Musical Terms

This article will shed some light on musical terms that are used commonly in everyday musical life and provide a brief explanation of the terminology used in music. It is primarily aimed at people who are new to the words and phrases of music. Other less common music terms will also be considered and explained.

Musical people terms

Starting at the top of the music tree

In terms of excellence maestro would refer to a great composer or conductor. Occasionally a music teacher could also be referred to as the maestro. Conductor means the person who is in charge of and directs an orchestra or group of musicians. The composer, on the other hand, is a person who originated the piece of music. Singers in a group or a chorus are referred to as a choir. A duet is simply two singers or musicians performing together. A trio, is three, and so forth.

Voice terms

Musical voice

The 4 main voices, in order, are the bass, tenor, alto and soprano with the lowest being the bass and the highest being the soprano. The male voices are the bass and tenor; the female being the alto and soprano. There are other voices besides these 4 such as the mezzo soprano (female) and the counter tenor (male).

Contralto

The lowest female singing voice is the contralto also known as the alto. The highest female voices the soprano. The mezzo soprano voice lies between the soprano and the alto female voices.

Falsetto

Falsetto refers to a male whose voice is capable of reaching the musical pitch of a female voice. Other male voices include the tenor and the lower bass with counter tenor being higher than tenor.

Music numbers

Numerical terms that are related to music, vocalists or musical instruments

Solo (1) – Alone, a performance with just 1 instrument or 1 voice

Duet (2) - A musical piece for 2 vocalists or 2 instrumentalists

Trio (3) - A musical piece for 3 vocalists or 3 instrumentalists

Quartet (4) - A musical piece for 4 musicians or a composition written for 4 parts

Quintet (5) - A musical piece for 5 musicians or a composition written for 5 parts

Sextet (6) - A musical piece for 6 musicians or a composition written for 6 parts

Septet (7) - A musical piece for 7 musicians or a composition written for 7 parts

Octet (8) - A musical piece for 8 instruments

Nonet (9) - A musical piece for 9 instruments

Chamber music

Chamber music is also concerned with numbers because it is written for 2 to 10 solo parts. There is 1 instrument associated with each part and all parts are equally significant.

Chamber orchestra

Chamber music was, once, a type of classical music with a small number of musicians, Today, though, a chamber orchestra might comprise up to 40 musicians but with each part still retaining its own significance.

Some very basic musical terms

Musical definitions

The following 5 terms will crop up time and time again for someone learning about music, but will become second nature to musician beginners in a very short time. Once they are learned they will never be forgotten.

Note – Note is a single tone, by human voice or musical instrument, of definite pitch and length duration.

Pitch - Pitch concerns the sound frequency or vibrations of a note from its highest level to its lowest level. The pitch dictates the level at which a note is sung or played.

Melody - Melody is a tune or a sequence of single notes that is satisfying to hear. The melody is the principal part of harmonized music.

Rhythm - Rhythm is all about the pattern of sound. It is the strong regularly repeated flow of the music as one would hear from drumming, or a hand tapping on a bodhran (traditional Irish drum).

Tempo - Tempo concerns the speed at which the music is played. You may have a march tempo, a waltz tempo or a tempo in exact or strict time (tempo giusto) as well as others such as the tempo rubato which slightly deviates from strict tempo.

Musical terminology

This article outlines only those musical terms necessary for someone starting out as a musician. As you develop your musical talent you will find a great deal more to learn and will find that the above terms musically will be of second nature to you. A much more in depth study of musical terms will be required is you decide to continue your musical progress.