Music Theory Chapter 1 Flashcards

Musical Terms and Concepts

• Accidental: Symbol used (sharp, flat, natural, double sharp, double flat) to raise or lower pitch chromatically before a note.

• Clef: Symbol indicating which lines or spaces correspond to which pitches on a staff, determining octave designation.

• Alto Clef: A C-clef that places middle C on the middle line of the staff, primarily used by violas.

• Bass Clef: Also known as the F-clef, this clef indicates F3 on the staff; dots surrounding the F3 line help in identification, used by bassoons, cellos, basses, and the left hand of the piano.

• C Clef: A moveable clef that can denote any staff line as middle C (C4).

• Tenor Clef: A C-clef indicating middle C on the fourth line from the bottom, typically read by bassoons, cellos, and tenor trombones in higher registers.

• Treble Clef: Known as the G-clef, this clef specifies G4 on the staff and is used by instruments like flutes and clarinets, as well as the right hand of the piano.

• Double Flat: An accidental that lowers a pitch by two half steps (one whole step) below its letter name.

• Double Sharp: An accidental (x) that raises a pitch by two half steps (one whole step) above its letter name.

• Dynamics: Refers to the loudness or softness of music, with terms ranging from pianissimo (very soft) to fortissimo (very loud).

• Enharmonic: Different names for the same pitch or pitch class, such as E and D#.

• Flat: An accidental lowering a pitch by one half step.

• Grand Staff: Combination of treble and bass clefs interconnected by a curly brace, commonly used in piano music.

• Half Step: The smallest interval in music, the distance between two adjacent keys on the keyboard.

• Interval: The space or distance between two pitches or pitch classes.

• Ledger Line: Extra lines added to extend the staff for notes that are beyond its range.

• Octave: The distance of eight musical steps between pitches.

• Octave Equivalence: The principle that pitches separated by octaves are functionally the same.

• Pitch: A tone that sounds in a specific octave.

• Pitch Class: Group of notes that share the same name across octaves (e.g., F3, F5, F2) with consideration for octave and enharmonic equivalence.

• Sharp: An accidental (#) that raises a pitch by one half step.

• Staff: The five parallel lines where music is notated.

• Whole Step: Composed of two adjacent half steps, representing a larger interval in music.