Music Terms

A sequence of pitches that creates a musical idea.

• Harmony

• Tempo

• Timbre

• Melody

The organization of sounds and silences in time.

• Rhythm

• Dynamics

• Form

• Pitch

The loudness or softness of the music.

• Form

• Dynamics

• Melody

• Rhythm

The overall structure or organization of a piece of music.

• Melody

• Rhythm

• Form

• Dynamics

The highness or lowness of music.

• Melody

• Harmony

• Rhythm

• Pitch

The simultaneous sounding of the different pitches, often creating chords.

• Form

• Pitch

• Harmony

• Tempo

The speed of music.

• Dynamics

• Tempo

• Timbre

• Form

The unique sound quality of an instrument or voice.

• Form

• Timbre(Tone Color)

• Dynamics

• Rhythm

A short, recurring musical idea.

• Motive

• Scale

• Minor

• Step

A type of scale or key often associated with a bright or happy sound.

• Major

• Minor

• Interval

• Phrase