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Music Dictionary, date: january 20, 2004
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Music Dictionary

author: EthanBrand date: 01/20/2004 category: the basics
rating: 7.9 / votes: 24 

The more you know, the better. When I began I had troubles understanding simple things, well they are simple in hindsight. I will try to define and explain words that you will see a lot of if you want to further your playing. Now try and stay awake while reading this.

Accidentals - Flats, double flats, naturals, sharps, and double sharps.

Aeolean - A seven-note scale. (e.g. W H W W H W W, also known as the Natural Minor Scale)

Arpeggio - The sounding of the tones of a chord in rapid succession rather than simultaneously. (A broke chord)

Augmented - Refering to either an interval that is one-half step, or a semitone, larger than a perfect or a major interval. (Like a Caug Chord, remember augment means to make larger)

Barre - The use of your index finger to hold down more than one string at one fret in a single chord. (e.g. The F# Barre Chord)

Circle Of Fifths - A musical tool showing the relativity between keys.

Chord - A chord is a set of three or more pitches that sound at the same time. (No need to explain)

Chromatic - Refering to notes that are altered by the use of an accidental. (Notes that are one-half step apart)

Diatonic - Of or using only the seven tones of a standard scale without chromatic alterations. (Music that remains within the confines of a single key)

Diminished - Refering to either an interval that is one-half step less than a perfect or a minor interval. (D diminished chord contains D, F, and Ab.)

Dominant - The fifth scale degree. (Built on the fifth scale degree (V))

Enharmonic - The relationship between two pitch classes that represent the same note. (i.e. G# and Ab)

Harmonics - Any of a series of musical tones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of a fundamental tone. (Barely press on a string and sound the string it will give it a "thud" sound and thats a common harmonic)

Interval - The distance between two pitches. (i.e. B is a half step away from C)

Inversion - The term used to specify which chord tone is the lowest. (Of chords)

Ionian - A seven-note scale. (e.g. W W H W W W H, also known as the Major Scale)

Legato - Smooth and connected, in a flowing manner. (As in a 'Legato slide')

Key - Refers to the tonic center of musical passage that adhears to a single mode. (The Key of C,

Major - Chord, consisting of a major third and a perfect fifth. (D major chord contains D, F#, and A.)

Minor - Chord, a minor third, and then a major thirds, which still adds up to a perfect fifth.

Mode - A seven-note scale spanning an entire octave. (There are seven common modes)

Modulate - To change keys.

Octave - The relationship between two pitches where one has a frequency of 2 times the other. (When sounded together they sound the same)

Pentatonic - Of or using only five tones, usually the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth tones of a diatonic scale. (e.g. The Am Pentatonic Scale)

Rhythm - A general term used to refer to the position of musical events in time. (Self-explantory)

Resolve - A musical progression which brings an ending to part of a piece.

Root - The note a chord is built on. (G is the root for the G Chord)

Scale - An ordered set of pitches that cover a range of one octave. (e.g. The Major Scale)

Seventh - Chord, a series of stacked thirds forming a four-note chord.

Suspended - Chord, containing either the root, second, and fifth (sus2), or the root, fourth, and fifth (sus4).

Tonal - Hierarchy of pitches which functionally support or reference one pitch as the focal point or primary center, called the tonic.

Tonic - The primary pitch which functions as the focal point or primary center of a key in tonal music. (Also known as an octave)

Triad - A chord consisting of three pitch classes that form two stacked thirds. (Is the basis of tonal harmony)

Vibrato - A tremulous or pulsating effect produced by rapid variations in pitch. (Hammering-on the string when the note has been sounded)

Whole Step - An interval equal to two half-steps.

POSTED: 01/20/2004 - 07:12 am + print this article + mail to a friend
 51 
 comments posted
alanmudd :
pretty good coukd have been better though but thanks a heap
POSTED: 02/09/2004 - 07:33 am / quote |
moodriffs :
add in styles of music
POSTED: 02/29/2004 - 11:46 am / quote |
Bilzzard_of_Ozz :
Yes, i did almost fall asleep
POSTED: 03/02/2004 - 02:34 pm / quote |
EthanBrand :
It is rather boring...took awhile...but it's imperative information
POSTED: 03/02/2004 - 02:48 pm / quote |
guitarist820 :
Helpful... the key points are explained.
POSTED: 03/13/2004 - 02:06 pm / quote |
ninjai :
I thought a chord was 2 or more pitches
POSTED: 03/16/2004 - 12:49 pm / quote |
high voltage :
i just submited the "Whole list" ,but yeah this isn't that bad.
POSTED: 03/28/2004 - 01:51 pm / quote |
 
