In a nutshell. Essential vocabulary for the evolving theorist. The repetitive nature of the presentation of ideas is a measure of learning in itself. For as we now see once unfamiliar theory and music vocabulary terms and know their meaning, we know our learning is beginning to stick.

Termed rote learning, knowing the 100 + musical terms and ideas included in these measures adds up to create a working vocabulary for the evolving artist, both in academia and on the bandstand. So if ya happen to bump into an unfamiliar musical term and its a hyperlink, click and follow it to discover its meaning.
all our loops of pitches have their closure
natural beauty of sound is the basis of our theory
one fret on guitar, 1/2 step between B / C and E / F
a way to measure of swing in Americana time
rhythm figure that brings the swing
bass rhythm figure that brings the swing
an unlimited source of 2 and 4
an easy way to learn music
the beginning of any cycle in music
swapping pitch letter names for numbers
12 / 12 pitches is all we gots :)
Any of our theory studies includes ____ of ______ .
The basis of music theory in Western Music is _______ _______.
The ____ _____ is one fret on our guitars.
We measure swing in how hard the __________ is between beats.
Horses love to _______ .
Fun words for a swing rhythm is _ _ _ .
The _______ changed the world as we know it.
Americana music is often played _____ __ _____.
The _______ is the beginning point in any of our loops.
Swapping pitch letters for numbers we call ___ the _____ .
The number of pitches we have is equal to the ___ of ___ in a _____ .

"Choose any job you want and be very good at it."
divides the octave into 12 equal pitches
consecutive half step sequence of our 12 pitches
the actual pitch we hear created by a full length of string or column of air
a pitch created from the fundamental
the theory measurable distance between pitches labeled by numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 etc., and the #'s and b's
the first bowl for all pitches, a perfect doubling of the cycles per second of a pitch, contains the 12 half steps of the chromatic scale
created by dividing our pitch or string length into three equal parts
a representation of our 12 pitches that resembles our hour clock, whereby the pitches are arranged clockwise by the interval of a perfect fifth
smallest theoretical interval of equal temper tuning, moving one fret up or down on the guitar is a half step
combines two half steps, moving two frets on fretted instruments is a whole step
early Greek philosopher credited with original ideas of acoustics and how our music theory system could bema thematically and proven as 12 unique pitches
The "silent architecture" of our music today is based on a system of theory that contains ___ .
We can trace our origins of Western Music back to the _______ _______
wiki ~ ancient Greek music
We credit _________ with the organization of our 12 musical pitches.
The full length of string produces the ______ pitch.
Pitches created from within the fundamental are called ____ _____ .
Dividing a full string length perfectly in half creates the ______ _______ and it's mathematical ratio is ___ : ___.
Dividing a full string length three equal parts creates the interval of the _______ _____ and it's vibrational ratio is ___ : ___.
Pythagoras is credited with creating the _____ __ _____.
The cycle of fifths contains our __ _______.
The _________ _____ arranges our 12 pitches by consecutive half steps into a perfectly closed loop of pitches.
vibrates at 440 cycles per second
French language quip meaning "isn't that so"
describes how a sequence of elements perfectly returns to it's starting point
Italian term meaning "without accompaniment"
a pitch a half step below the final pitch
the second to last element in a series of elements
standard number of keys on a piano
number of octaves on a piano keyboard
number pattern of the black keys of a piano
adding half steps into musical patterns
always lands on its feet a cat
cycles per second measurement of vibrations of a pitch
perfect doubling of cycles per second octaves
equal temper tuning divide octave into 12 tempered pitches
half step interval smallest interval in equal temper
chromatic scale 12 consecutive half steps
without instrumental accompaniment a cappella
88 keys number of keys on standard piano
7 complete octaves pitch range of the piano
natural sequence of the black keys 2 / 3 / 2 / 3 etc.
so named by virtue of it's five ( penta ) pitches.
the set sequence of intervals we use to create a scale or chord
most commonly used group of pitches used by composers to create the music we love.
the different sounds of the various scales and chords
our own inner creative energy
non-pentatonic pitch
a pitch not normally found in a particular pentatonic scale
accidentals placed by the clef to determine pitches
a way to describe a select set of pitches
simple math equation showing that we add 2 pitches to the 5 of the pentatonic group to create the 7 of the major scale
white keys
scale that has 12 pitches chromatic scale
musical distance between pitches interval
has five pitches pentatonic scale
the part of a song we usually sing or hum the melody
half step interval smallest interval in equal temper
carefree and whimsical major pentatonic scale sounds ...
relative major and minor scales scale composers love
white keys of the piano from C to C the C major scale
half step + half step = ...? whole step
# of eggs in a dozen # of major scales
tonality overall sound of a piece of music, or to describe a key center, i.e., C major or minor
run a slang term for practicing, also to practice without the music being written out.
scale degree giving each pitch in a scale a sequenced numerical value
root the fundamental pitch of a scale or chord, designated by the number one
scale formula series of musical intervals used to construct a scale
triads three note chords consisting of the root or 1st, 3rd and 5th
flat musical symbol (b) that lowers a written pitch by half step
opus (work) Latin for "work"
opera performance art that can combine elements of music, theatre, art and dance together
relative a term to describe two different scales that have the exact same pitches

