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GLOSSARY
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glossaryHere is a listing of musical terms used within this text, simply defined and linked back intothe text. Many of the hyperlinks from within the text come to this page. The one / two / three/ four choices to the right of each word entry are links back into the text where the term isused. If there is a page titled by the term, choosing choice one will take the reader there. Thetwo choice tries to link the vocabulary term to a melodic application if applicable. The threechoice will link the term to a harmonic application of the term. The four choice to an artisticconcept or technique where the theory of the term is applied or to a hyperlink to a www. siteof the topic. Perhaps use this page as a search engine for finding discussions regarding aparticular musical term of interest. Oh, the definitions of the numerous slang terms includedhere are of course debatable based on your own locale and degree of hipness.
accidental a symbol used to alter a pitch, usually by half step. accidentals include the sharp ( # ) and flat ( b ) and others.
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alteredwhen pitches of a scale or chord are changed from theirdiatonic identities, generally refers to upper structureconfigurations of dominant seventh chords, could be used todescribe any non diatonic pitches.
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ambiance musical atmosphere, environment. one twothree four
amen effect my term, describes moving from the One chord to the Fourback to One, generally associated with gospel music.
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antecedent the "question" or first part of a musical phrase. one twothree four
arpeggiatingthe harmony
common with non chordal instruments whereby the artistsimply arpeggiates each chord in the progression, usually aneasy way to clearly outline the chords / harmonicprogression of a song.
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arpeggio "harplike", "broken chord." a musical phrase comprised ofchord tones.
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arrangements the format that the performance of composition will follow, a"map" of the tune, i.e., intro, head, solos, head, tag etc.
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arrangementswhile youwait
slang for working out the arrangement the band will playimmediately preceding the performance of the tune,generally done while on the bandstand, although greatlyincreasing the risk of a train wreak, seasoned players do thisall the time, especially on "casuals" or pick up gigs.
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artistic filters to pass an motif through an existing structure, style orconcept.
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artisticlicense
artistically fitting round pegs in square holes, what an artistmight want to have when their ideas are a bit ahead of their
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time etc., allows an artist to "stretch" conventionalguidelines, norms and standards. three four
artisticsignature
aurally recognizable components of a particular playersartistic statement, i.e., tone, articulation, phrasing etc.
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atonality music having no tonal center or sense of tonic. one twothree four
augment (ed)to enlarge or supplement, usually associated with musicalintervals, melodically often associated with the whole tonescale, chordally we find the augmented term associated withthe 4th and 5th degrees of the dominant seventh chord.
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augmented6th chords
more found in traditional or classical music, so named by theinterval between the root and one of the upper voices, whichforms the interval of an augmented 6th.
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aurally to hear through listening with one's ears, to recognizetheoretical musical elements by ear.
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authentic a type of chord cadencing using tonic and dominant chords. one twothree four
ax slang term for instrument. one twothree four
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backpedaling root motion counterclockwise to the cycle of fifths. one twothree four
backpocket slang for something easily done. one twothree four
bag of licks collection of your own favorite musical phrases or chordchanges.
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ballad a style of song characterized by a slower, stately tempo withan emotional content usually centered on the topic of love.
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Baroquea style or period of European music and architecturecharacterized by it's emphasis on ornamentation of line,historically spanning the years of 1600 to 1750's.
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barrea chord shape on stringed instruments whereby the indexfinger of the fretting hand perpendicularly covers all of thestrings, in effect replacing the nut of the instrument.
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bass lowest vocal register, lowest pitch of a chord, foundation ofthe music.
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bebopa rather complex style of American jazz historically from thelate 1930's to the 40's, pioneered by Charlie Parker, TheloniusMonk, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and many others,
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characterized by bright tempos, intricate melodies,polyrhythms, extensive modulation and tremendousexcitement for the players and listeners alike.
bendingpitches
the fine art of changing pitch by physically altering thecreation of the pitch, i.e., pushing or pulling a string, using aslide on the strings, tightening the embouchure for hornplayers, bending pitches is often essential in delivering themore elementary blues styles.
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binaryusually associated with form in music, basically meaningtwo parts making up the whole, as in the number 25 is abinary number.
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birds' eye slang for fermata, a symbol for suspending the forwardmotion / time of the music.
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bitonal two distinctly different aural colors used together. one twothree four
blowing slang for soloing. one twothree four
blue notes the third, augmented fourth and minor seventh pitches of theblues scale.
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blueprint in this text used to describe basic harmonic formulas or key one two
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musical elements that are often associated with or define apopular musical style. three four
blues the core of American music styles. one twothree four
blues anchormy term for a musical device that can quickly retonallycenter our improvisations, regardless of how "outside" thetonality we have ventured, in this case a blues lick.
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blurringmy term to obscure the clarity, in this text usually to obscurethe tonal direction and defy the tonal gravity of a musicalphrase.
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block refers to voicing each melody note with it's own chord /harmony.
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borrow a slang term to describe the concept of how non diatonicelements are sifted into the major and minor tonalities.
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bridge slang for the "B" section of the A / A / B / A and A / B form. one twothree four
broken chord sounding the notes of a chord in succession as opposed tobeing struck together, slang for arpeggio.
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cacophony seemingly unrelated combinations of sounds, oftentimesusing multiple tonal centers simultaneously.
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cadence Two or more chords ending an event of musical tension,commonly V 7 to I.
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cadenza an open section where a player gets to play solo andunaccompanied, usually found at the end of a song.
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call andresponse
perhaps developed from religious services, whereby theleader sings a phrase to which the congregation responds.
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calledslang for choosing a tune while on the bandstand. A callabletune (standard) is one usually familiar to most players in thegroup.
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capo a device used by guitar players that "clamps" all the strings,allowing open position chords to create other keys.
