From a cappella to ziehen, the world of music is filled with rare and exotic terms. They come from languages all around the globe, and they function as descriptions, commands, and action verbs. If you’re ready to expand your horizons in more ways than one, here are just a few exciting words related to music.
Orchestra
Have you ever heard Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata? Then you’ve listened to an orchestra. It’s a group of professional musicians playing classical music together. The traditional orchestra comprises four instrument groups: string instruments like the violin and cello, woodwinds like the flute and the clarinet, brass instruments like the trumpet and trombone, and percussion instruments like the cymbals and tambourine. Some orchestras also include other instruments like pianos or concert harps.
Rhythm
Rhythm refers to the placement of sounds within a musical piece. It’s commonly confused with terms like “beat” or “tempo,” but while they’re all intertwined, they’re separate things. Rhythm can be considered a pattern, and it includes the silences or “rests” of a song just as much as the sounds. In fact, another definition of rhythm is the alternation of contrasting elements within a piece of music, which refers to the order of its silences and sounds.
Singer
Singers are what they sound like: people who sing. The term can refer to both amateurs and professionals, though the former is sometimes distinguished as an “amateur singer.” You might also run into the term “vocalist,” which is essentially the same thing as a singer but can be defined differently depending on the context. For example, some people reserve “vocalist” for someone trained in vocal technique or performs at a higher, more classical standard than other singers.
Tune
There are a few different definitions for the word tune. The first is a set of notes within a piece of music; this is what it means to whistle a tune or tap your feet to a tune. You can also tune an instrument, a process of adjusting its parts (like the strings) to make them play at the correct pitches. Finally, some people use the word “tune” as a catch-all phrase for various elements of a musical piece being in harmony. As you can see, it’s a very versatile word.
Dance
When you can’t help but move your body to the beat, you’re dancing. Dancing is a concept understood worldwide; almost every culture has its own form of dance, and many forms have been influenced by each other, resulting in a global patchwork of music and movement. Commonly known dance styles include salsa, swing, waltz, ballroom, and ballet. Lesser known dances range from the Japanese kagura to the South African umxhentso.
Cadence
Cadence is a word that’s often misunderstood by non-music folks because it means something different in non-music contexts. The cadence of a voice is its inflection or modulation, and some people take this to mean that musical cadence is something similar. However, a piece’s cadence is precise: the two-chord progression at the end of a “phrase” or unit of music. Composers use it to provide a feeling of resolution for the listener.
Harmony
Harmony is when you hear multiple notes or voices at once. More specifically, it’s when these things sound good together because they’re being performed at complementary pitches or speeds. For example, a choir might sing in harmony, or a band might be in harmony as they play their instruments. The term comes from the Latin word harmonia or “joining, concord.”
Tempo
The tempo of music is the speed at which it’s played. It’s commonly measured in beats per minute or BPM. There are dozens of terms for very minute differences in tempo, but a few of the more common ones are adagio (a slow and steady pace of 44 – 68 BPM), moderato (a moderate pace of 86 – 126 BPM), allegro (a fast pace of 100 – 156 BPM), and prestissimo (an extremely fast pace of 200 BPM or more).
Hymn
If you’ve ever been to church, you’ve probably heard a hymn. It’s a religious or devotional song. It’s commonly expressed through a choir, but individual singers can perform hymns; there are even wordless, humming-style hymns with no lyrics at all. It’s also common for hymns to be accompanied by piano or organ music.
Genre
A genre of music is basically its category. Like there are different genres for things like books and movies, music can also be divided into genres. For example, classical music is a genre that usually refers to complex instrumental music performed by an orchestra. Hip-hop music is a genre defined by its fast raps and rhythmic beats. There are many different musical genres found worldwide, and the lines between them can get quite blurred since there are no official rules about classifying them.