the 2 main tonalities or "Ying and Yang" of our 12 tone, equal tempered musical system are the ...

 major and minor tonalities
stepwise motion melodic motion whereby each pitch of a scale is sounded in succession
scale degree numbering the pitches of a scale by it's interval from the root or fundamental pitch
half step interval numerically represented by "1/2"
whole step interval represented by "1"

w w 1/2 w w w 1/2

(whole whole half whole whole whole half)

major scale interval formula steps
projecting an equally, perfectly temper tuned major scale from each of the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale revolutionary ... the theoretical perfection created by equal temper tuning
3rd scale degree above the root determines whether the scale, arpeggio or chord when sounded is of the major or minor tonality
the C major and A minor scales are said to be "relative" because _____________. they share the exact same pitches
all of our different mixes of musical colors are all extracted exclusively from ... the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale

Bonus question!

Our three note chords are called ________ .
tritone
musical interval that splits the octave perfectly in half, the tritone interval consists of three whole tones or whole steps
blues scale
5 minor pentatonic pitches plus one tritone pitch
vamp
short musical phrase repeated
antecedent
first half of a musical phrase
consequent
second half of a musical phrase
call and response
vocalization between two voices, often part of spiritual ceremonies
major scale
5 major pentatonic pitches plus a two pitch tritone interval
tonic
the first or main note in a particular key of musical, the root note of a chord
love
essential component in all of life's endeavors
numerically smallest functioning scale grouping of pitches within equal temper tuning is the ________ _______. 5 pitch pentatonic melody
the minor pentatonic color evokes ______ ________ music. images of Native American and indigenous music from around the globe
combining in tune chords with variably tuned melody creates the ________ _____. American blues
the _______ interval perfectly splits the equal tempered octave in half and creates sound tension. tritone
5 note minor pentatonic scale + one note tritone = the _____ ______ scale. minor blues scale
the major pentatonic scale color creates .... a joyous, happy go lucky feel, also the Eastern musical sounds of China and Japan
the 5 note major pentatonic scale + the 4th and 7th scale degree two note tritone creates the ______ ______. major scale
the white keys of the piano are the ______ and ________ _______ scales. C major scale / A natural minor scale
the black keys of the piano create the _______________ and the ________________ scale. F# / Gb major pentatonic scale / D# / Eb pentatonic minor scale
What are the last two words of our national anthem "The Star Spangled Banner"? _____ _____ ! play ball !
linear
left to right, horizontal motion
vertical
up and down motion
arpeggio
harplike, a scale in thirds or chord tones
off beat
describes rhythms or accents off of the main beats or 1 and 3 in 4 / 4 time
triplet
rhythmic figure that places three notes in the space of two
device
an artistic element or technique
chord scale
creating a scale in thirds
non-diatonic
pitches that are not part of a key center
altered chords
chords that contain non-diatonic pitches
hybrid
merging elements and properties of two unique items into one new component
the term arpeggio is an Italian word for ________. harplike
we can extract the pitches of the _____ ______ from the pitches of the chromatic scale. major scale
music theorists use numbers called _____ _______ to numerically identify each of the pitches of a scale. scale degrees
the _____ ____ of the piano can play the C major scale. white keys
the magic of converting a scale into an arpeggio is to simply create a new sequence of pitches by ______ every other note in the stepwise scale. skipping
