100 Words Related to Jazz

No.	Term	Definition
1.	AABA form	32-bar song structure.
2.	Afro-Cuban jazz	Jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms.
3.	Alto sax	High-register saxophone.
4.	Arpeggio	Notes of a chord played separately.
5.	Arrangement	Planned orchestration of a tune.
6.	Articulation	How notes are attacked and released.
7.	Avant-garde jazz	Experimental, boundary-pushing jazz.
8.	Bebop	Fast, complex modern jazz style.
9.	Big band	Large jazz ensemble.
10.	Blue note	Lowered pitch for blues color.
11.	Blues	Root genre influencing jazz harmony.
12.	Bossa nova	Brazilian jazz-influenced groove.
13.	Bridge	Contrasting middle section of a tune.
14.	Brushes	Drum sticks made of wire bristles.
15.	Cadence	Harmonic ending or turnaround.
16.	Call and response	Alternating musical phrases.
17.	Changes	Chord progression of a tune.
18.	Chart	Written music for performance.
19.	Chord	Three or more notes together.
20.	Chorus	One full pass through form.
21.	Clarinet	Woodwind used in early jazz.
22.	Clave	Two-bar Afro-Latin rhythm pattern.
23.	Comping	Rhythmic chordal accompaniment.
24.	Cool jazz	Relaxed, lighter post-bop style.
25.	Crescendo	Gradual increase in volume.
26.	Diatonic	Within a key’s notes.
27.	Diminished chord	Tense chord built in minor thirds.
28.	Dissonance	Clashing tones creating tension.
29.	Dixieland	Early New Orleans jazz style.
30.	Double bass	Low string instrument in jazz.
31.	Downbeat	First beat of the bar.
32.	Drum kit	Set of drums and cymbals.
33.	Dynamics	Variations in loudness.
34.	Ear training	Skill of recognizing sounds.
35.	Ensemble	Group performing together.
36.	Fifth	Interval spanning five scale degrees.
37.	Fill	Short connecting rhythmic phrase.
38.	Flam	Drum stroke with grace note.
39.	Flat	Pitch lowered by a semitone.
40.	Form	Overall structure of a piece.
41.	Four on the floor	Bass drum on every beat.
42.	Fusion	Jazz mixed with rock or funk.
43.	Ghost note	Very soft, implied note.
44.	Gig	Live performance job.
45.	Glissando	Slide between pitches.
46.	Groove	Steady rhythmic feel.
47.	Guide tones	Thirds and sevenths of chords.
48.	Half-time feel	Tempo felt twice as slow.
49.	Harmonic minor	Minor scale with raised seventh.
50.	Harmony	Chords supporting melody.
51.	Head	Main theme of a tune.
52.	Hi-hat	Paired cymbals on a pedal.
53.	Horn section	Brass and reed players.
54.	Hot jazz	Early energetic, improvised style.
55.	Improvisation	Spontaneous creation during performance.
56.	Interlude	Short section between main parts.
57.	Interval	Distance between two pitches.
58.	Intro	Opening section before theme.
59.	Jam session	Informal group improvisation.
60.	Jazz standard	Widely known jazz repertoire tune.
61.	Key signature	Sharps or flats indicating key.
62.	Kicker	Short figure leading to hits.
63.	Lead sheet	Melody and chords, minimal notation.
64.	Legato	Smooth, connected notes.
65.	Lick	Short memorized musical phrase.
66.	Modal jazz	Improvisation based on modes.
67.	Mode	Scale type used for harmony.
68.	Motif	Recurring short musical idea.
69.	Mutes	Devices that alter horn tone.
70.	New Orleans jazz	Early collective improvisation style.
71.	Nocturne	Night-themed piece, often lyrical.
72.	Notation	Written representation of music.
73.	Odd meter	Time signatures like 5/4, 7/4.
74.	Offbeat	Accent on weak parts of beat.
75.	Ostinato	Repeated musical pattern.
76.	Out head	Theme played at the end.
77.	Piano trio	Piano, bass, and drums group.
78.	Polyrhythm	Multiple rhythms played together.
79.	Post-bop	Modern style after hard bop.
80.	Quartet	Ensemble of four musicians.
81.	Quintet	Ensemble of five musicians.
82.	Range	Span from lowest to highest note.
83.	Reharmonization	New chords under same melody.
84.	Rhythm changes	Chords based on “I Got Rhythm”.
85.	Rhythm section	Piano, bass, drums, guitar.
86.	Ride cymbal	Main time-keeping cymbal.
87.	Riff	Repeated catchy musical phrase.
88.	Rubato	Flexible tempo for expression.
89.	Saxophone	Reed instrument common in jazz.
90.	Scat singing	Vocal improvisation with syllables.
91.	Second line	New Orleans parade groove.
92.	Sharp	Pitch raised by a semitone.
93.	Shuffle	Swinging triplet-based feel.
94.	Solo	Featured improvised or written part.
95.	Soprano sax	Highest common saxophone.
96.	Standard	Commonly played jazz tune.
97.	Straight-ahead	Mainstream modern jazz approach.
98.	Stride piano	Left-hand jumping bass-chord style.
99.	Swing	Triplet feel and forward motion.
100.	Swing era	1930s–40s big band period.