Guitar
Guitars are one of the most popular instruments in the world. More than two million are sold every year! You’re most familiar with classical guitars and electric guitars, but many other types exist, including semi-acoustic guitars, electro-acoustic guitars, and so on. There are also bass guitars explicitly built to produce deeper bass notes.
Musical Interval
Intervals can be understood as the building blocks of music. Their technical definition refers to the distance in pitch between two notes, but in layman’s terms, they’re basically how a piece of music is measured in time. Music intervals can be measured vertically (harmonic) or horizontally (melodic). The former is when the notes are played simultaneously; the former is when they’re played one after another.
Dynamics
“Dynamics” is another one of those words related to music that’s easy to misunderstand. In everyday life, the dynamic of something refers to the way that it’s happening or how it’s changing over time. In music, however, it encompasses something much more specific: how loudly or quietly it’s being played. More specifically, it refers to the variation in this loudness over the length of the music. Dynamic is often used in music to convey mood and emotion.
Symphony
Symphony is a term found in classical music. It usually refers to the music performed by an orchestra, but it can also be used interchangeably with the word “orchestra” itself. Symphony music is characterized by its complexity, history, and conventionality. For example, most symphonies are divided into four parts or “movements,” one of which is usually a sonata.
Musical Composition
A musical composition is what you create with instruments. When lyrics are added, it becomes a song. Compositions include notes, rhythms, harmonies, melodies, and more. It’s one of the more common words related to music, so you’ll see it used by everyone from symphony conductors to modern pop stars.
Texture
You might be familiar with “texture” in non-musical contexts to mean the feeling of something when you touch it. In music, it refers to the layers of sound within a piece and how they relate to each other. Every piece of music comes together with a different tempo, melody, harmony, and pitch. This is what’s known as the “texture” of music. In a way, it’s not dissimilar to texture in terms of objects, but it applies to the make-up of a song rather than a physical surface.
List of Words Related to Music
- Opera
- Acapella
- Jazz
- Pace
- Orchestra
- Rhythm
- Singer
- Tune
- Dance
- Cadence
- Harmony
- Tempo
- Hymn
- Genre
- Guitar
- Musical Interval
- Dynamics
- Symphony
- Musical Composition
- Texture
- Piano
- Bass
- Rap
- Fugue
- Rondo
- Crescendo
- Unison
- Semitone
- Romantic
- Cadenza
- Largo
- Soprano
- Heavy Metal
- Oratorio
- Intonation
- Octave
- Chorale
- Chant
- Forte
- Sonata
- Soul
- Musical Piece
- Solo
- Overture
- Concerto
- Intensity
- Notation
- Opus
- Instrumentalist
- Coda
- Religious Song
- Pop
- Aria
- Violin
- Gospel
- Bass Clef
- Exposition
- Chromatic Scale
- Hip Hop
- Melody
- Harmony
- Rhythm
- Beat
- Tempo
- Chord
- Note
- Staff
- Clef
- Key
- Scale
- Pitch
- Dynamics
- Timbre
- Instrument
- Guitar
- Piano
- Drums
- Violin
- Flute
- Saxophone
- Trumpet
- Bass
- Voice
- Singer
- Band
- Orchestra
- Ensemble
- Conductor
- Composer
- Song
- Lyrics
- Verse
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Refrain
- Solo
- Duet
- Improvisation
- Arrangement
- Performance
- Concert
- Gig
- Musician
- Vocalist
- Pianist
- Drummer
- Guitarist
- Bassist
- Saxophonist
- Trumpeter
- Violinist
- Flutist
- Bandmate
- Choir
- A cappella
- Acoustic
- Electric
- Live
- Recording
- Album
- Songwriter
- Producer
- Studio
- Sound
- Audio
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Music video
- Beatbox
- DJ (Disc Jockey)
- Groove
- Backbeat
- Fade
- Jam
- Hook
- Vocals
- Instrumental
- Audition
- Rehearsal
- Practice
- Sheet music
- Music
42 though 🙂