Key (music) Pieces in modes not corresponding to major or minor keys may sometimes be referred to as being in the key of the tonic. A piece using some other type of harmony, resolving e.g. to A, might be described as "in A" to indicate that A is the tonal center of the piece. An instrument may be said to be "in a key", an unrelated usage meaning it is a transposing instrument. A key relationship is the relationship between keys, measured by common tones and nearness on the circle of fifths. See: closely related key. Perfect authentic cadence (V-I [here in V7-I form] with roots in the bass and tonic in the highest voice of the final chord): ii-V7-I progression in C Play . The notes and chords used within a key are generally drawn from the major or minor scale associated with the tonic triad, but may also include borrowed chords, altered chords, secondary dominants, and the like. It should be noted that the key of the piece ... contributes an indefinable something to the evocative quality.
Key coloration. Harmony. Barbershop quartets, such as this US Navy group, sing 4-part pieces, made up of a melody line (normally the lead) and 3 harmony parts. Etymology and definitions[edit] The term harmony derives from the Greek ἁρμονία (harmonía), meaning "joint, agreement, concord",[4] from the verb ἁρμόζω (harmozo), "to fit together, to join".[5] The term was often used for the whole field of music, while "music" referred to the arts in general.
In Ancient Greece, the term defined the combination of contrasted elements: a higher and lower note.[6] Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the simultaneous sounding of notes was part of ancient Greek musical practice; "harmonía" may have merely provided a system of classification of the relationships between different pitches. In the Middle Ages the term was used to describe two pitches sounding in combination, and in the Renaissance the concept was expanded to denote three pitches sounding together.[6] Historical rules[edit] Types[edit] Close position C major triad.
Melody. The true goal of music—its proper enterprise—is melody. All the parts of harmony have as their ultimate purpose only beautiful melody. Therefore the question of which is the more significant, melody or harmony, is futile. Beyond doubt, the means is subordinate to the end. Elements[edit] Given the many and varied elements and styles of melody "many extant explanations [of melody] confine us to specific stylistic models, and they are too exclusive.
The melodies existing in most European music written before the 20th century, and popular music throughout the 20th century, featured "fixed and easily discernible frequency patterns", recurring "events, often periodic, at all structural levels" and "recurrence of durations and patterns of durations".[3] Melodies in the 20th century "utilized a greater variety of pitch resources than ha[d] been the custom in any other historical period of Western music. " Examples[edit] Different musical styles use melody in different ways. See also[edit] Rhythm. Compound triple drum pattern: divides three beats into three. Play Contains repetition on three levels. In the performance arts rhythm is the timing of events on a human scale; of musical sounds and silences, of the steps of a dance, or the meter of spoken language and poetry. Rhythm may also refer to visual presentation, as "timed movement through space.
"[3] and a common language of pattern unites rhythm with geometry. In recent years, rhythm and meter have become an important area of research among music scholars. Recent work in these areas includes books by Maury Yeston,[4] Fred Lerdahl and Ray Jackendoff, Jonathan Kramer, Christopher Hasty,[5] Godfried Toussaint,[6] William Rothstein, and Joel Lester. Anthropology[edit] Percussion instruments have clearly defined dynamics that aid the creation and perception of complex rhythms In his series How Music Works, Howard Goodall presents theories that human rhythm recalls the regularity with which we walk and the heartbeat. Terminology[edit]
Sound. A drum produces sound via a vibrating membrane. Sound is a vibration that propagates as a mechanical wave of pressure and displacement, through some medium (such as air or water). Sometimes sound refers to only those vibrations with frequencies that are within the range of hearing for humans[1] or for a particular animal. Acoustics[edit] Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound.
A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustical engineering may be called an acoustical engineer.[2] (Not to be confused with an audio engineer.) Physics of sound[edit] Propagation of sound[edit] The behavior of sound propagation is generally affected by three things: A relationship between density and pressure. Spherical compression (longitudinal) waves Longitudinal and transverse waves[edit] Speed of sound[edit] U.S. Glossary of musical terminology. This is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes.
Most of the terms are Italian (see also Italian musical terms used in English), in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings. Most of the other terms are taken from French and German, indicated by "(Fr)" and "(Ger)", respectively. Others are from languages such as Portuguese, Latin, and Spanish. Unless specified, the terms are Italian or English. A[edit] B[edit] C[edit] D[edit] E[edit] F[edit] G[edit] H[edit] I[edit] J[edit] K[edit] keyboardist (Eng) : a musician who plays any instrument with a keyboard. L[edit] M[edit] N[edit] nach und nach (Ger) lit. O[edit] P[edit] Q[edit] R[edit] S[edit] T[edit] U[edit] V[edit] W[edit] wenig (Ger): a little, not muchwolno (Polish): loose, slowly Z[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]