Music Theory Dictionary
Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music.The field of study dealing with how music works, typically examining the language and notation of music, the patterns and structures in composers’ techniques, and so on.
- CadenceGenerally, the beat of any rhythmic activity. In marching, a cadence is used to keep a marching unit synchronized and stepping on the same foot. The cadence can be performed through verbal commands with non-musical military units and typically include a call and response form of song or, with musical units, through a drum cadence. Some(...) Read More
- Chord ProgressionThe movement from one chord to the next such as I - IV - V - I. Read More
- Circle of FifthsA method of modulation that begins on a tonic and moves to the dominant of that tonic, which is the fifth tone of the scale. From there the music moves to the dominant of the previous dominant, that is the fifth tone from the fifth tone of the original tonic. The music thus proceeds until the original tonic is again reached. In the key of C(...) Read More
- ConcertinoA solo group of instruments within the Baroque concerto grosso. Read More
- GuitarA plucked stringed instrument extremely popular today, especially among folk and rock musicians. The guitar has six strings, frets (usually 19), a shape something between pear-shaped and a figure eight, a round soundhole, and usually a flat-backed soundbox. The standard tuning of the strings (top to bottom) is E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4. Read More
- Gypsy JazzA genre of jazz music that grew out of the jazz tradition in France in the 1930s. It is also known as gypsy swing and often by the French names of jazz manouche and manouche jazz. Guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt was one of the first to perform in this genre and is normally credited with starting the tradition near Paris. Gypsy jazz combines(...) Read More
- HemiolaIn early music, this term meant the ratio of 3:2 (3 to 2), employed musically in two senses. First is the ratio of the perfect fifth, whose musical value is 3:2. If you were to divide the string of a monochord at the ratio of 3:2, you would produce a perfect fifth. Another way to think of it is that two strings at lengths of 3 to 2, one(...) Read More
- Jack1. In a harpsichord, clavichord, or virginal, the jack is the device attaching the plectrum to the key, enabling the depression of the key to cause the plectrum to pluck the string. 2. In a piano, the jack is the pivoted, vertical lever that causes the hammer to rise when a key is depressed. Read More
- JawboneThe jawbone has been used as an instrument for several centuries in many cultures. This instrument was originally created from the jaw of a horse, mule, or donkey. When the bone was removed from the skull, cleaned and thoroughly dried, the teeth become loose and when shook or struck, produced a loud rattling sound. This instrument continues(...) Read More
- JazzA style of music originating in the 20th century in New Orleans which combined elements of European-American and African music. This style of music was developed largely in urban areas, starting in New Orleans, then moving to Chicago, then to New York. It is an improvisational, expressive style of music, characterized by syncopated rhythms,(...) Read More
- Jazz OrchestraA large Jazz Band that includes a string section. This would include several violins and a larger group may include violas and cellos. Read More
- KazooA small, American instrument, now usually regarded as a toy into which the performer "hums" or sings. The instrument uses a thin membrane to amplify the voice, giving it a buzzing quality. The kazoo has been produced in all shapes and sizes, but is most familiar today as a short, open-ended tube of plastic or metal with a wax paper membrane(...) Read More
- OcarinaA flute-like instrument in a globe or potato shape made from clay or other hard material with a whistle mouthpiece. Many attribute the invention of this instrument to Guiseppe Donati in the 19th century however there is considerable evidence that the Ocarina may be more than 12,000 years old and originated in many cultures. Examples have been(...) Read More
- OctaveAn interval spanning seven diatonic degrees, eleven semitones. An octave above C would be C. The frequency of a note one octave above another will have exactly twice as many Hertz as the frequency of the note an octave below it. In the example below, Middle C (the lower note) is 261.63 hertz and the C shown an octave higher is 523.25 hertz. Read More
- Orchestra PitThe area of a theater where musicians perform during opera, balllet, and musical theater productions. This is typically an area that is directly in front of the stage, between the stage and the audience. It is often on the same level as the audience, however, it is ideal to be lower than the audience with a wall to provide a sound barrier to(...) Read More
- SaxophoneA family of wind instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in 1840. The saxophone has a single reed similar to a clarinet, but is made of brass; the bore is tapered; the fingering system is based on that of the oboe. The saxophone has become a popular band instrument, and occasionally is used in the orchestra. Where the saxophone has earned the(...) Read More