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careermusician
describes in this text a learner who has determined thatmusic will be their life work, to become a professionalmusician, thus perhaps welcome a more demandingcurriculum from this text.
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casuala gig characterized as the name implies, casual, maybe oncein a while as opposed to steady, which happens on a regular
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basis.
cats slang for musician / player / artist. one twothree four
cella term that describes a musical idea that is the core idea forexpansion and development in musical composition / artisticwork.
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changes slang for the chords of a song. one twothree four
chart slang for a written musical score. one twothree four
chops slang for a players ability to execute musical phrases. one twothree four
chord different pitches struck and sounded together. one twothree four
chord degree numerical label for pitches within a chord or arpeggio, i.e.,1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc.
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chord familyviewing any chord or harmony in one of three families inrelation to the major tonality, chords in each of the families
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provide one of three basic artistic elements, these arestability (tonic), passing chord (two) and tension (five). three four
chordprogression specific cycles of chords. one two
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chordsubstitution
replacing one chord with another, generally of the samechord type.
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chord tone(s)refers to a pitch used in the creation of a chord, the pitchesused to create a particular chord, chord tones also createarpeggios.
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chord type
placing any chord or harmony in one of three categories, i.e.,tonic ( I ), Two ( ii ) or Five ( V ) in relation to the majortonality, chords in each of the categories provide one of threebasic artistic elements, these are stability ( tonic ), passingchord ( Two ) and tension ( Five ).
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chorus one complete cycle of the entire form of a piece of music. one twothree four
chromatic melodic or harmonic motion of consecutive half steps ineither direction.
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chromaticenhancement
simply to approach each of the pitches of a musical idea byhalf step above or below.
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chromatichelmet safety device worn by musically adventurous folks. one two
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chromaticscale
group of pitches created exclusively with the interval of ahalf step, containing 12 pitches with one octave.
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chronologically in historical order, to understand a series events in thehistorical sequence in which they occurred.
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church modes a collection of scales from antiquity which wereincorporated into the system of equal temper.
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classicalliterature
a term used to describe the entire body of European musicbased on the equal temperament system, dating from the 12century or so.
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cliché stereotypical musical phrase spanning generations of players. one twothree four
click trackrecording studio term for a metronomical beat usuallydelivered via headphones to the recording players to helpsolidify the groove.
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climax high point of solo, release of music tension. one two
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closureto bring a sequential group of elements back to it's startingpoint creating a closed loop, also used pedagogically withinthe text to bring a theoretical concept to a conclusion as partof the learning process.
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clustersusually a group of 3 to 5 pitches or so that are sequenced intoa cool idea, then rapidly articulated. oftentimes they are thenpushed through a larger cycle, i.e., chromatic, fifths, fourths,minor third / fourths etc.
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codaItalian for "tail", a section of music added on to commonmusical forms to provide perfect closure to the artistic ideaof the piece.
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color my term for describing a musical sound, like using the colorterms red or blue to describe the major or minor tonalities.
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color tonesany pitch used in a chord that is not part of the 3 note triad,common slang term for upper structure chord tones ofdiatonic harmony, i.e., 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th etc. and all theiralterations.
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commonpractice
as the term implies what everybody does, oftentimes definedby an era of history whereby folks basically used the sameartistic elements to create their sounds thus creating anddefining a style of music.
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common tone two musical components sharing a common pitch / pitches. one twothree four
comping providing harmonic background for soloist, vocalist. one twothree four
composing in this text, creating music, both spontaneously improvisedwithin musical time or written out.
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compoundintervals intervals that exceed the span of one octave. one two
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connection
as the term implies, in joining all of the creative andemotional aspects of artistic performers and their audienceand the exchange of energies on so many different levels thathappens between them, i.e., the dynamics of a rewarding andfulfilling performance for all involved.
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consequent the "answer" to the question or first part of a musical phrase,see antecedent.
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consonant the opposite of dissonant, describes a harmoniousrelationship between pitches.
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constantstructure simply moving the same chord voicing up or down in pitch. one two
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contrarymotion
implies when two voices, as say within a chord, move inopposite directions in regards to pitch, motion of chordvoices in opposite directions, opposite of parallel motion,which implies voices moving directionally together either upor down.
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contrastingtheme
in a musical composition containing two themes, the mostimportant theme is termed the principle theme, while thesecond theme is said to be in "contrast", thus the contrastingtheme.
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convergenceto arrive at a destination or resolution, the morphing of onetonal color to another, the theory which creates labels of thecolors as referred to in this text as "lines of tonalconvergence."
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cool jazz
style of American jazz that evolved in the 50's characterizedby more relaxed tempos, sparser harmonies and morelanguid melodic lines, in part inspired from the M. Davisrecording "Kind of Blue", the emergence of "cool jazz",notably on the West Coast as pioneered by locals C. Baker, J.Mulligan, and many others, today, late 90's and onward, alsoused to define some contemporary and new age jazz.
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could be really means that I personally think so, my opinion in favorof the idea postulated in the text, prompting the "could be."
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counterpointin the music world, literally point versus point, where thepoints are pitches, the theoretical study of the evolution ofvoice leading between two or more melodic lines, a style ofcomposing popular during the Baroque period.
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cover tunesslang term for popular songs, many of which are often top40, often found in dance band repertoires in any of theAmerican styles of music.
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cycles persecond
the frequency that a pitch vibrates at, i.e., the tuning pitch Aa minor 3rd below middle C on the piano vibrates at 440cycles per second.
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cycle of fifths/ fourths
a pictorial "clocklike" representation and way to organize the12 tonal or key centers of the equal temperament system,based on the root motion of perfect fifths, usually clockwise,or it's inverse, the perfect fourth (counterclockwise).
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dc / da capo Italien for "head", denoting the start of the musical form orsong.
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deceptivecadence
harmonic motion of the Five chord moving to Six in themajor tonality.
