interval,
the difference in pitch between
two tones. Intervals may be measured acoustically in terms of their vibration
numbers. They are more generally named according to the number of steps
they contain; e.g., from C to D is a second, C and D being the first two
notes of the scale of C. An interval may also be expressed by means
of the ratio of the frequencies of its two tones. For example, the
octave may be expressed by the ratio 2:1 because its upper tone has a frequency
twice that of its lower tone. Pythagoras defined the mathematical
relationship of the perfect intervals (the octave, fourth, and fifth) and
of the intervals between them.
jazz,
the most significant form of musical
expression of African-American culture and arguably the most outstanding
contribution the United States has made to the art of music.
lp,
lateral phongraph
measure,
a metrical unit having a given number
of beats. Measures are separated on the staff by vertical lines called
bars. The term bar has become synonymous with measure.
meter,
the division of a composition into
units of equal time value called measures. Meter is usually indicated
by a time signature, a fraction whose numerator indicates the number of
beats in a measure and whose denominator indicates the note value that
is the unit of beating. The time signature may be changed at any point
in the composition.
pitch,
the position of a tone in the musical.
Pitch is determined by the frequency of the vibration, measured in cycles
per second.
rap music
or hip-hop, genre originating in
the mid-1970s among black and Hispanic performers in New York City, at
first associated with an athletic style of dancing, known as breakdancing.
The word rap, derived from a 1960s slang word for conversation, generally
consists of chanted, often improvised, street poetry accompanied by a montage
of well-known recordings, usually disco or funk. Early rap groups
included Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and the Beastie Boys. Rap
has influenced many forms of popular culture, particularly film, and has
been increasingly incorporated into pop music. Some influential rap performers
include Public Enemy, NWA, Run-DMC, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliot, and Queen
Latifah.
rhythm,
the basic temporal element of music,
concerned with duration and with stresses or accents whether irregular
or organized into regular patternings. Most rhythms are metrical,
i.e., the values are multiples of a temporal unit, or beat, usually associated
with some particular note value.
scale,
any series of tones arranged in
a step-by-step rising or falling order. A scale defines the relationship
of each to the others upon which the composition depends. A
great variety of scales have been used in the past and in different cultures.
syncopation
Pronounced As: singkpashn, sin-
[New Gr.,=cut off ]
the accentuation of a beat that
normally would be weak according to the rhythmic division of the measure.
tempo
Italian meaning time
the speed of a composition.
Tempo is indicated by a set of Italian terms, of which the principal ones
are presto (very fast), vivace (lively), allegro (fast), moderato (moderate),
andante (moderate, literally a "walking tempo), adagio (slow), lento (slower
than adagio), and largo (very slow); accelerando (increasing the speed)
and ritardando (slowing down) are directions to alter the tempo momentarily
and are canceled by a tempo.
tone.
a tone is distinguished from noise
by its definite pitch, caused by the regularity of the vibrations which
produce it. Any tone possesses the attributes of pitch, intensity, and
quality. When two fairly loud tones of equal volume but different
pitch are sounded together, a fainter resultant tone, representing either
the sum of their two rates of vibration (summation tone) or the difference
(difference tone) may be heard.
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