 m 
  :
good information but you might want to make the language a bit simpler for those who arent good with big words. for example i know what an octave is but i dont think you definition would really explain it to someone who was trying to learn it.
POSTED: 03/29/2004 - 09:18 pm / quote |
musix666 :
what's a fret?
POSTED: 04/04/2004 - 04:52 am / quote |
pa182 :
lol wots a fret. chords are 2 or more notes played at the same time
POSTED: 04/09/2004 - 07:51 am / quote |
4evaroxn :
i thought a chord was 3 or more notes played at the same time, but a frets the dots on the guitar
POSTED: 04/10/2004 - 11:07 am / quote |
4evaroxn :
it'd be even better if he had hammer, in sliding in all that jazz up on there cuz thats where i'm lost basically
POSTED: 04/10/2004 - 11:11 am / quote |
EthanBrand :
I wrote this for me, to refer back to it actually. Sorry, there are a lot of things missing from this.
POSTED: 04/12/2004 - 11:49 am / quote |
0w3n :
i thought you would have added stuff like Coda and Fine, and DS Coda, ect.
POSTED: 04/18/2004 - 10:35 pm / quote |
codyatkin :
u need hammer ons and stuff oke that for begginers
POSTED: 04/19/2004 - 03:36 pm / quote |
enter_rancid :
but a frets the dots on the guitar
this isnt' true. those are dot markers. they just mark certain frets so you have a general idea where you are without having to count all the frets.

POSTED: 04/28/2004 - 04:28 pm / quote |
enter_rancid :
hammer on- a change in pitch done by "hammering" one or more frets higher on the same string without re-picking the note.
POSTED: 04/28/2004 - 04:29 pm / quote |
Punk_Princes13 :
What? Im very confused. Way begginer here!
POSTED: 04/28/2004 - 08:07 pm / quote |
TimmyPagePatric :
first theres a scale, then theres the arpeggio which is basically the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the scale, without anything else added, a chord is those notes played together
POSTED: 06/02/2004 - 11:31 am / quote |
Whisper_Child :
AWESOME! Thank you. This stuff is a pain in the ass to learn and boring but without it it's hard to communicate with other musicains.
POSTED: 06/12/2004 - 11:55 am / quote |
toiletcandy :
boring as hell........ yawn.....
POSTED: 06/17/2004 - 10:14 pm / quote |
Psykotik :
That's good, I didn't all those words in english cuz i speak french, so that's very usefeul.
POSTED: 07/10/2004 - 12:25 am / quote |
--->TURTLE_13 :
what are pickups?
POSTED: 07/16/2004 - 04:00 pm / quote |
80s_rock_girl :
Wow, Beginers.
POSTED: 07/17/2004 - 11:50 am / quote |
\m/°»DIG«°\m/ :
F8ck what those kids have to say. No appreciation far all the work yu do. I found it quite helpful. See, I can play guitar well ...but I learned on my own and I never learned how to read tabs, and all that other crap. And this dictionary part is brilliant. Yu should really have this put before anything else for real beginners who don't kno a single thing yet.
POSTED: 09/10/2004 - 02:11 pm / quote |
kyle2k4 :
SUPER.
POSTED: 10/07/2004 - 06:16 pm / quote |
steaknife :
muy excellante! 5 stars!
POSTED: 11/04/2004 - 07:55 pm / quote |
dude im 11 :
uhh and why should i know this???
POSTED: 11/06/2004 - 04:44 pm / quote |
sailsingle4u :
good work. thanks for your time and effort; dont pay attention to these sma..rt a... who know everthing; i am listening and leaning , lets go ....
POSTED: 11/12/2004 - 12:14 am / quote |
grimreaper65 :
your explination of sevenths could have been simpler y'know, something like:
A chord formed using root(1),3,5 and 7b
same for minor something like:
A chord formed with 1, 3b and 5

just suggestions

POSTED: 12/21/2004 - 01:19 am / quote |
GibsonSG1 :
JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!
i always hear new terms and have no idea what they mean.
THANKS BUDDY!

POSTED: 03/13/2005 - 01:18 am / quote |
GreenDayRokChik :
i think there shood b a chord dictionary on here coz thats where i get lost coz on songs that dont had tha chord shown up tha top of tha pg coz othawise i really really really get lost.....iv only bin playin for 5 wks sooo.. yer i can play tabs really easily but i want 2 kno tha chords so if sum1 puts a chord dictionary on here ill b fine.....luv kimmy
POSTED: 03/21/2005 - 04:04 am / quote |
RoCKcHIc91 :

musix666:
what's a fret?
[POSTED: 04 April 2004 - 04:52]|

each little line on the neck of the guitar represents the start of a new fret..the numbers u c on the tabs represent the fret u need to hold the string down on.


