A cappella

Singing without accompaniment

Accent

Emphasis on a note, word, or phrase

Articulation

The way a sound is started and ended

Attack

The beginning of a sound

Breath

One cycle of inspiration/expiration

Chord

Two or more pitches sounding together

Chromatic

Moving in half-steps

Compound meter

Meter that is made up of simple meters 2/4+3/4

Counting

Mentally breaking down a rhythm into divisions

Diatonic

Moving within a key without changes

Diction

Correct and clear pronunciation of consonants

Dipthong

Two or more vowel sounds blended together

Dynamics

Relative loudness or softness

Embouchure

Mouth position in brass and woodwinds

Harmony

The system of moving from chord to chord

Homophonic

A style where all parts have the same rhythm

Intonation

Being in tune with accompaniment or others

Key--major

Based on a scale of w/w/h/w/w/w/h steps

Key--minor

Based on a scale of w/h/w/w/h/w/w steps

Melody

Pitches in sequence that form a pattern

Meter

The division of time into units

Phrase

Notes played or sung in one breath

Pitch

The highness or lowness of sound measured in Hz.

Placement

Vocal term--where the sound is placed in the head

Polyphonic

Where each part has an independent rhythm

Posture

Sitting/standing correctly and efficiently

Pulse

Feeling where the beat is

Release

How a sound is ended

Rhythm

How a sound is placed in time

Sacred

Music that is written for spiritual or religious use

Secular

Music that is written for entertainment

Slur

Playing a series of pitches without tonguing

Solfege

Italian system of pitch and interval ear training

Tempo

The speed at which a regular pulse is repeated

Tone color/Timbre

The relative brightness or darkness of a sound

Tongue

To start a sound with the tongue on reed or mthpce

Unison

Everyone on the same pitch