Musical Terms you Should Know the Meaning Of!
Musical Terms
There are many terms in music that are used to describe certain techniques or concepts. So today I thought I would provide some of this terms for you!
Intervals - An interval is the term we use to describe the relationship between two notes. Unlike a “chord” which is used to describe the quality of 3 or more notes together, an interval is just two notes and is usually described as a 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc. All chords types are made up of specific intervals between the notes.
Enharmonic Equivalent - The easiest way to describe the term “Enharmonic Equivalent” is to say - “same note, different name”. For example, the enharmonic equivalent of C# is Db because these are the same key on the piano but we are calling it a different name.
Technical Names of Scale Degrees - Each note in a scale has a technical name which you will hear a lot of you study music. Many students may have heard of 1 or 2 of these, but here are all the technical names and what they mean:
Tonic - Note 1 in a scale.
Super Tonic - Note 2 in a scale.
Mediant - Note 3 in the scale
Sub Dominant - Note 4 in the scale.
Dominant - Note 5 in the scale.
Sub Mediant - Note 6 in the scale.
Leading Note - Note 7 in the scale.
If you hear someone say “this is the tonic chord” then they mean that it is chord 1 from the scale that is being used.
Tierce de Picardy (Picardy Third) - This term is used if you are playing a piece in a minor key but finish the piece on the “tonic major” chord. For example, if a piece of music is in D minor but the final chord is a D major chord, then this is a Tierce de Picardy!
Anacrusis - An Anacrusis is essentially an upbeat into the music. You may have seen pieces of music where there are 1 or 2 notes before the first full bar - this is called an Anacrusis. Typically in a piece of music if there is a beat by itself at the start of the piece, it will have been borrowed from the end of the piece. So, you may see a shorter bar at the end of the music!
Secondary Dominant - Dominant is the technical name for note 5 or chord 5 in a scale. A secondary dominant is the dominant of a different note from the scale. For example in C major (C D E F G A B) the dominant chord is G major. If I play the dominant chord of a D major instead of a C major then this would be a secondary dominant and I would be playing an A major chord (because this is chord 5 in D major). Typically in classical music you will see secondary dominants as the dominant of the dominant (confusing - I know!). So in C major, the dominant is a G major chord, the dominant of G major is a D major chord, so a D major chord would be the secondary dominant!
Tritone - A tritone is a specific type of interval. It describes the relationship between the notes that are 6 half steps away from each other or 3 whole steps (an augmented 4th). So a C to an F# is a tritone!
Leitmotif - This is a musical idea that is associated with a character or a situation. It’s used a lot in film or theatre music to help the audience associate a particular feeling with the character. An example of this would be the James Bond theme whenever James Bond does something epic.
Sonata Form Sections - Sonatas are a very particular structure within classical music and therefore the terms used to describe the structure are sometimes confusing, so here they are:
Exposition - This is the first section of a sonata and it contains 2 different themes or musical ideas. The second theme is typically in the dominant key (if the piece is in C major then the second theme may be in G major).
Development - This section takes the themes from the exposition and plays around with them. You may see them in fragments, inverted, in a different key etc.
Recapitulation - The recapitulation is the final section in a sonata and it is essentially the same as the exposition with one key difference, both themes will be in the home key this time.
Neapolitan 6th - This is a type of chord that is used before a phrase ending to create drama or some interest in the music. The easiest way to explain and find this chord is by calling it a “♭II chord in 1st inversion”. So in the key of C major (C D E F G A B) a Neapolitan 6th would be a Db major chord because this is the flattened 2nd major chord in the scale. To put this in 1st inversion instead of the notes being Db F Ab (root position) you would play them in the order F Ab Db (first inversion).
Matthew Cawood
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