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defaultin computer lingo, the original settings of the software, inthis text the "default" becomes various mainstays inAmerican music, it's performance and theories oforganization.
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delta changesmy slang term for downright basic, simple in the mud blueschord changes, to "play primitive" as i've heard it beendescribed, derived from the style Delta Blues.
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diatonic using only pitches within the key signature. one twothree four
diatonicharmony
building chords using only the notes contained within agiven key signature.
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digitron Euro slang for a mathematical calculator? one twothree four
diminished to make smaller, reducing an interval by half step. one twothree four
diminishedchord stacking intervals of a minor third, i.e., C, Eb, Gb, A etc. one two
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diminishedinterval
usually associated with reducing the size of the perfectintervals by half step, also reducing the size of minorintervals by half step.
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diminishedscale
adding neighbor tones to the diminished chord to create asymmetrical scale group such as the whole step / half stepconfiguration of C, D, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, A, B, C etc.
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discern to figure out by inductive reasoning. one twothree four
disguise to mask or obscure one's appearance or intent. one twothree four
dissonant combining aural sounds creating an unpleasant effect. one twothree four
divine from the heavens above. one twothree four
dominantterm used to designate the pitch which is a perfect fifthinterval above the fundamental, as say in the major / relativeminor scales, chords built on this 5th scale degree are termeddominant chords.
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dominantharmony
chords built on the 5th scale degree of the major / relativeminor scales ( and other scales that contain a pitch a perfect5th above the root ), also used to describe the tonalenvironment generally associated with American bluesmusic.
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dominantseventh
in this text refers to any chordal color that incorporates atritone interval between the third and the seventh degrees ofthe chord,
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double (ing) / to "double"
refers to a quality within the harmony where one or more ofthe chord tones is present twice ( doubled ) or more inthe same voicing.
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double stop articulating two pitches simultaneously, common for stringplayers, piano etc.
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doubletimewhen the tempo of a song is increased to go twice as fast asthe original pace, improvising musicians will do this inperformance.
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drag slang for playing slower than the tempo being employed, i.e.,"dragging", not keeping up with the tempo.
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dronein music, often a sound of indeterminate or varying pitch thatpulsates through the music, usually associated with primitiveindigineous music, this drone has partly evolved into ourwell tuned, modern day pedal point.
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dual tonalitiesthe mixing of major and minor tonal elements as found in theblues styles, that different tonalities exist within the samegrouping of pitches.
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dynamics refers to how soft or loud a note (s) is articulated, i.e.,volume of sound.
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edge slang for the top of the tune, form etc. one two
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three four
eighth note division of the quarter note into two equal parts. one twothree four
elide ( d ) to supress or pass over in silence, to carry a musical soundacross the bar line.
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emotionalenvironment
my term to describe the emotional quality created by thevarious musical elements within American music. Examplesof this concept include blues, major, minor etc.
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entire musicalresource
the sounds we use to create the various styles of Americanmusic, scales, chords, blue notes and all the pitches inbetween.
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encapsulate surrounding the target pitch with other tones. one twothree four
environment authors term to describe a particular musical setting for asong i.e., usually major, minor, modal, blues etc.
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enharmonic two labels for one pitch, i.e. "A#" or "Bb." one twothree four
episode refers to one repetition of the basic motive within a one two
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sequence. three four
equaltemperamentsystem
system of musical organization based on the division of theoctave into 12 equal pitches, as a system of tuning inpractical use from roughly 1722, Bach's "Well TemperedClavier."
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EuroAmerattempts top encompass and describe the migration of peoplefrom Europe to America over the last 500 years or so, thehistory of their traditions and their ways of making music.
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Europeanmusicalancestors
in historical sequence; Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,Brahms, Wagner, Debussey, Stravinsky and every one ofyour "classical" favorites.
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explore "crunching" down the theory. one twothree four
experiment using theoretical concepts to generate new combinations. one twothree four
extended /extensions
refers to chords that include pitches above the three notes ofthe triad, see upper structure components / colortones.
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fake books collections of lead sheets from various music publishers, alsoknown as "real" books.
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fermata a pause, hold or breath in the musical performance, usuallyconducted, commonly found at the end of a composition.
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filtermy concept and term of artistic creation whereby an artisticidea i.e., a motif, is passed through a structured framework,ex. to move a triad (motif) chromatically (filter).
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first inversion a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is thirdchord degree, i.e., C / E.
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five of five a cycling of dominant chords, i.e., D 7 to G 7 etc. one twothree four
flat a musical notation symbol ( b ) that lowers a pitch by halfstep.
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form definite patterns of musical compositions. one twothree four
formula numerical equations that create various musical components. one twothree four
forwardmotion creating a sense of anticipation in the music. one two
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four finger /four fret
a common technique for guitar players whereby each of thefour fingers of the hand fretting the pitches on thefingerboard assume responsibility for articulating theirrespective pitches within a span of four frets.
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fourthinversion
a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is ninthchord degree, i.e., C / D.
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functionhow a particular chord type reacts within tonal gravity, chordprogressions etc., i.e. tonic, minor seventh or dominant chordtypes.
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fundamental the starting pitch from which an overtone series is created,starting pitch of musical scales, the root of a chord etc.
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funk a style of inner urban rock / blues popular during the late70's and onward.
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gear music slang term for instruments, amps, processors, reeds,speakers, microphones etc.
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genre a broad category or subject heading. one twothree four
gillion slang for a lot. one twothree four
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gig / giging slang for where the music is happening, oftentimes aprofessional musical job, i.e., "the gig."
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grace note a pitch articulated as a quick lead in to another pitch usuallyby half step, also a trill or turn of pitches.
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Greek modesgroups of pitches as used by the ancient Greeks; namelyDorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian, we use the samelabels today with the more modern church modes.
