# Music Theory

**Type:** Topic
**Words:** 65

## About

Musical notation, pitch, rhythm, harmony, composition, forms, and performance directions.

## Words by Level

### A1
- music — Sounds arranged in a pleasing way using melody, rhythm, and harmony.; frequency rank 358
- note — A short piece of writing to help you remember something.; frequency rank 1401
- piano — A large musical instrument with a keyboard of black and white keys that you press to make sounds.; frequency rank 2179

### A2
- major — Very large, important, or serious.; frequency rank 895
- tone — The quality of a person's voice that shows how they feel.; frequency rank 2830
- string — Thin cord or rope used for tying things.; frequency rank 3792
- musical — Connected with music or its performance.; frequency rank 3963
- rhythm — A regular pattern of strong and weak sounds or beats in music or speech.; frequency rank 4820
- musician — A person who plays a musical instrument or composes music, especially as a job.; frequency rank 5965
- harmony — A state in which people get along well and agree with one another.; frequency rank 6296
- meter — A unit of length equal to 100 centimetres (US spelling of 'metre').; frequency rank 6852
- symphony — A long piece of music in several parts, usually written for a full orchestra.; frequency rank 10553
- composer — a person who writes music; frequency rank 11850

### B1
- beat — To defeat someone in a game, contest, or fight.; frequency rank 653
- theme — The main subject or idea of a book, film, talk, or piece of art.; frequency rank 2292
- accent — the way someone pronounces words, showing where they come from; frequency rank 2884
- minor — Small or not very important.; frequency rank 3540
- brass — A group of musical instruments made of metal that are played by blowing, such as trumpets and trombones.; frequency rank 5481
- orchestra — A large group of musicians who play instruments together, often including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion.; frequency rank 6451
- pause — A short stop in activity or speech before continuing.; frequency rank 7597
- composition — the different parts or people that something is made up of; frequency rank 10651
- interval — a period of time between two events.; frequency rank 19316

### B2
- timing — The choice of the right moment for something to happen.; frequency rank 3260
- pitch — To throw a ball, especially to a batter in baseball.; frequency rank 3483
- melody — A sequence of musical notes that forms a tune.; frequency rank 5988
- verse — A group of lines that form one unit of a song or poem.; frequency rank 8132
- rhythmic — Having a regular, repeated pattern of sounds or movements.; frequency rank 12905
- refrain — To stop yourself from doing something.; frequency rank 12931
- variation — A change or difference in amount, level, or form.; frequency rank 17263
- notation — a system of written symbols and rules used to represent quantities, sounds, moves, or other specialized information; frequency rank 36877
- semitone — music: the smallest interval in the standard chromatic scale of Western music, equal to half a whole tone; frequency rank 155066

### C1
- bass — The low range of sound or musical tones.; frequency rank 5045
- acoustic — (of a musical instrument) producing sound naturally, without electrical amplification.; frequency rank 16418
- concerto — A piece of music written for one or more solo instruments and an orchestra.; frequency rank 20481
- presto — used to announce a sudden or seemingly magical result; frequency rank 21526
- cadence — the rhythmic flow or pattern of sounds in speech, writing, or movement; frequency rank 26595
- timbre — The quality of a sound independent of its pitch and volume.; frequency rank 57134
- staccato — Made up of short, sharp, separated sounds or parts.; frequency rank 64617
- clef — a symbol on a musical staff that identifies which pitches its lines and spaces represent

### C2
- improvise — To make something up or invent it as one goes on; to proceed guided only by imagination, intuition, and guesswork rather than by a careful plan.; frequency rank 12696
- chord — A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.; frequency rank 13500
- tempo — in music, the speed at which a composition is to be played; frequency rank 14040
- octave — An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.; frequency rank 23331
- sonata — a substantial musical composition for one instrument or a small group, usually arranged in several contrasting movements; frequency rank 23804
- crescendo — a gradual increase in loudness, in music; frequency rank 33804
- stave — one of the narrow strips of wood or metal fitted edge to edge to form a barrel or similar structure; frequency rank 37739
- trill — a rapid alternation between two adjacent musical notes; frequency rank 40072
- chromatic — relating to color or to differences in color; frequency rank 88772
- arpeggio — the notes of a chord played one after another rather than simultaneously; frequency rank 93311
- tremolo — a musical effect made by rapidly repeating one note or alternating between two notes; frequency rank 107637
- consonance — agreement or compatibility between opinions, principles, qualities, or actions; frequency rank 179060
- homophony — the relation or quality of words having the same pronunciation but different meanings or origins
- syncopation — a rhythmic effect created by placing emphasis where a listener expects a weak beat or an offbeat

### C2+
- prelude — An introductory or preliminary performance or event.; frequency rank 27472
- treble — three times as great or many; frequency rank 30073
- accompaniment — something that accompanies, especially music supporting a soloist
- harmonic — relating to harmony or to frequencies that are multiples of a fundamental tone
- overture — an orchestral introduction to a larger work, or an opening approach or proposal
- transpose — to cause two or more things to change places; to put in a different key
- chorus — a group of singers, or a refrain repeated in a song
- counterpoint — a contrasting element set against another; combined melodic lines
- dissonance — a harsh or inharmonious combination of sounds or ideas
- legato — in a smooth, connected manner, with notes flowing into one another
- percussion — the striking of one body against another; instruments played by striking
- vibrato — a slight, rapid wavering of pitch in singing or instrumental playing