100 Words Related to Music

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Acapella	Singing without instruments.
2.	Acoustic	Produced without electronic amplification.
3.	Album	Collection of recorded tracks.
4.	Allegro	Fast, lively tempo marking.
5.	Alto	Low female vocal range.
6.	Amplifier	Device that boosts audio signal.
7.	Aria	Solo vocal piece in opera.
8.	Arrangement	Adapted version of a composition.
9.	Articulation	How notes are attacked and released.
10.	Audience	Listeners at a performance.
11.	Backing track	Pre-recorded accompaniment for performance.
12.	Ballad	Slow, emotional song.
13.	Band	Group of performing musicians.
14.	Baritone	Male voice between tenor and bass.
15.	Bass	Lowest pitch range or instrument.
16.	Beat	Regular pulse in music.
17.	BPM	Beats per minute; tempo measure.
18.	Bridge	Contrasting section linking song parts.
19.	Cadence	Harmonic ending or pause.
20.	Chamber music	Small ensemble classical music.
21.	Chant	Monophonic, speechlike singing.
22.	Chord	Three or more notes together.
23.	Chorus	Repeated section; also group singers.
24.	Clef	Symbol indicating pitch range.
25.	Coda	Closing section of a piece.
26.	Composer	Person who writes music.
27.	Composition	A written musical work.
28.	Concert	Live musical performance event.
29.	Conductor	Leads an ensemble’s performance.
30.	Crescendo	Gradually getting louder.
31.	Decrescendo	Gradually getting softer.
32.	Delay	Echo effect repeating sound.
33.	Diatonic	Using notes of a key.
34.	Dissonance	Tense, unstable combination of tones.
35.	DJ	Performs by selecting and mixing tracks.
36.	Downbeat	First beat of a measure.
37.	Dynamics	Degrees of loudness and softness.
38.	Ear training	Practice recognizing pitches and intervals.
39.	Echo	Reflected sound heard again.
40.	Encore	Extra performance after applause.
41.	Ensemble	Group performing together.
42.	EQ	Tone shaping via frequency adjustment.
43.	Etude	Study piece for technique.
44.	Falsetto	High, light male vocal register.
45.	Fermata	Hold a note longer.
46.	Finale	Concluding section of a work.
47.	Flat	Pitch lowered by a semitone.
48.	Folk music	Traditional music of a community.
49.	Forte	Loud dynamic marking.
50.	Frequency	Rate of vibration; perceived pitch.
51.	Genre	Category or style of music.
52.	Gig	Paid live performance.
53.	Glissando	Slide between pitches.
54.	Groove	Rhythmic feel that drives music.
55.	Harmony	Combination of simultaneous pitches.
56.	Headphones	Personal listening device over ears.
57.	Hook	Catchy musical idea.
58.	Improvisation	Creating music spontaneously.
59.	Instrument	Tool used to make music.
60.	Interlude	Short section between main parts.
61.	Interval	Distance between two pitches.
62.	Intro	Opening section of a song.
63.	Jam session	Informal group improvising together.
64.	Jingle	Short catchy tune, often for ads.
65.	Key	Tonal center and scale.
66.	Keyboard	Instrument with piano-style keys.
67.	Largo	Very slow tempo marking.
68.	Lead vocal	Main singing part.
69.	Legato	Smoothly connected notes.
70.	Loop	Repeated musical segment.
71.	Lyrics	Words of a song.
72.	Mastering	Final polish of mixed audio.
73.	Measure	Bar; group of beats.
74.	Melody	Main sequence of musical notes.
75.	Metronome	Device that marks steady tempo.
76.	Microphone	Converts sound into electrical signal.
77.	Mixing	Balancing and combining recorded tracks.
78.	Modulation	Change from one key to another.
79.	Movement	Major section of a longer work.
80.	Mute	Device that softens an instrument’s sound.
81.	Notation	Written symbols representing music.
82.	Note	Single musical pitch event.
83.	Octave	Interval spanning eight scale degrees.
84.	Opera	Dramatic work sung throughout.
85.	Orchestra	Large ensemble of varied instruments.
86.	Overtone	Higher partial above a fundamental.
87.	Percussion	Instruments struck, shaken, or scraped.
88.	Phrase	Musical sentence-like unit.
89.	Pitch	How high or low a sound is.
90.	Playback	Reproducing recorded sound.
91.	Pre-chorus	Section leading into the chorus.
92.	Production	Process of creating recorded music.
93.	Refrain	Repeated line or section.
94.	Rehearsal	Practice session for performance.
95.	Release	Official distribution of recorded music.
96.	Remix	Altered version of an existing track.
97.	Reverb	Echo-like persistence of sound.
98.	Rhythm	Pattern of durations and accents.
99.	Riff	Short repeated musical figure.
100.	Scale	Ordered set of pitches.