Quick vocabulary

Keywords with short definitions

This bank combines organiser terminology with the live styles and categories in your table so pupils can revise the language and what each term means.

Structure and form

strophic

A song structure where the same music returns for each verse with little or no structural change.

32-bar song form

A common popular-song design, often built from four eight-bar sections such as AABA.

12-bar blues

A repeating twelve-bar harmonic pattern strongly associated with blues, rock and early pop styles.

verse/chorus

A structure that alternates changing verses with a repeated chorus containing the main hook.

middle 8

A contrasting section, often around eight bars long, used to break up repeated verse and chorus material.

bridge

A linking or contrasting section that connects larger parts of the song.

intro

The opening section that sets up the tempo, mood or key before the main song begins.

outro

The closing section that brings the song to an end.

instrumental

A passage with no singing, allowing instruments to carry the musical interest.

through-composed

Music that keeps introducing new material rather than relying on repeated sections.

hook

A short, memorable musical or lyrical idea designed to catch the listener’s attention.

riff

A short repeated melodic or rhythmic pattern, often central to a song’s identity.

Tonality and harmony

major

A key or chord quality often associated with a brighter or more stable sound.

minor

A key or chord quality often associated with a darker, sadder or more tense sound.

modal

Music based on a mode rather than standard major or minor tonality.

pentatonic

A five-note scale commonly used in folk, blues, rock and pop melodies.

blue notes

Notes that are deliberately flattened or inflected for expressive blues colour.

added chords

Chords that include extra notes beyond the basic triad to create a richer sonority.

7ths

Chords extended by a seventh above the root, often adding tension or colour.

9ths

Chords extended further with a ninth for a fuller and more sophisticated harmonic sound.

sus4 chords

Chords where the third is replaced by the fourth, delaying a full major or minor sound.

diminished chords

Tense-sounding chords built from stacked minor thirds.

pedal note

A sustained or repeated note, usually in the bass, held against changing harmonies.

power chords

Bare fifth-based guitar chords, common in rock because of their strong and direct sound.

Texture and dynamics

monophonic

A single melodic line with no harmonic accompaniment.

homophonic

A melody supported by chordal accompaniment moving largely together.

polyphonic

Two or more independent melodic lines sounding together.

layering

Building texture by adding sounds one after another to thicken the arrangement.

piano

A quiet dynamic level.

forte

A loud dynamic level.

mezzo piano

Moderately quiet.

mezzo forte

Moderately loud.

dynamic contrast

Clear changes between loud and quiet levels for expressive effect.

Tempo, metre and rhythm

BPM

Beats per minute, the standard way of measuring tempo.

adagio

A slow tempo.

andante

A walking-paced, moderate tempo.

allegro

A fast, lively tempo.

syncopation

Rhythmic emphasis placed off the main beats, creating tension or drive.

triplets

Three equal notes fitted into the time normally occupied by two.

dotted rhythms

Rhythms where a dotted note lengthens the beat and creates a distinctive long-short pattern.

scotch snap

A short-long rhythmic figure often linked with folk-derived styles.

backbeat

Strong accents on beats two and four, especially common in pop and rock.

four-to-the-floor

A steady bass-drum pulse on all four crotchet beats of the bar.

time-signature change

A shift from one metre to another during the piece.

Melody, lyrics and vocals

stepwise

A melody moving mainly by adjacent notes.

leap

A melodic movement by a larger interval rather than by step.

repetition

The reuse of a melodic, rhythmic or lyrical idea.

scalic

A melody shaped from consecutive notes of a scale.

arpeggio

Notes of a chord sounded one after another rather than together.

arch-like

A melodic contour that rises and then falls.

range

The distance between the lowest and highest notes used.

syllabic

One note sung per syllable of text.

melismatic

Several notes sung on one syllable.

word painting

Music that reflects the meaning of the lyrics in a literal or expressive way.

falsetto

A light, high vocal register, often above a singer’s normal chest voice.

vibrato

A slight fluctuation in pitch used to warm or intensify the sound.

rock-style screaming

A deliberately rough, forceful vocal effect used for intensity and edge.

Timbre and technology

reverb

An effect that adds resonance and the impression of acoustic space.

delay

An echo effect that repeats a sound after a short time gap.

panning

Placing a sound towards the left or right side of the stereo field.

overdubbing

Recording extra parts on top of an existing track.

multi-track recording

A recording method where separate parts are captured on different tracks and mixed later.

synthesiser

An electronic instrument that generates and shapes sounds.

keyboard

A general term for keyboard-controlled instruments, acoustic or electronic.

distortion

A deliberately roughened timbre, especially associated with amplified guitars.

feedback

A sustained sound created when amplified output re-enters the input signal chain.

tremolo

A rapid fluctuation in volume, or sometimes a guitar effect used to create that impression.

wah-wah pedal

A guitar effect pedal that changes tone colour to create a vocal-like 'wah' sound.

acoustic guitar

A guitar with a naturally resonant body rather than electronic amplification as its main sound source.

electric guitar

A guitar that uses pickups and amplification, allowing a wide range of timbral effects.