arpeggios could be said to be an ______ ______ between scales and chords. organic bridge
arpeggios are a good way for ___ _______ __________ to out line the harmony of a song. non / chordal instruments
an example of a non chordal instrument is the __________. saxophone
understanding arpeggios is a good way to spell out the _______ of a chord. letter name pitches
arpeggios can be a ______________ for vaulting our melodic lines into musical orbit. springboard
transformation when the same elements become another entity
muse that inner creative light that commutes between our hearts, minds and souls
chromatic scale the 12 pitches of equal temper
major scale an essential group of pitches in Western music
arpeggio harplike, a chord scale, a scale in 3rds
diatonic triads using only the pitches of our parent scale to build our three note chords
root / 3rd / 5th the three pitches of the triad
chord progression the sequence of chords in a song or style
color tones the pitches beyond the triad in the arpeggio
dominant 7th chord triad + 7th built on the 5th scale degree, main chord color of the blues style
one of equal temper tunings greatest gifts to Western music is __________. harmony
early, pre-equal temper scales were called the ______ ______. church modes
music conceived of as independent melodic lines sounded together is called _________. polyphony
our musical scale built in major and minor thirds is called an _________. arpeggio
the three notes of the major triad are it's ____, _________ and _______ _______. root, major 3rd and perfect 5th
writing music with a distinct melody line supported by a distinct harmony is termed __________ _________. homophonic music
the quality of the 3rd of a three note chord determines whether it is a ______ or _______ triad. major or minor
complexity of chords and progressions correlates directly to _________ of _______ _____. complexity of musical style
pitches used to extend chords past the three note triads are called ______ _____ . color tones
that every possible scale and chord available within equal temper tuning can be equally projected from each of the _______________________________________. 12 pitches of the chromatic scale

Bonus quiz. Spell out the letters for each of the seven diatonic triads in the key of D major.

chord scale D F# A C# E G B ... (loops)
7 triads D major E minor F# minor G major A major B minor C# minor
root ? E ? ? A ? C#
3rd F# ? ? ? ? ? ?
5th A ? C# ? E F#
music notation the musical symbols we use to preserve our musical ideas in writing
time signature a fractional representation of numbers that defines the number of beats per measure and which note value gets the beat
note value the duration of time assigned to a rhythmic symbol based on the time signature
subdivide the beat breaking down any rhythmic note value into it's smaller rhythmic components
tempo the rate of speed in which the music flows
interpretation how the musical artist aurally portrays musical symbols into musical phrases
metronome musical device for measuring time and tempo
forward motion a sense of energy in a musical line
artistic signature a musical artists aural identity
rush / drag two slang terms that imply speeding up or slowing down the original tempo
time signature fraction shows the metrical rhythm of a song
top # of time signature fraction beats per measure
bottom # of time signature fraction note value that gets the beat
the part of a song we usually sing or hum the melody
each musician has their own sense of ______. phrasing
dividing long notes into shorter notes is _________ the beat. subdividing the beat
musicians transfer the "feel" of a melody or phrase into _______ and create a time signature. numbers
the length of time a note is held is it's _______   _______. note value
sing the line ... _____ ___ _____. play the line
tempo the rhythmic slow or fast pace of the music

another bonus ! ! !

