Key Concepts

Study TipsWhen you are studying your music, try to listen to as many concepts as possible in your practice as this will help you to identify the features.

Use the online quizzes available on the sites above to practice exam style questions. Make sure that you note areas for improvement; then focus on studying your weaker areas.

Helpful WebsitesType the following into Google and click the first result:

NQMusicLearn Listening Online

Music Listening RevisionQuizlet

Pap er - Q1  MC and Short Answer- Q2  Musical Map- Q3  Literacy - Q4  MC, Short Answers, Chord- Q5 Table MC- Q6 Fill in the Blanks- Q7 MC and Reason

Homophonic All parts move at the same time or melody with accompaniment. Same rhythms at the same time.

Polyphonic 2 or more parts with different rhythms. Interweaving and equal in importance

Legato Notes played smoothlyStaccato Notes played short and detachedOstinato/Riff Repeated pattern of notesSequence Pattern of notes repeated higher or lowerImitation The melody is copied in another partAnacrusis Tune starts before the first beat of the bar. Think

“Happy” in Happy Birthday.

ConcertoCadenza

A work for SOLO instrument and OrchestraPassage for soloist to show off. Orchestra stops.

A Cappella Singing with no accompanimentSyllabic One note per syllable.Melismatic Lots of notes per syllable

Binary 2 sections – A & BTernary 3 sections A B ARondo Lots of sections with A repeated eg. A – B – A – C–A – D

Theme and Variation

Main theme is played and then changed in a different way each variation eg. put into minor key, notes added to tune, different beats in a bar

Alberti Bass Broken chords played by the left hand on the piano. Low - high – middle – high.

Walking Bass Bass Going for a walk. Usually stepwise and on the beat.

Ground Bass A theme in the bass which is repeated many times while the higher parts change.

Vamp Rhythmic accompaniment, usually played on piano or guitar. Bass note on the beat and chord off the beat. E.g. “Oom – Cha”

Cadences

Scales

Perfect – Sounds done V-IImperfect – Not finished I - V

MajorMinorChromaticWhole TonePentatonic

Chords MajorMinor

Pedal Low note sustained or repeated while other parts change.

Inverted Pedal High notes sustained or repeated while others parts change.

TONALITYMajor Minor Atonal

STRUCTUREBinary Ternary Theme and Variation Strophic

TEXTUREHomophonic Polyphonic/Contrapuntal

PERIODS OF MUSICBaroque Classical Romantic 20th

Century

Voices – Highest to lowestSoprano

Mezzo Soprano FEMALE

Alto

Tenor

Baritone MALE

Bass

SATB Chorus – Mixed Voice Choir

Always try to specify voice type in questions – by the time you are sitting

National 5, you are expected to explain more than Solo Voice!

Tempo Meaning

Allegro Fast

Moderato Moderate tempo

Andante Walking Pace

Adagio Slow

Accelerando getting faster

Rallentando getting slower

Rubato robbed time – speeding up or slowing down to suit the mood of the piece.

Tempo = Speed

Musical Groups / STYLESOrchestra Strings, Brass, Woodwind, PercussionBrass Band Brass & PercussionWind Band Brass, Woodwind, PercussionFolk Group Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals, Accordion,

Whistle, Bass, Flute, Drum kit, BodhranScottish dance band fiddle, accordion, piano, drums.Celtic Rock Mixes folk music with rock music.Reggae Off beat guitar, vocals, drums, organ, bass.Impressionist Sounds dreamy or blurry. Whole tone scale.Minimalist Simple and repetitive ostinatos.Ragtime Piano. Syncopated melody & vamp accomp.Blues Jazz style, developed from black American

folk songs. Tells a story. Flattened notes.Swing A jazz style performed by a big band.String Quartet 2 Violins, Viola, CelloChamber Music Classical music for a small group of

instruments (Fit in a chamber)Basso Continuo Harpsichord and Cello accompaniment

present in Baroque music.

Instruments & Related ConceptsStringsViolinViolaCelloDouble BassHarp/Clarsach

Arco BowedPizzicato Plucked

WoodwindPiccoloFluteOboeClarinetBassoon

Saxophone (Not in Orchestra)

BlownAir is blown through the instrument to produce sound

Flutter TonguingRolling an “R” while blowing a note

BrassTrumpetFrench HornTromboneTuba

Con Sordino – Played with a mute to create a squashed sound.

Tuned PercussionXylophone (Wooden)Glockenspiel (Metal)VibraphoneTimpani (Kettle Drum)Tubular BellsPiano

Untuned PercussionSnare Drum BodhranDrum Kit Bongo DrumsCow Bell GuiroBass Drum CastanetsCymbals TambourineTriangle Claves

Scottish Music

Song

Who? Where/About?

Accomp?

Other?

Waulking Song

Women

At work No Beating sound

Bothy Ballad Men Farm work Usually no

Tells story

Gaelic Psalm Both Church NorthScotland

No In Gaelic, Call & Response, not nice.

Mouth Music Both Nonsense made up Gaelic words

Maybe Imitating melody of bagpipes

Scots Ballad Both Telling story Maybe Lots of verses and chorus

Dance Speed Beats Other features

Waltz Medium 3 Only dance with 3 beats

Jig Fast 6/8 time STRAWBERRY, compound time,

Reel Fast 4 Simple time, fast

Strathspey Medium 4 Jumpy, Scotch Snap

March Marching speed

2 or 4 Steady, strong pulse.

Literacy TipsName Length

(beats)Semibreve 4

Dotted Minim 3

Minim 2

Dotted Crotchet 1 + 1/2

Crotchet 1

Dotted Quaver 3/4

Quaver 1/2

Semiquaver 1/4

Key Signatures C Major = 0 sharps or flats A Minor = 0 sharps or flats

But G#s in music.

F Major = 1 flat b

G Major = 1 Sharp #

Lines Spaces

Every Good Boy Deserves Football F A C E

Notes below the stave Notes above the stave

Repeat Signs Start End

1 st & 2 nd time bars

Time Signatures – go right at the beginning of the first line – beside the treble clef.

= 2 crotchet beats per bar = 3 crotchet beats per bar Simple time Simple time

= 4 crotchet beats per bar = 6 quavers per bar (splits Simple time into 2 beats.) Compound time