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groove slang for emotional and rhythmic content of a particular styleof music.
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groups ofpitches
my term describing musical scales, i.e., the C major scale isalso the C major grouping of pitches.
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guide tonesoften sustained pitches creating a stepwise melodic linewithin a series of chord changes, simple melodic lines thathelp define the chord quality of the harmony.
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half cadence cadential motion where the tonic goes to the Four or Fivechord.
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halfdiminishedchord
diatonic Two chord in the minor tonality, diatonic Sevenchord in the major tonality, basically a generic minor seventhchord type with a diminished fifth.
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half step the smallest intervalic division within the system of equaltemperament, i.e., by half step or chromatic.
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half step leadin
approaching the target pitch or chord from half step above orbelow.
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half step /whole step alternate interval approach to creating the diminished color. one two
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hardrive slang for our mind, memory, instantaneous recall etc. one twothree four
harmonic a "pure" pitch created by lightly touching a string at specificdivisions to produce "harmonics."
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harmonicminor scale
a group of pitches which creates the minor tonalitydistinguished by including a minor third, minor sixth andmajor seventh above the root.
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harmonization to add chords (harmony) to support a melody. one twothree four
harmony chords used to support a melody. one twothree four
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head slang for the melody of a song, also denotes the top of theform.
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hipify my slang term ( ? ) for making something hip or hipper asthe case might be.
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hills in whichwe live my slang term ( ? ) for our planet Earth. one two
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hookslang term for the main musical motif of a composition, thatgoofy melody lick that gets stuck in the head, the one thatwon't shake loose, that's a melodic "hook."
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horizontal term that describes the basic shape created by the pitches ofa melodic line, generally implying step wise motion.
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hue used to describe a particular shade of a common color, i.e.the various "hues of green", lime, kelly, neon etc.
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hyperlinkperhaps the most important symbol / device ever devised byhumankind to record a word or concept, allowing ideas to beconnected with other ideas with the click of a button.
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imperfectV to I harmonic cadential motion with the tonic pitch not inboth bass and lead of One chord, creating a less definitesense of closure, the release of tension or coming to rest.
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improvise to spontaneously create solutions, in American music, mostcommonly to mean the creation melodic lines.
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in the lead refers to the highest pitch in a chord voicing. one twothree four
incomplete a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord or root isomitted.
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indigenous originating in a particular geographical area, native. one twothree four
individualizinginstruction
creating an educational curriculum for each person based ontheir own needs and unique ways of learning.
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indy slang for music industry. one twothree four
inside jazz slang for diatonic musical ideas. one twothree four
interval term used to measure the musical distance between twopitches.
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intervallicsymmetry
when the intervals used to create a musical component arethe same, could also be a combination of intervals which isrepeated (cell).
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intonation a term used to describe various properties of tuning. one twothree four
intro slang for the music that introduces a song. one twothree four
inversionschord voicings where the lowest pitch of the chord is not thenamed root of the chord i.e, third, fifth, seventh degree as thebass pitch etc.
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invert reversing of a musical interval from ascending to descendingor vice versa.
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inverted pedaltone diatonic common tone in top voice of a chord progression. one two
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jamm to get together with friends and play music. one twothree four
jamm loop as used here within this text, a play along midi sound file. one twothree four
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jam session a gig where everybody gets to play. one twothree four
jass early historical label of the late 19th century for musiccommonly known today as jazz.
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jazz style of American music. one twothree four
jazz mantra my tongue in cheek term for the degree of knowledge andthe exhausting of the resources that jazz players enjoy.
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justintonation
a system of tuning whereby the major 3rd and 5th areperfectly acoustically correct while the other pitches of thescale are derived from these two intervals and theirinversions.
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kaboommy term for when a learners existing knowledge of thetheory dramatically expands by the addition of one newconcept or element, creating a new musical horizon.
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key the tonal center of a musical composition, i.e., a song in Cmajor is in the key of C major.
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key signatureterm used to describe the number of sharps or flatsassociated with each of the twelve major / minor keys, eases
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the writing and reading of music by placing diatonicaccidentals at the beginning of the piece.
lay out slang term meaning "not to play", i.e., to lay out of the mix. one twothree four
lead refers to the highest pitch ( voice ) in a chord voicing. one twothree four
leaderthe person responsible for organizing the music andmusicians ( sideman ) for a musical event, also the artisticfocus of a recording session.
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lead sheets written music including the melody and appropriate chordsymbols.
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leading tone the pitch a half step below the tonic, the 7th degree of themajor scale.
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leap melodic motion of an interval greater than a major thirdbetween two pitches.
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learningblock
an obstacle to learning, often created by the learner based ontheir prior educational and life experiences, obstacles to beidentified and overcome.
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learning style by what educational activity or environment an individualbest learns, by reading, writing, speaking, playing etc.
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legatoa style of phrasing a melodic idea where the pitches of theline are smoothly connected, as little separation between thepitches as possible.
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lick slang for a musical phrase. one twothree four
literature the whole body of written music ever created and writtendown.
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localizedposition executing musical ideas in one area of the fingerboard. one two
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loops ofpitches
my term to describe when a group of pitches or scaleintervalically closes onto itself, or in electronic music, thevirtual repetition of a phrase as say an 8 bar drum pattern.
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lute stringed instrument and ancestor to the guitar. one twothree four
major scalethe group of pitches that creates the major tonality, alsoknown as the Ionian mode, one of two basic groups ofpitches used to create the system equal temperament.
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majortonality,major tonalenvironment
describes the color of music that is based upon the majortriad, major scale, Ionian mode etc.
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making thechanges
slang for when an emerging artist / soloist clearly articulatesthe harmony ( changes ) in their lines.
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master ofdisguise
describes a player who creates different illusions of thestoryline of a song while always retaining the emotionalessence of it's central theme, opposite of "master of theobvious."
