Accent—emphasis
Articulation—how a note is played—attack, duration, etc.
Chromatic Scale—all 12 half steps in succession
Fret—a narrow strip of metal embedded in the fretboard to indicate where to play notes.
Also, the target area between these strips for sounding notes.
Fretboard—the neck of the guitar
Interval—the distance between 2 notes
Pitch—the location of a tone in relation to others
Octave—the interval of an entire major scale, which is the same note—C to C etc.
Unison—2 or more notes of the same pitch
Note—a single tone
Solfege—a language of syllables, one for every note
Degree—the numbered step of any scale
Sharp—higher in pitch
Flat—lower in pitch
Key—the arrangement of notes and chords within a particular scale
Time Signature—a symbol at the beginning of a piece of music indicating the meter
Meter—a measure of time, the grouping of beats into patterns
Beat—the pulse of music
Scale—an arrangement of notes in a particular order
Chord—3 or more notes played simultaneously or as an arpeggio
Arpeggio—a group of notes played successively
Triad—a 3 note chord
Root position—the position of a chord when the name of the chord itself is the lowest note
Root—The tonic, or fundamental note of a chord
Tonic—the note upon which a scale or key is based
Major chord—a chord made from the 1st, 3rd and 5th degree of any major scale
Minor chord—a chord made from the 1st, flatted 3rd and 5th of any major scale
Seventh chord—a major or minor chord to which either the 7th or flatted 7th has been added
Major pentatonic scale—a scale made from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of any major scale
Minor pentatonic scale—a major pentatonic scale, beginning on the 5th degree ( or 6th degree of the major scale from which the major pentatonic is derived)
Natural minor scale—a major scale, beginning on the 6th degree
Major scale—a series of whole and half step notes, beginning and ending on the same pitch.
Diatonic—derived from a particular key
Diatonic Harmony—the elements of the harmonized major scale
Harmony—the consonant quality of notes when played together
Consonant—a combination of notes or sounds pleasing to the ear, as opposed to dissonance
Dissonance—a combination of notes or sounds that are discordant, creating tension requiring resolution through other tones.
Technique—elements of the mechanical execution of music, externals.
Tonality—the organization of any composition around a scale and its tones
Major key—the tonality resulting from the use of tones in a composition based on a major scale
Minor key—the tonality resulting from the use of tones in a composition based on a minor scale
Progression—an organized series of chords
Diatonic progression-a progression comprised entirely of chords made from a harmonized scale
Measure—a unit of time, containing a fixed number of beats, each separated by vertical lines called bar lines
Rest—a symbol representing a fixed unit of silence
Tie—a symbol showing a note connected to one or more notes, indicating that only the first is played, then is held for the duration of the note or notes to which it is tied
Syncopation—the shifting of accent from a strong beat to a weaker one
Rhythm—the subdivision of time into a defined, repeated pattern
Melody—a succession of tones created for musical expression
Muscle memory—the training of muscles to repeat certain movements innately
Tempo—the fixed speed of any musical piece
BPM—beats per minute
Simple meter—meter where each beat can be subdivided by two
Compound meter—meter where each beat can be subdivided by three
Duple meter—rhythmic pattern in which the measure can be divided by two
Triple meter—rhythmic pattern in which the measure can be divided by three
Notation—any written form of music that contains the notes of a piece
Standard Notation—the traditional written form of notes on lines and spaces on a staff, along with other symbols for instruction for playing a piece of music
Ear training—the process of learning various pitches and their relationship to each other
Playing by ear—learning by hearing and imitation
Transcription—any written form of notation, chord chart, etc
Legato—instruction for playing smooth, connected notes
Staccato—instruction for playing, short, clipped notes
Barre -a temporary nut formed by the first finger of the left hand across some or all of the six strings.
Nut—the ivory or plastic strip across the top of the guitar neck below the tuning heads, containing grooves for each of the six strings
Capo-a device for temporarily moving the nut to various positions on the fretboard
Tonic chord—the fundamental, or I chord of the scale
Dominant—the chord that harmonizes the 5th degree of the major scale, the V chord
Subdominant—the chord that harmonizes the 4th degree of the major scale, the IV chord
Primary chords—the major chords of the harmonized major scale (I, IV, V)
Secondary chords—the minor chords of the harmonized major scale (ii, iii, vi) and the diminished chord (vii)
I-IV-V—the progression of the 1st, 4th and 5th (major) chords of the harmonized major scale, in any order.
Diminished chord—a chord formed by two successive minor 3rds
Circle of fifths—a system for memorizing the order of keys and their respective sharps and flats
Cadence—a closing phrase in a musical piece
Authentic cadence—a closing musical phrase of V-I
Plagal cadence—a closing musical phrase of IV-I
Deceptive cadence—a closing musical phrase of V-vi
Analyzation—the detailing of a musical piece or song respective to its form
Bass—a low note, or lowest note
Clef—a symbol placed at the beginning of a piece to indicate where notes are to be placed on the lines and spaces
Treble clef—a symbol place at the beginning of a piece to indicate where notes are to be played. The treble clef has a range of notes that makes it applicable for all guitar music
Staff—the lines and spaces where notes are placed.
© 2012 Jim Greenfield