Staff (music)In Westernmusical notation, the staff (UK usually stave); (plural: staves), also occasionally referred to as a pentagram, is a set of horizontal lines (usually five) with spaces between them, that each represent a different musical pitch. However, in the case of a percussion staff, there may be from one to five (or perhaps more) lines which denote different percussion instruments, as may the spaces in between.
Musical notationVisual representation of musicHand-written musical notation by J. S. Bach (1685–1750). This is the beginning of the Prelude from the Suite for Lute in G minor, BWV 995 (transcription of Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011).Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition.
Rhythmic modeIn medieval music, the rhythmic modes were set patterns of long and short durations (or rhythms). The value of each note is not determined by the form of the written note (as is the case with more recent European musical notation), but rather by its position within a group of notes written as a single figure called a ligature, and by the position of the ligature relative to other ligatures.
Articulation (music)Problems playing this file? See .Problems playing this file? See .Problems playing this file? See .Problems playing this file? See .Articulation is a musical parameter that determines how a single note or other discrete event is sounded. Articulations primarily structure an event's start and end, determining the length of its sound and the shape of its attack and decay. They can also modify an event's timbre, dynamics, and pitch.
TempoPlot of tempos ordered by increasing approximate speed in beats per minute and per secondIn musical terminology, tempo (from Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or tempi from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmosphere.
RhythmRhythm (from Greekῥυθμός, rhythmos, "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions".List of musical symbolsMusical symbols are marks and symbols in musical notation that indicate various aspects of how a piece of music is to be performed.
Medieval musicWestern music created during the Middle AgesClockwise, from top left: Musicians playing the Spanish vihuela in the Cantigas de Santa Maria, 13th centuryTroubadours, 14th centuryExcerpt from the Laudario Magliabechiano, an Italian manuscriptCommon practice periodNew musicMedieval music encompasses the sacred and secular music of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, from approximately the 6th to 15th centuries.
Pitch (music)Pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies. Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. Pitch is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, along with duration, loudness, and timbre. Pitch may be quantified as a frequency, but pitch is not a purely objective physical property; it is a subjective psychoacoustical attribute of sound.Duration (music)In music, duration is an amount of time or how long or short a note, phrase, section, or composition lasts. "Duration is the length of time a pitch, or tone, is sounded." A note may last less than a second, while a symphony may last more than an hour. One of the fundamental features of rhythm, or encompassing rhythm, duration is also central to meter and musical form.Musical noteRepresentation of isolatable musical sound In music, notes are distinct and isolatable sounds that act as the most basic building blocks for nearly all of music. This discretization facilitates performance, comprehension, and analysis. Notes may be visually communicated by writing them in musical notation. Notes can distinguish the general pitch class or the specific pitch played by a pitched instrument.
SymbolA symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, relationship, or mathematical formula. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise different concepts and experiences.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.