Streaming eighth notes can give the music a _____ ______ ____. jazzy, swinging feel
A _______ ___ _____ is one who interprets and creates a melody line in rhythm and sync with the other musicians in the group. 'master of time'
key center a key center is comprised of a set group of pitches that features one pitch as its tonal center, One, the remaining pitches orbit around and create the various tonal gravities that we build the tension / release dynamic in our songs.
12 major keys how many major keys there are.
12 minor keys how many minor keys we get.
cycle of 5th's a "pitch clock" that includes our 12 pitches, arranged clockwise by the interval of a perfect fifth, that pictorially resembles our 12 hour "face" clock.
A T F A W that from each of our 12 unique pitches, all are equal, that we can create and intervals, scale, mode, arpeggio chord, song and local universe, from each of the 12 pitches equally, all are equal, we pick one to be the center of a song, but all can be chosen, we can create anything ( any musical event ) from anywhere ( any of the 12 pitches ).
one pitch center we 'solar system' our music, chose one to be the Sun, and all else gravitates towards the One.
diatonic 3 and 3 that in each key center, it'd seven pitches can create the One, Four and Five chords in major and minor.
tonal gravity with one pitch chosen as a center, all others are drawn in by tonal gravity moving through time.
sharp keys key centers that use sharps to build up the relative major / minor group of pitches.
flat keys key centers that use flats to build up the relative major / minor group of pitches.
transposing recreate an interval sequence in a new key, transpose the pitches of one key to another.
scale / arpeggio / chord the core evolution that creates three main compositional elements.
key centers Please get pencil and paper to start from scratch, and build up a 'chord coffee spelling chart' styled presentation for each of our pitches, into their relative, diatonic, relatives by diatonic, twelve relative major / minor key centers.

'Key centers' review vocabulary quiz.
__________ a key center is comprised of a set group of pitches that features one pitch as its tonal center, One, the remaining pitches orbit around and create the various tonal gravities that we build the tension / release dynamic in our songs.
12 major keys how many ________ there are.
____ minor keys how many minor keys we get.
cycle of 5th's a "pitch clock" that includes all ______ pitches, arranged clockwise by the interval of a perfect fifth, that pictorially resembles our 12 hour "face" clock.
______?______ that from each of our 12 unique pitches, all are equal, that we can create and intervals, scale, mode, arpeggio chord, song and local universe, from each of the 12 pitches equally, all are equal, we pick one to be the center of a song, but all can be chosen, we can create anything ( any musical event ) from anywhere ( any of the 12 pitches ).
one pitch center we 'solar system' our music, chose one to be the Sun, and all else ________ towards the One.
diatonic 3 and 3 that in each key center, its seven pitches can create the One, Four and ______ triads in major and minor.
tonal ______ with one pitch chosen as a center, all others are drawn in by tonal gravity moving through time.
_______ keys key centers that use sharps to build up the relative major / minor group of pitches.
flat keys key centers that use ______ to build up the relative major / minor group of pitches.
____?_____ recreate an interval sequence in a new key, transpose the pitches of one key to another.
scale / arpeggio / chord the core _________ that creates three main compositional elements.
key centers Please get pencil and paper to start from scratch, and build up a 'chord coffee spelling chart' styled presentation for each of our pitches, into their relative, diatonic, relatives by diatonic, twelve relative major / minor key centers.
scale # degrees
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
C major scale
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
arpeggio # degrees
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
C major arpeggio
C
E
G
B
D
F
A
C
chord # / quality
Imaj7
ii-7
iii-7
IVmaj7
V7
vi-7
vii-7
VIII
diatonic 7th chords
CEGB
DFAC
EGBD
FACE
GBDF
ACEG
BDFA
CEGB
scale # degrees
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A minor scale
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
arpeggio # degrees
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
A minor arpeggio
A
C
E
G
B
D
F
A
chord # / quality
i-7
vii-7b5
III
iv-7
v-7
VImaj7
VII7
i-7
diatonic 7th chords
ACEG
BDFA
CEGB
DFAC
EGBD
FACE
GBDF
ACEG