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master of theobvious
describes music where an experienced listener can accuratelyguess where the music is going.
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measurenumbers
a counting number applied to each measure within a piecewritten music to help locate one's place.
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mediant chord built on the third scale degree of the major / relativeminor scale.
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melodicminor scale
a group of pitches creating the minor tonality distinguishedby including a minor third, major sixth and major seventhabove the root.
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melodic superimposing different parent scales, often based on chord one two
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substitution substitutions. three four
melody a series of musical tones that expresses an emotionalthought?
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metronomemechanical device for practice which creates consistentclicks to represent the beats of music, the rate of which isadjustable from fast ( allegro ) through slow ( largo ).
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midden the pile of detritus material created by squirrels frommunching the seeds of pine cones, it's an Alaskan thing.
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middleregister
the center pitches of the overall range of a musicalinstrument, usually consisting of the pitches with the span ofa major 10th.
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minor sevenththe interval between two pitches of a minor 7th, a minortriad with a minor 7th, a tonic 7th chord in the natural minortonality and a Two chord type in the major tonality.
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minortonality,minor tonalenvironment
describes the color of music that is based upon the majortriad.
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mixthe combined blend of all the instruments in the group whensounded together, often concerned with setting volumes,tones and such things as the e.q.'s, and reverbs in an
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electronic setting.
modal bluesa blues performance format whereby the performance isbasically a four bar phrase based on the tonic V 7th chord,not following the traditional 12 bar blues form.
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modernas mostly used in this text, either implies a historical idea orthat the musical components used to create the music arewell advanced into the upper structure parts of the arpeggio,polytonal sounds etc.
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modesancient term for scale, also deriving a scale from within ascale, i.e., the older church modes from the present daymajor scale, the original Greek modes, Dorian, Phrygian,Lydian and Mixolydian.
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modulate to change keys, tonal centers or emotional environments. one twothree four
mon ami French for "my friend." one twothree four
monothematicone theme, artistic creations with one theme, like a themepark with just one ride, that you want to keep going on againand again, i.e., the blues.
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monster slang for a musician with tremendous musical abilities. one twothree four
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morph used within this text to describe a change of tonality, i.e.,major to minor, tonic family to dominant family etc.
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motif /motive
a re-occurring artistic idea which is developed throughout anartistic piece.
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Motownstyle of American pop music from the 1960's, the Supremes,Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder on and on.Motown from motorcity perhaps?, is slang for the city ofDetroit, Michigan.
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movableshapes
usually applied to guitar, where a scale or chord shape can bemoved intact up and down the fingerboard, as opposed say toopen string shapes etc.
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multiphonics articulating two pitches simultaneously, used usually todescribe an effect with horn players.
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musicsoftware
the music software to create the musical examples in thistext is created by Coda Corporation, it is Finale 2001a,which is very excellent indeed.
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musicalevolution
the continual quest by artists to expand the existing musicalforms and resources so as to better portray the triumphs,struggles and philosophies of humankind.
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musical math that the numerical equivalents given to the pitches alsoperfectly close upon themselves or "proof" themselves by
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perfectly closing back to their starting point. three four
musicologist the scholar of music history. one twothree four
musicalintervals
measuring the distance between two pitches as defined bythe number of half steps between them.
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natural minor from the Aeolian mode, also major / relative minor. one twothree four
nature /nurture instinctual or learned, that is the question ... one two
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neighbor tone closely related pitches by physical proximity. one twothree four
n'est pas? from the French, translated here as "isn't that so?" one twothree four
non diatonicin analysis of music, implies pitches not part of the tonicparent scale used to create a piece of music, can be melodicor harmonically identified.
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note term to describe a musical sound or tone, i.e., a pitch. one two
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octavea pitch created by dividing the fundamental pitch or stringlength in half, a 2 : 1 ratio, so as to make the upper pitchvibrate twice as fast as the lower, the interval rangecontaining the 8 diatonic tones of the major scale.
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octaveclosure
the principle by which a seven note scale becomes 8 with theinclusion of the root's octave to create the looping closure ofequal tempered resources.
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offbeatin European music and analysis, the offbeat is said to be the2nd and 4th beats of 4 / 4 time, the 2nd and 3rd beats in 3 / 4time etc., opposite of onbeat or the 1st beat of the measure in4 / 4 time.
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open chordsrefers to stringed instruments whereby chord shapes includepitches from unstopped strings, open chords are usuallyfound within the first 3 frets on the guitar.
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oralby word of mouth, passing along ideas through the spokenword, an ancient teaching style of passing along ideas fromone generation to the next.
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organic used to describe the diatonic origin of musical components,when one's musical evolution happens from within.
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ostinato bassfigure
this term is borrowed from the European classical cats andsimply implies a simple rhythmic figure that is repeated
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many times, a great way to build musical suspense. three four
outro slang for improvising a musical vamp used to end a songwhile performing, intro / outro.
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outside non diatonic musical ideas, sounds and colors. one twothree four
overtonesthe pitches contained within a vibrating column of air, aplucked string etc., similar to the different colors in thebreakdown or "white light", i.e., the colors of the rainbow.
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overtoneseries
mathematical breakdown of a vibrating string or column ofair into parts, which become different musical pitches termedovertones.
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palette platform for mixing colors. one twothree four
parent scalerefers to the main group of pitches used to create a song, achord or emotional environment, i.e., the C major scale is theparent scale of a song written in the key of C major whosetonic chord is C major 7.
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parallelmotion describes moving one chord voicing up or down in pitch. one two
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parody usually meaning to creating different words to a popularmelody, a musical satire if you will, kids do this a lot.
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partials term used to describe the overtones created from thesounding of a fundamental musical tone.
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passing tones essentially non chord tone pitches which are within therhythmic range of a harmonic structure or chord.
