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Discovering music through listening
Discovering music through listening

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Glossary


Browse the glossary using this index

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K

Key

The tonal centre of a composition which defines the relationship of notes, chords and structure.


L

Legato

Smooth, connected.


M

Major/minor

Terms to describe intervals, scales, chords and keys, distinguished mainly by the third note.


Melody

The correct term for a tune.


Metre

The division of pulse into groups of 2, 3 or 4 beats.


Motif

The shortest possible fragment of music that can be perceived structurally.


Movement

A self-contained section of a larger piece of music such as a sonata or symphony. Movements are characterised by differing tempos and characters and in performance are separated from each other by a brief pause.


Muted

Muffled or softened.


P

Pianissimo

Very quiet.


Pitch

The absolute quality of a musical note perceived as high or low, but determined by frequency.



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