time with a different idea in the 3rd section.
ABAC – form of music that have an idea followed by a different idea with a
return to the original idea followed by another different idea.
rondo – a musical form where the main theme switches with different themes
- ABACA OR ABABA. It usually has 5 sections, of which the first, third and
fifth are the same or almost the same.
12 Bar Blues (I – IV – V) – one of the most popular forms in blues and
popular music (rock, pop) using the I (1st) IV (4th) and V (5th) chord
progression in a scale.
Theme and variations – a form of music in which melody or section of
music constitutes the basis (the theme) for a series of variations (small
changes in key, metre, rhythm, speed, harmony or mood of the theme.