Fundamentals of Music Theory

The sensation that our ears perceive when sound waves reach them.

The periodic motion of a substance, causing pressure changes in the air.

The increase in air pressure caused by sound waves.

The decrease in air pressure caused by sound waves.

The number of compression-rarefaction cycles per second; determines how high or low a sound is.

The subjective perception of frequency; how high or low a sound is.

The loudness or softness of a sound; determined by the amplitude of the sound waves.

The science of sound; studies the physical properties of sound waves.

The basic building blocks of music, including pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre.

The length of time a note is held or played.

The unique tonal quality of a sound, determined by the combination of harmonics.

A line that extends above or below the staff to accommodate notes that fall outside of the regular five lines.

A symbol that indicates the position of middle C on the staff, with different positions signifying different octaves.

A way to differentiate notes that share the same letter name but appear in different octaves, denoted by a number.

Symbols placed before a notehead to raise or lower its pitch by a half step or multiple half steps.

The relationship between two tones, measured in half steps.

Notes that have the same pitch but different letter names, like F# and Gb.

The movement between two notes that are a half step apart.

A curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch, extending their duration.

A note value divided into equal parts (more than 2) that requires added numbers to specify the division.

The organizing principal of music in time. It is driven by the pulse or beat.

A recurring pattern of strong and weak beats, indicated by a meter signature (time signature) at the beginning of a composition.

A meter where each beat is divided into two parts (simple division).

A meter where each pulse is a dotted note and is divided into groups of three parts (compound division).

Meters with two, three, or four recurring pulses.

Meters that cannot be divided into equal groups of 2, 3, or 4 beats (often 5 or 7 beats).

Occurs when a note that would normally be weak is accented, adding a rhythmical emphasis.

Very soft; the softest dynamic marking.

Soft; a dynamic marking indicating a moderate level of softness.

Moderately soft; a dynamic marking indicating a balanced level of softness.

Moderately loud; a dynamic marking indicating a balanced level of loudness.

Loud; a dynamic marking indicating a strong level of loudness.

Very loud; the loudest dynamic marking.

Gradually becoming louder; a dynamic marking indicating a gradual increase in volume.

Gradually becoming softer; a dynamic marking indicating a gradual decrease in volume.

A thin, vertical line attached to the notehead, typically extending one octave in length.

A horizontal line that connects the stems of multiple notes, typically used for eighth notes and shorter values.

The direction of the stem is determined by the note's position on the staff. Stems go down for notes above the middle line and up for notes below the middle line.

Beams are slightly thicker than note stems to distinguish them.

Stems of notes on ledger lines should extend down to the middle line of the staff.

Groups of eighth notes and shorter values should be beamed to the beat, showing the rhythmic pulse.

In compound meter, the beam groups should clearly show the division of three, emphasizing the pulse structure.

When two melodies share the same staff, the stems for one melody are up and the stems for the other are down.