Glossary
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A
Accompany - To perform with a soloist, see also accompaniment.
Accompaniment - The harmony parts to a melody line.
B
Bass - The lowest member of the string family.
Bassoon - A low double reed member of the woodwind instrument family.
Baritone - Low range brass instrument.
Bow - Used to produce sound in some stringed instruments.
Brass - All the brass family of musical instruments.
C
Cello - A low member of the string family of instruments.
Clarinet - A member of the woodwind family of instruments that uses a single reed.
D
Drums - Members of the percussion family of instruments.
E
English Horn - A double reed instrument from the woodwind family of instruments.
F
Flute - A member of the woodwind family of instruments.
French Horn - A member of the brass family of instruments.
G
Guitar - A 6-stringed instrument.
H
Harmony - The accompniment to a melody.
Head - THe beginning of a piece or song.
Head - Drum - The membrane that covers a drum, and is hit to produce sound.
I
Intonation - Playing in tune.
J
K
Keyboard - Instruments that consist of a group of keys or bars laid out in a musical scale - part of the percussion family.
L
M
Mallets - Keyboard members of the percussion family of instruments.
Melody - The main line of music in a song.
Music - An art form that organizes sound in time.
N
Note - A musical sound.
O
Oboe - A double reed member of the woodwind family.
P
Percussion - Entire family of instruments, including all drum and keyboard instruments.
Pitch - Musical notes.
Pizzicato (or plucking) - A way to produce sound in some stringed instruments.
Q
R
Reed - A piece of reed plant that produces sound in some woodwind instruments.
Rhythm - Time keeping in music.
S
Saxophone - A single reed member of the woodwind family of instruments.
Slide - A mechanism used to change pitches in some woodwind & brass instruments.
String - Used to produce sound on all string instruments.
Strings - An entire family of instruments.
T
Tabs - A way to write guitar chords, see also tabulature.
Tabulature - A form of writting out guitar chords.
Timpani - Larged tuned drums in the percussion family.
Trombone - A member of the brass family of instruments that uses a slide.
Trumpet - A member of the brass family of instruments.
Tuba - A member of the brass family of instruments.
Tune - Also know as melody, or a line of music.
U
V
Valves - Piston - Used in most brass instruments to change notes or pitches.
Valves - Rotary - Used in some brass instruments such as the French Horn to change notes or pitches.
Viola - A member of the string family of instruments.
Violin - A member of the string family of instruments.
W
Woodwinds - A family of instruments that includes the flute, clarinet, saxophone, etc.
X
Xylophone - A mallet instrument in the percussion family.
Y
Z
