Music Appreciation Essay

Sound – any sensation that is perceived by the aural senses. – Physically, sound is vibrational, mechanical energy that moves through matter (usually air) as a wave. The Hearing Process – Vibration, resonation, transmission, reception, interpretation, music appears. Pitch – relative highness or lowness of a sound, speed of vibration. Tone – a sound that has a definite pitch. Interval – the distance in pitch between any two tones, ex: half step. Accent – emphasis on a certain tone. Tone Color/Timbre – quality of sound that distinguishes on instrument or voice from another. – timbre contrast, one instrument vs. another. Dynamics- Associated Terms – Degrees of loudness or soften in music: Pianissimo (pp) – very soft Piano (p) – soft Mezzopiano (mp) – moderately soft Mezzoforte (mf) – moderately loud Forte (f) – loud Fortissimo (ff) – very loud Crescendo – gradually get louder Decrescendo – gradually get softer Chordophones – make their sound when a stretched string vibrates. – there is usually something they makes the sound reverberate such as the body of a guitar or violin. – the strings are set into motion by either plucking, strumming or by rubbing with a bow. Membranophones – Any musical instrument that produces sound primarily by the way of a vibrating stretched membrane. Ex: timpani Roto toms non-pitched drums snare drum (S. Dr.) tenor drum (T. Dr.) field drum (F. Dr.) bass drum (B. Dr.) Tom-Toms Bongos Timbales (Timb.) Conga Drums Tambourine Idiophones – Ex: Marima Crotales Steel Drums Cymbals (cym.) Suspended Symbol Hi-Hat Finger Symbols Triangle (trgl.) Anvil (anv.) Cowbells Tam-Tam (t.t) and other Gongs Sleigh Bells (sl.b.) Bell Tree (bl.t.) Brake Drum (br. dr.) Thunder sheet (th. sh.) Rachet (rach) Wood Blocks (w.bl.) Temple Blocks (t.bl.) Claves (clav.) Castanets (cast.) Maracas (mrcs.) Guiro Whip (wh) Aerophones – any musical instrument that produce sound primarily by causing a body of air to vibrate. 1st class: where the vibrating is not contained in the instrument itself. Ex: Harmonica 2nd class: where vibrating air is contained by the instrument. Ex: Flute Identify Basic String Instruments – Violin Viola Cello Double Bass Renaissance Lute/Music Dulcimer The Koto-Koto Music The Sitar Identify Basic (Wood)Wind Instruments – Piccolo Flute Clarinet Bass clarinet Oboe English horn Bassoon Identify Basic Percussion Instruments – Timpani Xylophone Snare drum Bass drum Cymbais Identify Basic Keyboard Instruments – Piano Pipe organ Harpsichord Notation/Identify Basic Symbols Staff/Identify Lines and Spaces Time Signature Meter-7,6,5,4,3,2 Downbeat Tied vs dotted rhythms Syncopation Tempo Metronome Arpeggio Half-Step Whole-Step Texture Polyphony Monophonic Homophonic Heterophonic Counterpoint Key Major vs minor vs chromatic scales Key Signature Modulation/Key Change Chord/Progression Harmony Consonance Dissonance Dominant Chord Tonic Chord Sub Dominant Chord Musical Form/Ternary/Binary Phrase/Antecedent/Consequent Cadence Melody/Theme Must Be Prepared to Write Scales and A Chord Progression I –IV-V-I on the staff. Be prepared to insert the Minor chord. Four flats or sharps is the max. . Must be prepared to identify musical instruments and the families they belong to.