Glossary

Articulation

The manner in which notes are differentiated.

Genre

A class, type or category of music that behaves according to specific conventions.

Interval

The distance between two pitches.

Legato

Smooth, connected.

Melody

The correct term for a tune.

Muted

Muffled or softened.

Pitch

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

Pizzicato

Plucking the strings of an instrument normally played with a bow.

Range

The distance between the highest and lowest note of a melody; the highest and lowest note available on a specific instrument or voice.

Register

The different portions of the range of an instrument or voice.

Staccato

A dry, brittle attack separating notes from each other.

Timbre

Tone colour, the quality that separates the sound of one instrument or voice from another.

Vibrato

A slight fluctuation of pitch produced on sustained notes.