The Music GuideA–Z
Every word, alphabetically
88 terms so far.
A
B
- BackbeatThe snare hits on beats 2 and 4 — the head-nod.
- Bar / MeasureOne full cycle of the count — in 4/4 that's four beats.
- Bass / Mids / TrebleThe three neighbourhoods of the frequency range.
- BeatThe steady thing you'd count or clap along to: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- BPM (Beats Per Minute)How fast the music is going, measured in beats per minute.
C
- ChordThree or more notes played together.
- Chord InversionsThe same chord with a different note at the bottom.
- Chord ProgressionThe order your chords move in.
- Chromatic ScaleEvery single note, in order, with no gaps.
- CompressionAutomatically turning down the loudest bits so everything is more even.
- ConsonanceNotes that sound settled and agreeable together.
D
- DelayDistinct repeats of the sound, like an echo.
- Diatonic HarmonyOnly using the chords that live inside your key.
- DissonanceNotes that clash and feel like they need to move.
- DistortionPushing a sound past its limit so it breaks up.
- DominantThe chord built on the fifth note of the key — it wants to go home.
- DownbeatBeat one — where a bar starts and your foot naturally lands.
- DynamicsHow loud or soft the music is, moment to moment.
E
F
G
H
I
K
L
M
- Major ChordThe bright, open-sounding chord.
- Major ScaleThe bright, do-re-mi ladder.
- MelodyThe part you'd sing back — notes one after another.
- MetronomeA device that clicks at a steady tempo so you can play in time.
- MIDIInstructions for notes — not sound itself.
- Minor ChordThe darker, sadder-sounding chord.
- Minor ScaleThe darker, more serious ladder.
- MonoOne channel — the same sound in both ears.
N
O
P
Q
R
S
- SampleA recorded piece of audio you play back as an instrument.
- ScaleA chosen set of notes that sound good together, in order.
- Semitone / Half StepThe smallest normal step in Western music.
- SequencerThe grid where you place hits in time.
- Seventh ChordsA triad with one more note stacked on top.
- Sharp ♯One semitone higher.
- Sixteenth NoteFour notes per beat — count "1 e and a".
- SpaceHow near or far a sound feels.
- StaccatoShort, detached notes with air between them.
- StemA finished bounce of one part of the mix, on its own.
- StereoTwo channels — left and right — so sound has width.
- SubdivisionSlicing one beat into smaller equal pieces.
- SustainHow long a sound holds while you keep it going.
- SwingDelaying every other note so the rhythm limps in a good way.
- SyncopationPutting the emphasis where the beat isn't.
T
- TempoHow fast or slow the music is moving.
- ThirdThe middle note of a chord — the one that decides major or minor.
- Time SignatureHow many beats are in a bar before the count starts over.
- TonicThe home note of a key — the one that feels finished.
- TrackOne lane in your project holding one instrument or recording.
- TriadA three-note chord: root, third, fifth.
- TripletThree even notes squeezed into the space of one beat.