The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory

pitch The highness or lowness of a tone. (In scientific terms, a specific frequency.)
polyphony The mixing together of several simultaneous melodic lines.
polyrhythm Two or more rhythms played simultaneously, or against each other.
polytonality Employing more than one tonality simultaneously.
prestissimo Tempo marking for an extremely fast tempo, faster than presto.
presto Tempo marking for a very fast tempo.
primary chords The most important chords in a key: I, IV, V.
rallentando Gradually slow down. (Abbreviated as rall.)
relative keys Keys that share the same key signature, but not the same root.
For example, A minor and C Major are relative keys.
resolve The act of moving a suspended note down to a chord tone of the chord.
rest A symbol used to denote silence or not playing a particular note.
rhythm The organization of sound in time; the arrangement of beats and
accents in music.
ritardando Gradually slow down. (Abbreviated as rit. or ritard.)
ritenuto Hold back the tempo. (Abbreviated as riten.)
Romantic Music associated with the period from 1820 to 1900, characterized
by emotional musical expression and sophisticated harmonies, often employing
chromaticism and a moving away from traditional tonality. Notable Romantic
composers include Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorˇák, Franz Liszt, Felix
Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Richard Wagner.
root The fundamental note in a chord.
SATB Shorthand for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. (Choral scores are sometimes
called SATB scores.)
scale
order.
A sequence of related pitches, arranged in ascending or descending
score (1) The written depiction of all the individual parts played of each of
the instruments in an ensemble. (2) To orchestrate a composition.
semitone The interval of a half step.
seventh chord
chord.
A triad with an added note a seventh above the root of the
sharp The raising of any pitch by a half step; signified by the ♯ sign.
shuffle A rhythmic feel based on triplets or a dotted eighth note/sixteenth
note pattern.
similar motion Two or more voices that move in the same direction, but not
with the same intervals.
sixth chord A triad with an added note a sixth above the root of the chord.
song form
A-A-B-A.
The structure of a short piece of music; usually diagramed as
soprano voice The highest female voice.
The Complete Idiot’s Music Glossary 271