'History highlights' review vocabulary.
archeology the study of human cultures from artifacts
computer modeling
using our modern technology of computers to recreate, speculate, envision and expand the 'what if' possibilities of information and material fragments we do have.
cycle of fifths
a "pitch clock" that includes our 12 pitches, arranged clockwise by the interval of a perfect fifth, that pictorially resembles our 12 hour "face" clock
fundamental pitch
the pitch created by the entire length of a taut string, column of air etc., also the root pitch of a key center within the 12 tone system
overtones
tones that naturally exist over the fundamental pitch
music notation
symbols used to preserve in writing our musical sounds
monophonic
music with one melodic line
polyphonic
music with two or more melodic lines
homophonic
music with one melody line supported by chords
New World
a phrase used by folks the world over, say starting 500 years ago, to describe the existence of a continental land mass that would be called the "Americas", north and south, that became the vision of a new home for people from every part of our world where they could live in a world of opportunity.
Neanderthal flute
A thousands of years old flute which may have sounded the natural scale still in use today.
Pythagoras
ancient Greek musician, mathematician and philosopher who created the cycle of fifths for the 12 pitches we use today.
monophonic music
music with only one melody line, examples include Native American music and European Gregorian chant.
polyphonic music
two or more melody lines often rhythmically independent of each other.
homophonic music
uses vertically stacked pitches creating chords or harmony to support a single melody line.
standard musical notation
the symbols we use to write down our musical idea, evolved from mensural notation in the 9th century, about 1200 years ago.
J.S. Bach
German Baroque composer and possible champion of the then new equal temper tuning.
Americana musics
a cultural mix of sounds from around the globe.
early acoustic blues
combined African melodic and rhythmic and European harmony elements, in part evolved from revival meetings where everyone involved sang the melody.
the 'piano forte' (soft/loud)
a keyboard instrument invented in the early 1700's in Italy that could play each pitch with dynamic shadings from soft to loud, depending on how hard the key was struck, became the champion of the equal tempered method of tuning. ~ wiki ~ equal temper tuning ~

Composing music review vocabulary.

muse

that inner artistic sense that directs our creativity
hook slang term for a "catchy" melody
motif the "cell" of an original artistic or intellectual idea that gets developed
vamp slang term usually denoting a shorter, complete musical phrase oft repeated
musical form a musical structure of phrases, measures and sections
antecedent the first part of a musical or intellectual statement
consequent the second part of a musical or intellectual statement that usually brings to us a sense of closure to the whole idea
Iambic pentameter a style of spoken rhythm, articulated through inflexion and emphasis of syllables that is used with writing, poetry or prose
12 bar blues three / four bar phrases to complete the form
song form usually 32 bars comprised of four / eight bar phrases or two / sixteen bar phrases
through composed

allowing our muse to freely dictate

how a musical composition unfolds
composing is simply about putting our ideas into ________ _______.
 a reality of sounds
the words of a pop song that get stuck in our heads is called the _______.
 hook
the __________ and ____________ phrases are the two parts of musical phrase
 antecedent and consequent
the song "Happy Birthday" is an _______ ____ __________ .
 eight bar phrase

most blues songs use the _________ ______ form.

 12 bar
a common 32 bar form where the first melodic idea ( A )  is repeated three times in the form is __ __ __ __.
 A / A / B / A
a common 32 bar form of two 16 bar sections is identified by the letters  ___  ___ .
 A / B
in composing there is no ______ and _______.
 right and wrong
that composing is 10 % inspiration and 90% perspiration is a quote attributed to _________.
 Beethoven
potentially the most destructive force to individual development and getting on with one's life in high school is ____ _______ .
 peer pressure

'Form in Music' review vocabulary.

the top

slang for the beginning of a song's form
da capo Italian for 'the head.'
turnaround usually a couple of measures that closes the form and returns us to the top
section letters capitol letters in a chart that delineates the main sections of a song's form.
four bars T / F ... is everything a four bar phrase
eight bars two / four bar phrases
sixteen bars 4 / 4 bar phrases
thirty two bars 8 / 4 bar phrases
12 bar blues three / four bar phrases to complete the form
song form usually 32 bars comprised of four / eight bar phrases or two / sixteen bar phrases
through composed allowing our muse to dictate how a musical composition unfolds
coda the 'tail', a closing statement to bring a song to its finish.

