There are a lot of terms associated with music theory—it’s practically a language of its own. If you’re just getting started as a musician or simply looking to improve your skills, having a strong understanding of music theory and the terminology related to it will help you become a better composer or performer.
Learning music theory can be overwhelming at first, but if you take it one step at a time, you’ll find yourself understanding all the lingo in no time. So whether you’re an instrumentalist, a songwriter or a music teacher, here is a list of common music terms to help you better understand the fundamentals of music theory.
A
| Accent
A stronger attack or emphasis placed on a particular note or chord. An accented note features a greater-than symbol above or below the note (𝆓).
| Accidental
A musical symbol (flat or sharp sign) that indicates that a note must be played higher or lower in pitch. It also indicates a temporary change in pitch from the key signature of a given piece of music.
| Adagio
A tempo marking, indicating that a piece of music is to be played slowly.
| Allegretto
A tempo marking, indicating that a piece of music is to be played moderately fast.
| Allegro
A tempo marking, indicating that a piece of music is to be played in a fast and energetic way.
| Alto
The second highest part in four-part harmony, typically sung by a woman with a relatively low singing voice.
| Andante
A tempo marking, indicating that a piece of music is to be played at a moderately slow tempo.
| Arpeggio
When the notes of a chord are played in succession, rather than simultaneously.
| Articulation
The way a note, chord or musical phrase should be played.
B
| Bar
A short phrase of music and a segment of time that can be broken down into beats.
| Bar Line
Vertical lines that separate the staff into bars.
| Bass (Voice Type)
A type of male singing voice, with the lowest vocal range of all voice types.
| Bass Clef
A type of musical notation used to indicate that notes on the staff are below middle C. It is used to write notes in the bass range of an instrument.
| Bridge
A section of music that connects two sections of a song, often providing contrast to the other sections.
C
| Cadence
The concluding note or chord that marks the end of a musical phrase, leaving the listener with a feeling of resolution.
| Chord
Two or more notes played in unison.
| Chord Progression
A sequence of chords played one after another.
| Chorus
A repeated section of a song that contains the main musical and lyrical ideas; the most climactic section of a song.
| Circle Of Fifths
A diagram that shows how the 12 notes of the chromatic scale relate to each other. It is a tool for finding the notes in major and minor keys.
| Crescendo
A gradual increase in volume in a piece of music.
| Crotchet
A type of musical note (♩) that lasts for one beat (also known as a quarter note).
D
| Decrescendo
A gradual decrease in volume in a piece of music.
| Diatonic
Describes pitches that are part of a given key and its corresponding scale. For example, C major’s diatonic pitch collection is C D E F G A B.
| Dotted Note
A dot that is placed after a note indicating that the note should be held for an additional half of its original value.
| Dynamics
The loudness or softness at which a musical piece is played.
F
| Fermata
A symbol (𝄐) used in music that indicates that a note should be held for longer than the duration of its note value.
| Flat
A symbol (♯) used to indicate that the pitch of a note has been lowered by a semitone (half-step).
| Forte
A dynamic marking that indicates a section of music or an entire piece should be played loudly.
G
| Glissando
A musical technique that involves sliding upwards or downwards between two notes.
H
| Harmony
The combination of two or more musical tones in a pleasing way.
| Interval
The distance between two notes, measured in semitones (half-steps).
K
| Key
The set of pitches that serve as the foundation for a musical composition. A song’s key is indicated using a certain order of sharps or flats notated at the beginning of a piece of sheet music.
L
| Ledger Line
A line that is used to notate notes that are higher or lower than the standard range of the staff. Ledger lines are used to extend the staff and make it easier for musicians to identify notes that fall outside of the standard lines of the treble and bass clefs.
M
| Major
A mode of music, generally with an upbeat, strong, and somewhat happy tone.
| Marcato
A type of articulation that means to play a note as loud as one with a standard accent and as short as a staccato note. It appears as a wedge-shaped vertical accent mark above a note.
| Melody
A succession of musical tones with a distinct rhythm that form a pleasing sequence.
| Meter
A recurring pattern of stresses or accents that provide the pulse or beat of a song.
| Minim
A type of musical note that lasts for two beats (also known as a half note).
| Minor
A mode of music, generally with a serious and somewhat sad tone.
N
| Natural
A symbol (♮) used to indicate that the pitch of a note is to be played unaltered, canceling previous accidentals.
| Notation
A system for communicating the details of a piece of music, including the rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, meter and timbre.
O
| Octave
The interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. It is a pitch interval that spans 12 semitones (or half-steps).
P
| Piano
A dynamic marking that indicates a section of music should be played quietly or gently.
| Pitch
The frequency of a sound.
Q
| Quaver
A type of musical note (♪) that lasts for half of a beat (also known as an eighth note).
R
| Repeat
A symbol (𝄇) that indicates a section should be repeated; appears as a double barline with two dots.
| Rest
A musical symbol indicating that nothing is to be played for a certain number of beats or bars.
S
| Scale
A scale is an ordered sequence of notes that make up the pitches of a particular key signature. The most common scales are major and minor scales.
| Semibreve
A type of musical note that lasts for four beats (also known as a whole note).
| Semi-Quaver
A type of musical note that lasts for a quarter of a beat (also known as a sixteenth note).
| Semitone
A pitch interval equal to the distance between two adjacent keys on a musical keyboard (also known as a half-step).
| Sharp
A symbol (♯) used to indicate that the pitch of a note has been raised by a semitone (half-step).
| Slur
A curved line connecting two or more notes to indicate that they are to be played as one smooth sound.
| Soprano
The uppermost part in four-part harmony; the highest human vocal register.
| Staccato
A note of short duration played in a sharp, abrupt manner.
| Staff
A set of five lines and four spaces that form a grid, with which notes are written.
T
| Tenor
The second lowest part in four-part harmony; the highest male voice type you will find in a typical choir.
| Tenuto
A type of articulation that means to hold or sustain a note for its full length.
| Tie
A curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch, thereby joining their durations into one longer value.
| Time Signature
Displayed at the start of a piece of sheet music, the time signature tells you how many beats are in a bar and what type of note is equal to one beat. It is written as a fraction, with one number on top of the other (eg. 4/4 or 3/4).
| Tonic
The tonic is the first/starting note in a scale. It is also called the root note and is often referred to as the “home” note of a song.
| Transpose
Changing the pitch of a collection of notes by the same interval. Transposing is most often used to change a song’s key.
| Treble Clef
A type of musical notation (𝄞) that indicates the upper register of a staff, displaying notes above middle C.
V
| Verse
A reoccurring section of a song that typically comes before a chorus or pre-chorus; used to support the main lyrical theme of a song.
| Vibrato
A slight and rapid fluctuation in pitch. Vibrato can be achieved on many instruments but it is most commonly associated with singing and string instruments.
Related Posts:
How To Read Piano Sheet Music
The Formula To Major & Minor Scales
How To Find The Key Of A Song
Want To Know More?
Here at Live Aspects, we have dozens of useful lessons and tutorials created to enhance your music production skills and help speed up the learning process. You can access our huge range of music theory lessons and production tips and tricks here.
