Introduction
Welcome to your our first lesson of Music Appreciation through classical masterpieces! First we're going to cover some terms so that we are on the same page. Then we're going to cover the elements of music individually so that we can begin to understand them.
So there's first these few terms that we need to have an understanding of before we can start listening to music. Review these terms, and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message!
- note
- A tone or pitch OR a symbol for a tone
- pitch
- The highness or lowness of a sound
- dynamics
- The loudness or softness of a sound
- timbre
- The character or quality of a musical sound
- consonance
- A combination of tones not requiring resolution for finality
- dissonance
- A combination of tones that requires resolution for finality
- beat
- The basic unit of time in music
- meter
- The pattern of tones in a verse
- accent
- An emphasis placed on a specific note
- syncopation
- A variety of rhythms which make an 'off-beat' verse
- tempo
- The speed of a verse
- rhythm
- The arrangement of musical sounds in time
- chord
- A group of notes sounded together - the basis of harmony
- scale
- Any set of notes ordered by pitch
- key
- The tonic note and chord which gives a sense of arrival and rest
- form
- The overall structure or plan of a piece of music