Key Terms
Music
The intentional organization of sounds in time by and for human beings.
Acoustics
The science of sound; from Greek "acoustikos" meaning "of hearing."
Sound
The mechanical movement of an audible pressure wave through a solid, liquid, or gas.
Definite pitch
A tone composed of an organized sound wave; listener can clearly identify the pitch.
Indefinite pitch
Composed of a less organized wave; perceived as noise.
Musical alphabet
A B C D E F G — repeated over and over again.
Fundamental pitch
The lowest-frequency vibration produced. Overtones: additional definite pitches produced above the fundamental pitch.
Octave
The special interval relationship between one pitch and the pitch with the same letter name at double the frequency (e.g
Interval
The distance between any two pitches.
Step
The interval between two adjacent white keys on a piano. Leap: interval between white keys that are NOT adjacent.
Dynamic
The volume of a sound; corresponds to the amplitude of the sound wave. Articulation: how a sound begins and ends (abrupt
Guido of Arezzo
The most important figure in the development of written music in the Western world. Developed the staff notation system
Three ways humans produce musical sounds
1. The human voice 2.
How it works
Exhaled air passes over vocal cords, causing them to vibrate; longer vocal cords vibrate more slowly (lower pitch); shor
SATB
The standard four-voice choral arrangement: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass.