Music Theory

Bar Line

• a thin vertical line that separates measures

• the symbol that shows how many beats are in a measure and what kind of note gets one beat.

• a rest for half of a beat

• gradually louder

Beat

• a steady pulsing in a regular pattern
• an accidental that cancels a sharp or flat
• a sign written before a note that changes the pitch of that note slightly for an entire measure
• an interval with pitches sounded consecutively

Composer

• a person who writes an original piece of music
• the length of time a note or rest is sustained
• playing soft
• an accidental that raises a note's pitch half step

Dot

• the sign added to a note or rest that increases its duration by one-half

• the curved line that connects two adjacent notes of the same pitch, thus combining their durations

• the standard of measurement in music in which bar lines separate rhythms into manageable sections

• a rest for half of a beat

Double Bar Line

• the thin line followed by a thick line written after the final measure of a piece of music

• a list of sharps or flats at the beginning of a staff line that indicate what scale, i.e. key, is in use

• a rest for half of a beat

• the distance between two pitches

Duration

• the length of time a note or rest is sustained
• an accidental that lowers a note's pitch half step
• gradually louder
• the sign used to show higher pitches on the staff

Measure

• the standard of measurement in music in which bar lines separate rhythms into manageable sections

• the standard five lines and four spaces on which music is written

• two or more pitches sounded at the same time to create purposefully a pleasant or unpleasant sound

• moving in an upward pattern

Rest

• the durational symbol that indicates silence in music

• the sign added to a note or rest that increases its duration by one-half

• medium soft

• an accidental that lowers a note's pitch half step

Rhythm

• the forward movement of music in time and the basis for "keeping time" in music
• an interval with pitches sounded consecutively
• treble and bass clef staves joined by a bracket
• the symbol that shows how many beats are in a measure and what kind of note gets one beat.

Sight Reading

• playing or singing for the first time a musical piece never seen before
• gradually increase the tempo
• a sign used to show lower pitches on the staff
• the set of numbers at the beginning of a piece of music that show the meter