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passing chord transitory chord between principle chords, as defined by eraand style.
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pedagogythe study of how we undertake the process of learningsomething, the development of a curriculum of study for atopic or subject.
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pedal tones sustained pitch within the fabric of the music, usually in anouter voice, i.e., bass or treble.
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peer pressuresurely the worst thing about being a teenager, don't submit,strive to be yourself and develop your natural talents, thenshare the magic of your music with those you love.
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pentatonicscale
ancient musical scale containing five pitches creating boththe major and minor tonalities.
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penultimate the second to last in the hierarchy of a group of tones. one twothree four
perfect Five ( V ) to One ( I ) cadential motion with the tonic pitchin bass and lead of the One chord.
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perfectintervals
the first three intervals derived from the overtone series, theoctave, perfect 5th and perfect 4th.
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perfectlyinvert
when the numerical measurement between pitches is thesame whether moving up or down, i.e., as the tritone intervalsplits the span of one octave perfectly in half.
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performancein this text implying preparing for performance, whetherpreparing to spontaneously improvise our music, work outevery pitch or a combination of both.
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performancevehicle
the mood, form, tonality and rhythms of a particular piece ofmusic, creating categories such as a ballad, swing Latin etc.
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perioda European term used in the discussion of form in music,whereby a musical phrase becomes as a sentence in prose,also a historical era of musical style, such as the "swing" era.
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permutation recombining existing combinations into new configurations. one twothree four
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phrase term for a musical or verbal statement, expression of an idea. one twothree four
phrasing describes how a particular player articulates their phrase orideas, part of a person's artistic signature.
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Picardy third using the major third in cadential motions in the minortonality, usually the last chord of the piece.
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pick up note one or more notes or chords used as an intro into a melody,verse etc.
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pivot chorda term used to describe the chord used to move from one keycenter to another, most often a dominant type chord whichcontains pitches of the key center the music is modulatingtowards.
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plageloriginally from the Greeks, who used this term to describe a"mode within a mode", in modern times often referring to achord cadencing with the tonic and subdominant chords.
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planing(plane - ing)
describes moving one chord voicing by half step, whole stepetc.
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pocketslang to describe when the groove / rhythm is locked inamong the players creating it, the place where cool grooves
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hang out.
polyphony two or more musically significant melodic ideas playedsimultaneously without chordal accompaniment.
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polytonality the simultaneous use of more than one key center. one twothree four
popularterm used to describe melodies that every listener ofAmerican music might recognize and perhaps hum the tunefrom memory, also famous players and established musicalstyles.
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positionusually for players of stringed instruments, positiongenerally refers to the placement of the 1st finger (index) ofthe hand fretting the strings.
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post bopa period in jazz history after bebop, the music characterizedby more complex cycles of chords and modulation to distantkey centers.
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pour moi French for "for me." one twothree four
pour toi French for "for you." one twothree four
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pre-knuckle my term to describe a concept that goes way back in thehistory of our evolution, from "knuckle-dragging."
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principletriads
the One, Four and Five triads / chords of the major andminor tonalities.
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public used to describe music that we hear incidentally in publicplaces, an elevator, the grocery store etc.
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quarter note rhythmic designation of one beat in 4 / 4 time. one twothree four
quartile refers to melodic motion and chordal harmony created infourths.
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quote generally means to play part of the melody of one song inanother.
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range describes the available pitches, from the lowest to thehighest pitches, on any given instrument.
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realization the actual music created from musical symbols,philosophically, what a player thinks when they see G 7.
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real book collection of published songs, also called "fake" books. one twothree four
real time refers to "as it is happening" one twothree four
registration refers to the pitch range of a particular instrument. one twothree four
reharmon-ization working out a new set of chord changes for a melody. one two
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relative majorminor scales
one group of pitches that creates two tonalities based on theirintervalic formula i.e., C major / A natural minor. There are12 different major keys, 12 different minor keys, all createdfrom two distinct shapings of the same intervalic formula, so24 possible tonal centers.
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relative minor the minor tonality balance as found within the major scale,sharing identical key signatures thus pitches.
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resolve to release musical tension. one twothree four
retrograde implies a reverse or backward motion. one two
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three four
rhythmchanges
a set of stock chord changes used for writing tunes such as "IGot Rhythm and "Oleo."
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ride slang for soloing, to take a ride, to improvise musicaldialogue in real time.
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ride time slang for the amount of time a player gets to solo. one twothree four
riff slang for a short musical phrase. one twothree four
ritard slowing down the pace of the music for dramatic effect,often found at the end of performing a song.
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right on it slang for starting a song directly with the melody, i.e., nointroduction.
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rollterm used to describe a definite picking pattern on a stringedinstrument, often associated with the banjo, i.e., a banjo roll,perhaps the earliest of the popular American stringedinstruments, also a series of drum strokes.
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Romannumerals
symbols used by theorists to denote a particular chordslocation within a key, based on the scale degrees of the tonicscale, upper case ( IV ) denoting major sounds, lower case (iv ) , the minor colors.
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root fundamental pitch of a chord, also used in naming the chord,i.e. C is the root of a C major chord.
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root position a chord whose identifying pitch is the root or lowest pitch ofthe chord.
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rubato to "rob", displacement of musical time within a given tempoto accommodate interpretive phrasing.
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running slang term for executing a musical idea through variousfilters, permutations, chord changes i.e., "running changes."
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rush playing faster than the tempo being employed. one twothree four
samba Latin flavored dance groove based on a two or foursubdivision of the beat.
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scales groups of of selected pitches. one twothree four
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scale degree putting a numerical label on pitches within a scale in relationto a tonic pitch.
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scat slang for the vocalization of musical phrases. one twothree four
secondinversion
a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord is fifthchord degree, i.e., C / G.
