Music Fundamentals: Pitch and Rhythm Glossary

Also called the F clef, it assigns the note F to the fourth line of the staff and is used for lower-pitched instruments and voices.

A diagram arranging the 12 tones in a circle of ascending perfect fifths, showing the relationship between major and minor keys and their key signatures.

A meter in which each beat divides naturally into three equal subdivisions. The top number is typically 6, 9, or 12 (e.g., 6/8, 9/8, 12/8).

A note followed by a dot, which adds half the original duration. A dotted quarter note = 1.5 beats in simple time.

Two different note names that refer to the same pitch (e.g., F# and Gb, C# and Db).

The smallest interval in Western music, equal to one semitone or the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano (e.g., E to F, or C to C#).

A minor scale with the 7th degree raised by a half step to create a leading tone, producing an augmented 2nd between degrees 6 and 7.

A musical texture featuring a single melody supported by chordal accompaniment.

The distance in pitch between two notes, classified by numeric size (2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.) and quality (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished).

The sharps or flats placed at the beginning of a staff indicating which notes are consistently altered, defining the key of the music.

Short horizontal lines added above or below the staff to extend its range for notes too high or too low to fit on the five-line staff.

A seven-note scale following the interval pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H, producing the familiar do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do sound.

A minor scale that raises both the 6th and 7th degrees when ascending (to smooth the augmented 2nd) and reverts to natural minor when descending.

A musical texture consisting of a single unaccompanied melodic line.

A seven-note scale following the interval pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W, sharing the same notes as its relative major but starting on the 6th degree.

An interval of 7 half steps (e.g., C to G), one of the most consonant intervals and the basis for the circle of fifths.

An interval of 5 half steps (e.g., C to F), the inversion of a perfect fifth.

A musical texture with two or more independent melodic lines sounding simultaneously.

A meter in which each beat divides naturally into two equal subdivisions (e.g., 2/4, 3/4, 4/4).

A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces on which musical notes are placed to indicate pitch.

The tone color or quality of a sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another, determined by the overtone series and envelope of the sound.

A notation at the beginning of a piece indicating the number of beats per measure (top number) and which note value gets one beat (bottom number).

Also called the G clef, it assigns the note G to the second line of the staff and is used for higher-pitched instruments and voices.

An interval of 6 half steps (augmented 4th or diminished 5th), historically considered the most dissonant interval and the dividing point of the octave.

An interval equal to two half steps or two semitones (e.g., C to D, or E to F#).