CP Theory – First Quarter Terms
Music – Sound organized for expressive
purposes
Syncopation – Emphasizing weak beats or weak
parts of beats
Rhythm – Duration in Music
Interval – The pitch distance between two notes
Pulse- A regularly recurring feeling of stress
Half Step – The smallest recognized interval. On
the keyboard, any two adjacent notes
Beat – The distance between two pulses
Tempo – The speed of the pulses
Meter – The organization of pulses
Duple Meter- Two pulses per measure
Triple Meter – Three pulses per measure
Quadruple Meter – Four pulses per measure
Simple Meter – Beats naturally divide in two
Compound Meter – Beats naturally divide in
three
Anacrusis (Pick-up) - Notation before the first
full measure
Sequence – Repeated pitch pattern on different
scale degrees
Scale – An ordered series of pitches
Triplet – Three notes in the span normally
occupied by two
Whole Step – A combination of two half steps
Parallel Scales – Share the same tonic note
Relative Scales – Share the same key signature
Clef – Indicates note names on the staff
Ostinato – Repeated rhythm pattern
Key Signature – An array of sharps, flats, or
naturals at the beginning of a piece
Time Signature – Indicated beats per measure
and beat value equivalent
Melody – A linear succession of tones that
expresses important or memorable musical
ideas
Phrase – A musical thought similar in structure
to sentence in language