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secondarydominantchord
creating a dominant chordal color on a scale degree otherthan Five in the major tonality, when one dominant chordprecedes another, i.e., D 7 to G 7 etc.
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segue(segway)
a compositional component that is used to smoothly connectsections within arrangements or one song with another,creating a continuous flow of the music.
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sequence an ordered series of events. one twothree four
serialista method of musical composition whereby the parent scale iscreated from all of the 12 pitches and can be modulated toany of the tonal centers of the chromatic scale, often termed12 tone composition.
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seventh chord generally implies a chord containing a triad and seventhchord degree.
one two
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shape in this text a slang term used to describe a chord voicing ascreated on a guitar or other chordal stringed instrument.
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sharpin tuning, to create a sound slightly above the desired pitch. in notation, the # symbol to raise the written pitch by halfstep.
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shedding slang for practicing. one twothree four
sheets ofsound
originally a music critics term used to describe the physicaleffect of rapidly articulated arpeggios, originated by JohnColtrane during the 60's.
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shout chorususually the last chorus of a song being performed wherebyall of the players involved turn the passion of their part up anotch or two, i.e., to shout. Common in the blues andDixieland styles.
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shred slang for the sound of tearing up steel, associated with thevarious types of overdrive / distortion sounds for guitar.
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shuffle slang for a blues groove usually in 12 / 8, using a triplet feelto motor the basic groove.
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sideman industry slang for accompanying member of a musicalgroup.
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single slang for working a gig as a solo performer. one twothree four
simpleintervals those intervals found within the span of one octave. one two
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sittin in bringing your instrument to a musical performance or jammsession and playing with the band.
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slidecreating a smooth motion between pitches, the sound ofwhich includes the pitches in between, also usually a glass ormetal bar device used by guitar players on the strings toachieve this effect, a favorite of blues players.
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softening /softer
my slang for the gradual obscuring of a musical color and it'stonal direction by the addition of various color tones.
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softeningprocess
in this text applies to the lightening of color from the darkerdiminished color towards the pentatonic, and all points inbetween.
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soloing implies one musical voice playing or creating the melody. one twothree four
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sonority clarity of resonance in chords, where each pitch within thechord is clearly distinguishable.
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staccato Italian for detached, refers to a style of melodic phrasingwhereby each of the pitches is separate from each other.
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staff template of lines and spaces for notating music. one twothree four
stand slang for bandstand, stage etc. one twothree four
standard slang for important jazz compositions, songs of Americanmusic that have withstood the test of time.
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standardtuning
refers to centering all pitches from the 440 A, also refers tothe conventional way to tune a guitar, E,A,D,G,B,E, orviolin, G,D,A,E, bass E,A,D,G etc.
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static"unmoving", in music, often used in describe a harmonicsituation where one chord is used for extended periods oftime, i.e., "static harmony."
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stepwiseconsecutive melodic / harmonic ascending or descendingmotion using the pitches of a select melodic grouping ofpitches, i.e., scale.
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stoptimeusually an alternating between short bursts of music andsilence, as in early rock or between choruses / soloists intraditional up tempo jazz arrangements.
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storyline in this text used to describe the spiritual content andemotional environment of a song.
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stretch out extended soloing. one twothree four
strength ofplayer
slang to describes a players ability to build and managemusical tension.
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subdivision common term used to describe the division of a musical beator pulse into smaller units.
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subdominant the diatonic fourth scale degree of the major / relative minorgroups of pitches, harmony built on the fourth scale degree.
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substitution simply replacing one musical component with another. one twothree four
sussing out an Alaskan slang term meaning to figure something out byone's own effort.
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swing
description of a particular style / era of jazz music, slangterm implying a powerful music of any style, i.e., swingshard, an elusive rhythmic concept based on playing onerhythmic feel against another, creating boundless joy, goodvibes and big smiles.
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symmetricalscales
usually non diatonic groups of pitches that are based on aperfectly repeating intervalic formula.
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tagslang for cliche ending of song, to tag, add a repeatedharmonic / melodic cycle to extend the performance of asong.
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taking it outslang term used to describe the moving of a musical ideafrom inside ( diatonic ) to outside ( non-diatonic), also usedto describe the ending of a song during performance.
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target chordterm for the the final destination of a series of chords orchord progression, i.e., the target chord of the Two / Five /One chord progression is the One chord.
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tear it up slang for when players aggressively approach the music. one twothree four
technoa modern way of making music from synthesized soundswhich are looped together, there are a few subgenera withinthis style, most all of which are associated with dance.
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teenager inlove changes
slang for the common harmonic motion of 1 / 6 / 4 / 5 in themajor tonality, after the pop hit of the same title from the50's.
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tempered tuning adjustments associated with the equal temperedsystem of tonal organization.
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tempo the pulse rate of the music, the rate at which the musicalsounds move through time, i.e., fast or slow etc.
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tensions artistic energy that seeks release, also the upper structurechord tones, i.e. 7, 9, 11, 13, #15 and their alterations.
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tertian refers to harmony (chords) constructed in thirds. one twothree four
testimony the cleansing of one's musical soul through impassionedperformance.
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tetrachordused to describe the two four note groups created by simplydividing the 8 pitches of the major scale in half, i.e., in Cmajor, the lower tetrachord C D E F and upper G A B C.
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texttonal resources for the creative musician © is a music theorytext that helps expand the readers vocabulary of musicalterms providing a greater awareness and understanding of
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the musical resources used to create American music.
third andseventh
the two pitches within a seventh chord that determines chordquality.
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third degree the pitch that determines whether a scale or triad is major orminor.
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thirdinversion
a chord voicing where the lowest pitch of the chord isseventh chord degree, i.e., C / B.
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timbre term to describe the various hues of musical colors, musicalinstruments, sound quality etc.
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time signature numerical fraction describing the rhythmic groove of amusical composition.
