How loud or quiet the music is.

fforte

loud

ppiano

quiet

silence

a sudden stop in the sound

fffortissimo

very loud

mfmezzo forte

moderately loud

mpmezzo piano

moderately quiet

pppianissimo

very quiet

cresc.crescendo

getting gradually louder

dim.diminuendo

getting gradually quieter

>accent

a single note played louder

Patterns of long and short sounds and silences, played over a steady pulse - the heartbeat of the music.

pulse

the steady beat underneath the music

legato

smooth, the notes joined

staccato

short and detached

4/4time signature

how many beats in a bar, and what kind

How a piece is put together: its sections, and the order they come in.

same or different

sections that come back, and sections that are new

𝄆 𝄇repeat

play the section again

The tune: a line of notes that moves up and down in pitch.

high or low

where the notes sit in pitch

up or down

the tune rises or falls

step or leap

moving to the next note, or jumping

scale

the notes a piece uses, in order from its home

Which instruments and voices are playing.

piano, violin, flute, trumpet

four sounds to know

strings

violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar

woodwind

flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone

brass

trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba

percussion

drums, xylophone, glockenspiel, timpani

keyboards and voices

piano, organ, synth; singers

How many layers of sound there are, and how they fit together.

thin or thick

a single instrument, or several at once

How fast or slow the music is.

fast or slow

the speed of the pulse

allegro, andante, adagio

fast, walking pace, slow