--->TURTLE_13:
what are pickups


wow u guys are beginners!!
pickups are the things that pick up the sound on electic guitars...u will find them on the main body of the guitar and are placed under neath the strings to pick up the most sound..simple

POSTED: 04/29/2005 - 09:28 pm / quote |
 
 m 
  :
spam deleted

Your definition of a mode is a bit off.

POSTED: 06/26/2005 - 05:04 pm / quote |
FretShredder6S :
Augmented - Refering to either an interval that is one-half step, or a semitone, larger than a perfect or a major interval. (Like a Caug Chord, remember augment means to make larger)

Augment=make larger? .... damn, i suddenly realize why its called breast augmentation...
Seriously, thanks, a whole lotta stuff here I was too dumb to know and too scared to ask in the boards (cause thats how you get your a** jumped on)

POSTED: 07/03/2005 - 07:19 pm / quote |
ClaudiosBoy :
i think the explinations are a bit formal and dont help people that arent good at deciphring words..if it was put more into lamens terms then alot more people would get..rather alot of that technical jargon, also when a definition is used in def. it would be good to add that def in there as a remider..other than those things i thought it was a good reference for people who forget. like me
POSTED: 08/31/2005 - 03:10 am / quote |
Ginette :
what exactly is the "hammering" motion for a hammer-on?? sorry, Im just trying to make sense of this so I can actually do it REAL beginner!! Teaching myself!
POSTED: 02/21/2006 - 09:28 am / quote |
DRoboWHOids06 :
hey ginette:
a hammer is when u play one note lets 7 1 string 7th fret. you would slam ur ring finger onto the next note lest say 1 string 9th fret just throw it down without picking again

POSTED: 02/26/2006 - 10:31 am / quote |
DRoboWHOids06 :
a pickup can come in to types hummbuckers(double coiled) and singled coiled pickups. Hums are good for mopst rock and metal and with single coil you will get more of a jazz or country sound???? some guitars have 2 or three sets of pickups you can switch from pick up to pick up by ussing the toogle switch. flip the switch upward for the front pick up and all the way down for the bottom 1 next to the bridge. You can also put it in the middle for the middle pick up if there is one.....did that help any body who needed it?
if anybody finds anthing interesting about reviews please email me or if you need help i can tell you what i do know. thanx
o good article should of had more on tuning like drop d and stuff like that. what palming means ect.....

POSTED: 02/28/2006 - 09:07 pm / quote |
boboguitar :
GreenDayRokChik wrote:

i think there shood b a chord dictionary on here coz thats where i get lost coz on songs that dont had tha chord shown up tha top of tha pg coz othawise i really really really get lost.....iv only bin playin for 5 wks sooo.. yer i can play tabs really easily but i want 2 kno tha chords so if sum1 puts a chord dictionary on here ill b fine.....luv kimmy


Theres a huge chord dictionary under chord lessons

POSTED: 07/23/2006 - 09:07 am / quote |
simonzwaan :
www.dictionary.com
POSTED: 07/26/2006 - 08:23 pm / quote |
eh? :
moodriffs wrote:

add in styles of music



haha that doesnt work

POSTED: 08/01/2006 - 12:05 am / quote |
eh? :
oops nvm
POSTED: 08/01/2006 - 12:05 am / quote |
josh_oster :
What is a pull off/ or hammering a note.....i didnt se that on there....im a newb so somebody please tell me
POSTED: 08/03/2006 - 11:45 am / quote |
Billie236 :
thnx sooooo much ive always wanted one of those
POSTED: 12/29/2006 - 01:05 am / quote |
Billie236 :
dude a pull off os when you simply play a note then slide it up to thenote b4 it and hammer-on is same but note after it for more info contact me www.allyourgreendayneeds.piczo.com im found on bebo Aswell or jzt pm me here

POSTED: 12/29/2006 - 01:06 am / quote |
Spacetoad :
How could you fall asleep while trying to wrap your head around all this?
POSTED: 04/03/2007 - 01:53 pm / quote |
na73dogg :
billie a pull off is self-explanatory... its just you play a note and then pull your finger off, you dont slide or anything like that
POSTED: 07/28/2007 - 06:21 pm / quote |
davedt :
Chords are composed of tiads hence "3" what do you call two notes sounded together? (2 notes sounded together?)
POSTED: 12/20/2007 - 01:38 pm / quote |
Hit_Em_Up :
This is awesome it really helped i hope yu expand on it and use smaller words for those just starting
POSTED: 08/12/2008 - 01:34 am / quote |
dragonofdis :
Very well written and articulated. You should work for Webster or somethin
POSTED: 08/19/2008 - 02:51 pm / quote |
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