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tonal as pertains to sound, audible sound, things we can hear. one twothree four
tonalenvironment
my term for the overall feel and color created by a piece ofmusic.
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tonalresources
the "nuts and bolts" of our music. Pitches, scales, chords,drums, the theoretical systems etc.
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tonality term used to describe overall musical effect of a particularmusical idea, i.e. major / minor / dominant seventh etc.
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tonal center theory term for the key of a particular piece of music. one twothree four
tonal gravitythe force in music created when one pitch is designated asthe center of the music, the tonal force used to create andrelease artistic tension in the music,
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tonal stabilitythe degree to which any given chord color creates the auralsensation of being at rest, oftentimes created by tonicfunction chords.
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tone row using all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale to create theparent scale for composing music.
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tonica theoretical name for the first degree of any scale or chordthat is the predominant key of a given piece of music,usually determined by the key signature i.e., the tonic of"blues in A" is A.
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tonic chord a theoretical name for the chord built on the first degree ofany scale or mode.
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top slang for the beginning of a new chorus, the first measure ina song, the beginning.
one two
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three four
top 40 the current listing of the 40 most popular songs in Americaat any given second.
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trading foursslang term for an arranging technique whereby improvisingmusicians each take turns four bars to create an idea, oftendone with the drummer, the solist takes 4 bars, then solodrums for 4 bars, following the form of the tune etc.
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traditionalharmony
term used to describe a perspective of the theory as derivedfrom classical literature, i.e., the European masters of equaltemperament.
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train wreck
slang for when the players in the group make a series of badchoices while performing, usually resulting in unplanned,temporary musical chaos, train wrecks are oftentimes foundat the end of performing a musical piece, see "arrangementswhile you wait" from above.
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transcribe to transfer the music from a live performance or recordinginto musical notation, to one's instrument.
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transpose to respell the music exactly from one key center to another. one twothree four
treble clef symbol used to denote the second line of a musical staff as one two
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the pitch "G" natural. three four
triad three note chord comprised of a root, a third and a fifth. one twothree four
triplets a rhythmic division into groups of three. one twothree four
tritone
musical interval of the augmented fourth / flatted fifthcomprised of three whole tones, which divides the octave inperfect halves, the essential color within the dominant chordcreated by pairing the major 3rd and minor 7th, among themost dissonant pairings of pitches available.
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tritonesubstitute
a common slang term usually identifying a dominant typechord that is built upon the tritone of the chord it is beingsubstituted for, i.e., Db 7 is the tritone substitute for G 7.
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tune slang for a musical composition, musical piece, song,melody etc.
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turnthe way a player or composer shapes a musical idea,oftentimes a melodic twist of pitches into a line or the targetpitch, part of a players artistic signature.
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turnaroundmusical idea located at the end of a musical section usuallyfollowed by repeat sign, the Two / Five / One cadential
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motion and it's variations, any kind of cadential motion.
12 keysthe # of different tuned pitches from which we createAmerican music, as found on a piano etc., also represents 12major keys, 12 minor keys etc..
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two chord harmony built on the second scale degree. one twothree four
up frontslang term used in performance by improvising musiciansthat usually implies something is going to happen before themelody of the song gets sung, i.e., like an intro, pedal tone,drum solo, etc., we count off a tune "up front."
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upperstructure
in this text, chord tones found above the seventh, i.e., the9th, 11th, and 13th chord degrees.
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vamp (lines)slang for a repeated musical phrase, usually in a bluescoloring, commonly used for beginnings and endings oftunes as well as a background figure behind a soloist, can bechords or a melodic line.
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vanillaslang for any generic realization of a musical element, i.e., achord voicing of root, third, fifth and seventh, scales rightout of the box etc.
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vehiclemy term used to describe the artistic elements of a musicalstyle / form of music. i.e., Latin, Rock, Bebop, 12 bar blues,
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A / A / B / A song form etc.
verbiage using words to describe abstract artistic concepts. one twothree four
verticalterm that describes the basic shape created by the pitches ofa melodic line, implying arpeggiated or non step intervalfigures.
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vibratoadding a slight vacillation to the pitch which can increase theemotional expression of the players statement, i.e., warmingup the tone.
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voice leadinga term used to describe how the pitches (voices) of one chordmerge into another, derived from the early music of voices,soprano ( top ), alto, tenor and bass ( lowest ).
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voicing arrangement of pitches for a particular chord. one twothree four
walking mostly step wise bass line using quarter notes. one twothree four
waltz instrumental or dance music in 3/4 time. one twothree four
whammy bar mechanical device on the modern electric guitar that allowschanges of intonation with the push or pull of a lever.
one two
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well"well" as in water well, used as a cliche / slang term forwhere a player might go to get a musical idea when thingsrun a bit dry.
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westernmusic
in this text, slang for any and all music created with theequal temperament system of tonal organization as it'sbasis,this term is often applied in music as is the termwestern civilization in historical contexts, meaning all of thehistory and peoples that date back to the ancient Greeks andforward from there, through the settling of Europe and ontoAmerica.
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westernharmony chords based in the equal tempered system. one two
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whole step combines two half steps together i.e., the interval from C toD is a whole step.
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whole tonecombining two half tones together to create a whole tone,i.e., the interval from C to D is a whole tone, the whole tonescale is created exclusively with whole tones.
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whole tonescale the whole tone scale is created exclusively with whole tones. one two
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wolf tones
originally named to describe some of the harmonies createdin "just intonation" or non tempered tuning, that resulted insounds similar to those made by howling wolves, today,often used to describe a overly strong sounding pitch on anacoustic instrument created by the physics of the materialsused in it's construction.
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woodshed slang for a place where one sheds, also to review a difficultmusical passage, i.e., to practice.
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"I got no dime but I got some time to hear a story." Robert Hunter /Jerry Garcia
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