Reference
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A stress or emphasis placed on a particular note or beat.
A symbol that raises or lowers a note's pitch by a half step.
The notes of a chord played one at a time, in sequence rather than simultaneously.
A segment of music bounded by vertical bar lines. Same as a measure.
A vertical line through the staff that separates measures.
The clef (𝄢) that assigns the note F to the fourth line of the staff. Used for lower-pitched instruments and the left hand in piano.
The basic unit of time in music — the steady pulse you tap your foot to.
Beats per minute — the standard measurement of tempo.
A harmonic progression that creates a sense of resolution or pause at the end of a phrase.
Three or more notes sounded together.
A sequence of chords that creates harmonic movement in music.
Moving by half steps, using all twelve notes within an octave.
A symbol at the beginning of a staff that assigns specific pitches to the lines and spaces.
A time signature of 4/4, indicated by the symbol C on the staff.
An instruction to return to the beginning of the piece.
Notes or chords that belong to the current key signature, without accidentals.
A chord or interval made smaller by lowering the top note a half step from minor.
A note followed by a dot, which increases its duration by half.
The volume or loudness of the music.
A note worth half a beat in 4/4 time, drawn with a filled head and a single flag.
Two note names that sound the same pitch — like F# and Gb.
A symbol (𝄐) indicating a note or rest should be held longer than its written value.
An interval spanning five scale degrees, like C to G.
An accidental (♭) that lowers a note by one half step.
A dynamic marking meaning loud, indicated by the letter f.
Two staves joined by a brace — treble clef on top, bass clef on bottom.
A note worth two beats in 4/4 time, drawn as an open (unfilled) note head with a stem.
The smallest interval in Western music — the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano.
The simultaneous combination of notes to produce chords and chord progressions.
The distance in pitch between two notes.
Rearranging a chord so that a note other than the root is the lowest pitch.
The tonal center of a piece — the scale and note that feels like 'home.'
The set of sharps or flats at the beginning of each staff line that define the key.
A short horizontal line extending the staff for notes that fall above or below the five main lines.
A smooth, connected style of playing where notes flow into each other without gaps.
A quality of scales, chords, and intervals that generally sounds bright or happy.
A segment of music containing a fixed number of beats, bounded by bar lines. Same as a bar.
A sequence of single notes that form a recognizable musical line — the part you'd sing or hum.
A device or tool that produces a steady click at a specific tempo (BPM).
Musical Instrument Digital Interface — a protocol for electronic instruments to communicate.
A quality of scales, chords, and intervals that generally sounds dark or melancholy.
An accidental (♮) that cancels a sharp or flat, returning a note to its unaltered pitch.
A symbol representing a specific pitch and duration.
The interval between two notes of the same name, where the higher note vibrates at exactly double the frequency.
A five-note scale, widely used across cultures and genres.
A musical sentence — a complete musical thought, typically 4-8 measures long.
A dynamic marking meaning soft, indicated by the letter p.
How high or low a sound is, determined by its frequency of vibration.
A note worth one beat in 4/4 time, drawn as a filled note head with a stem.
A major and minor key that share the same key signature.
A symbol indicating silence for a specific duration.
The pattern of sound and silence over time — when notes start and how long they last.
The foundational note of a chord, from which the chord gets its name.
An ordered sequence of notes ascending or descending by a specific pattern of intervals.
An accidental (♯) that raises a note by one half step.
The ability to play music from written notation without having seen or practiced it before.
A curved line connecting two or more notes of different pitch, indicating they should be played smoothly (legato).
A playing style where notes are short and detached, indicated by a dot above or below the note.
The set of five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written.
Placing rhythmic emphasis on weak beats or between beats, creating a sense of surprise or groove.
The speed of the music, measured in beats per minute (BPM).
An interval spanning three scale degrees, like C to E.
A curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch, combining their durations into one sustained note.
Two numbers at the beginning of a piece that tell you the meter — how many beats per measure and what note gets one beat.
Moving a piece of music up or down in pitch by a consistent interval, changing the key.
The clef (𝄞) that assigns the note G to the second line of the staff. Used for higher-pitched instruments and the right hand in piano.
A three-note chord built by stacking two thirds.
Three notes played in the time normally occupied by two notes of the same value.
Two or more voices or instruments playing the exact same pitch simultaneously.
In MIDI, a number (0-127) representing how hard a key was pressed — essentially the volume of a note.
The art of moving smoothly from one chord to the next by minimizing the distance each note has to travel.
A note worth four beats in 4/4 time, drawn as an open note head without a stem.
An interval of two half steps — the distance of two adjacent keys on a piano with one key between them.