The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory

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Appendix A
atonality Music that has no tonal center and no underlying key. In pure
atonal music, the notes of the chromatic scale are used impartially and independently,
with no home degree or tonic.
attack The beginning part of a sound.
augmented chord A chord with a major third and a raised fifth (1-3-#5).
backbeat In 4/4 time, beats two and four, typically played by the drummer on
the snare drum.
bar See measure.
bar line The vertical line placed on the staff between measures.
baritone voice A male voice pitched between the bass and tenor voices; not
always isolated in choral music.
Baroque Music associated with that period from 1600 to 1750, characterized
by flamboyant, heavily ornamented melodies. Notable Baroque composers
include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell, and
Antonio Vivaldi.
bass The lowest pitch of a chord (not necessarily the root).
bass clef A clef, used by lower-pitched voices and instruments, that places
middle C on the first ledger line above the staff.
bass voice The lowest male voice.
beat Any pulsing unit of musical time.
block chord An unbroken chord.
blues progression A 12-bar sequence of chords common in blues and jazz
music, as follows: I-I-I-I-IV-IV-I-I-V7-V7-I-I.
brass The family of instruments, typically made of brass, that produce sound
by blowing through a mouthpiece. The brass family includes the trumpet,
trombone, tuba, and French horn.
cadence A pause or stopping point, typically a short chord progression
inserted at the end of a phrase or piece of music.
chord Three or more notes played simultaneously.
chord progression A series of chords over a number of measures.
chord sheet A sheet of music containing only the chords of a song.
chromatic Pitches outside the underlying key or scale. The opposite of diatonic.
chromatic scale A scale containing 12 equal divisions of the octave—all the
white keys and black keys within an octave.
Classical music Music associated with that period from 1750 to 1820, characterized
by simple lyrical melodies, often expressed in majestic orchestral and
choral works. Notable Classical-era composers include Ludwig van Beethoven,
Franz Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
clef A graphic symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate the pitch
of the notes on the staff.
coda A short section at the end of a composition.
common time The 4/4 time signature.