slang for the beginning of a song's form

the top
Italian for 'the head.' da capo
usually a couple of measures that closes the form and returns us to the top turnaround
capitol letters in a chart that delineates the main sections of a song's form. section letters
T / F ... is everything a four bar phrase four bars
two / four bar phrases eight bars
4 / 4 bar phrases sixteen bars
8 / 4 bar phrases thirty two bars
three / four bar phrases to complete the form 12 bar blues
usually 32 bars comprised of four / eight bar phrases or two / sixteen bar phrases song form
allowing our muse to dictate how a musical composition unfolds through composed
the 'tail', a closing statement to bring a song to its finish. coda

Charts and posters / print. Having visual reminders helps us to 'stay on task' as educators often quip, creating a visual representation of things we want to learn about. Lucky in our music studies, there's these now ancient ways to 'illustrate' the pitches and their relations to one another in a poster format. Twelve big letters is all we get, so it makes a lot of this learning easier :)

Through the tones / diatonic. So in understanding this essential term and concept we can define its two parts. So if this is 'all Greek' to ya, no worries, for that's the language where this word comes to us from. Rote memorize this please by creating your own sketch of the following chart.

~ D I A T O N I C ~

'Dia' = through

as in middle of a circle 'tritone interval' is the diameter of this circle

'Tonic' = tones or pitches

the notes of our scales, arpeggios and chords etc., letter named or numbered

~

'Diatonic' = 'through the tones.'

Through the tones of what ? Right sorry ... :) Is your song in 'C' major? Its diatonic pitches are; C D E F G A B C. Non-diatonic pitches are Db, Eb Gb, A, and Bb. Run this through all 12 keys and ya then gots the whole tamale on the menu Amigos :)

wiki ~ circle of 5th's

One page theory book. For learner's who usually don't carry any books, here's one page of the info, that if mastered through and through, opens the 'theory door of learning' forever more.

 

So there it is ... :)

"You have to both understand the box and be able to think outside it."
wiki ~ Paul Krugman

References. References for this page's information comes from school, books and the bandstand and made way easier by the folks along the way.

Find a mentor / e-book / academia Alaska. Always good to have a mentor when learning about things new to us. And with music and its magics, nice to have a friend or two ask questions and collaborate with. Seek and ye shall find. Local high schools, libraries, friends and family, musicians in your home town ... just ask around, someone will know someone who knows someone about music and can help you with your studies in the musical arts.

go to a public library and ask the librarian

Always keep in mind that all along life's journey there will be folks to help us and also folks we can help ... for we are not in this endeavor alone :) The now ancient natural truth is that we each are responsible for our own education. Positive answer this always 'to live by' question; 'who is responsible for your education ... ?

Intensive tutoring. Luckily for musical artists like us, the learning dip of the 'covid years' can vanish quickly with intensive tutoring. For all disciplines; including all the sciences and the 'hands on' trade schools, that with tutoring, learning blossoms to 'catch us up.' In music ? The 'theory' of making musical art is built with just the 12 unique pitches, so easy to master with mentorship. And in 'practice ?' Luckily old school, the foundation that 'all responsibility for self betterment is ours alone.' Which in music, and same for all the arts, means to do what we really love to do ... to make music :)

  

"These books, and your capacity to understand them, are just the same in all places. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing."
wiki ~ Abraham Lincoln

Academia references of Alaska. And when you need university level answers to your questions and musings, and especially if you are considering a career in music and looking to continue your formal studies, begin to e-reach out to the Alaska University Music Campus communities and begin a dialogue with some of Alaska's finest resident maestros !

University of Alaska

University of Alaska Anchorage Music

University of Alaska Fairbanks Music Education

~ comments or questions ... ? ~

~ jacmuse@ak.net ~