Glossary
Items are added as they are taught in class.
Active listening - When you actively listen to a song you are focusing on it and paying attention to things like: lyrics, instrumentation, textures, melodies, and harmonies
Beat - the pulse of the music. In 4/4 time you'd tap your toes four times in every measure. The bar lines separate each measure. Beat Poetry - Beat poetry is like a colourful, rhythmic dance of words that tickles your imagination! It's a type of poetry that grew popular in the 1950s, where poets expressed their feelings and ideas in a free-flowing style, often without following regular rules of grammar or rhyme. Imagine your words tapping to their own beat, just like music! Beat poetry might talk about big feelings, like love or freedom, or even everyday moments, like walking down the street or feeling the sunshine on your face. It's all about letting your creativity run wild and expressing yourself in your own unique way! The Blues - The blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th Century. Its inventors were slaves, ex-slaves and the descendants of slaves—African-American sharecroppers who sang as they toiled in the cotton and vegetable fields. It's generally accepted that the music evolved from African spirituals, African chants, work songs, field hollers, rural fife and drum music, revivalist hymns, and country dance music. The Bodhran - A Bodhrán is a special drum that comes from Ireland, and it's like no other drum you've ever seen. Instead of being all big and round like most drums, a Bodhrán is flat and made of wood, with a goat skin stretched over one side. It's kind of like a big tambourine without the jingles! When you play a Bodhrán, it's like bringing stories to life with every beat. You use a special stick called a tipper or beater to tap, slap, and dance across its surface, making all sorts of amazing sounds. Bodhráns are often played in traditional Irish music, adding a magical rhythm that makes you want to tap your feet and dance along. So, if you ever hear the enchanting sound of a Bodhrán, listen closely – it's telling tales of the Emerald Isle! Chords - Are a group of notes played at the same time in harmony. To make a major chord just play the 1, 3 and 5 of the scale. Do me so. Chorus - A repeating verse in a song. It is often very catchy and contains the hook of the song. There may be more harmonies or added instruments to make it feel "bigger". Disco - Dance music from the late 70s and early 80s. It became very popular until the punk rock revolution. Djembe - A djembe or jembe is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe comes from the saying "Anke djé, anke bé" which translates to "everyone gather together in peace" and defines the drum's purpose. In the Bambara language, "djé" is the verb for "gather" and "bé" translates as "peace." It was originally used as a communication device - "The King is coming." Duration - How long a note lasts: too, ta, titi, tika tika Genre - A category of music. Songs within a genre will have many traits in common. IE: Rock, Jazz, Blues, Zydeco, R&B, Rap, Soul Groove - similar to a riff but it repeats and is predictable. Often played on a low instrument or the left side of the piano with percussion. A good groove may be syncopated and makes you want to move. Harmonics - A sound that is higher than the main note but sounds good - it's consonant. When you play two notes that sound "bad" together they are dissonant. If you touch the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets you can hear harmonics. Hook - part of a song that gets your attention. It could be a melody line or cool instrumental part. It is often repeated. Metre - Predictable and regular occurring patterns and beats. Middle 8 - 8 bars in a song that are different than all of the other verses. It is like a palette cleanser or something to break up the pattern of the song. Passive listening - When music becomes background noise. It can affect the mood of a room but the listener is focusing on things other than the music. Progressive rock - (Prog. Rock) is a type of rock music with complicated musical technique and composition. This means that the tempo, time signature, and style can change many times in a single song. (Rush, Dream Theater, Yes, Tool, Frank Zappa) Record - Originally invented in 1889 by Emile Berliner and made of shellac, they evolved into the vinyl version that we know today. Vinyl records now outsell CDs. Reggae - is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word "reggae", effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. Bob Marley was responsible for a worldwide appreciation for the Jamaican music. He claimed that the word reggae came from a Spanish term for "the king's music". Riff - a short melody played on a lead instrument like the guitar or piano. Also called a hook, lick, ostinato phrase, or lead line. Scales - A scale is a set of notes arranged according to a set of rules. The major scale can be sung as do re mi fa so la ti do. The minor scale can be sung as la ti do re me fa so la. Slam Poetry - Slam poetry is like a supercharged version of regular poetry! It's all about using your voice and your words to make a big impact. Imagine being on stage, saying your words with power and passion, like a superhero with a microphone! In slam poetry, you can talk about anything that matters to you – your dreams, your feelings, or even things you want to change in the world. The coolest part? You get to perform it in front of an audience who cheers you on! It's like a poetry showdown where everyone's a winner because they get to hear your awesome words! Tempo - Beats per minute. The speed of a song. |
Canadian Prog Rock band Rush
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