English vocabulary The Sound of Music

composition

/ˌkɑmpəˈzɪʃən/

noun

the art or the act of writing pieces of music, poetry, etc.

Examples

ballad

/ˈbæɫəd/

noun

a popular romantic song or one that narrates a story

Examples

adagio

/əˈdɑʒiˌoʊ/

noun

a movement or composition intended to be played at a slow tempo

Examples

instrumental

/ˌɪnstɹəˈmɛnəɫ/, /ˌɪnstɹəˈmɛntəɫ/

adjective

(of music) made only by instruments, no vocals

Examples

acoustic

/əˈkustɪk/

adjective

(of a musical instrument) making a sound that is natural not amplified

Examples

harmonic

/hɑɹˈmɑnɪk/

adjective

connected with or denoting a harmony or harmonics

Examples

melodic

/məˈɫɑdɪk/

adjective

connected with melody

Examples

ambient

/ˈæmbiənt/

adjective

relating to the type of music that emphasizes on tone and atmosphere rather than traditional structure

Examples

avant-garde

/əˈvɑnˈɡɑɹd/, /əˈvɑntˈɡɑɹd/

adjective

radically new or original

Examples

indie

/ˈɪndi/

adjective

(of pop groups) not affiliated with a major recording company

Examples

solo

/ˈsoʊˌɫoʊ/

noun

a musical piece written for one singer or instrument

Examples

duet

/djuˈɛt/, /duˈɛt/

noun

a piece of music performed by two people

Examples

baritone

/ˈbɛɹəˌtoʊn/

noun

the second lowest adult male singing voice

Examples

bar line

/bˈɑːɹ lˈaɪn/

noun

an upright line that separates the bars in written music

Examples

movement

/ˈmuvmənt/

noun

one of the main parts that a long musical work is divided into, having its own structure

Examples

chord

/ˈkɔɹd/

noun

three or more musical notes that form a harmony when played together

Examples

measure

/ˈmɛʒɝ/

noun

any of the short sections consisting of musical beats located between two consecutive lines

Examples

scale

/ˈskeɪɫ/

noun

an arrangement of a series of musical notes with specified intervals, in ascending or descending pitch order

Examples

encore

/ˈɑnˌkɔɹ/

noun

an additional or repeated piece that is performed at the end of a concert, because the audience has asked for it

Examples

discord

/ˈdɪskɔɹd/

noun

an unusual combination of musical notes that sound strange when played

Examples

dissonance

/ˈdɪsənəns/

noun

a combination of musical notes that sound harshly because they do not form a harmony

Examples

coda

/ˈkoʊdə/

noun

the final passage of an extended musical composition

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Examples

Granted, the deaf community does have issues with CODAs and SODAs, sibling of deaf adult, SODA.

But yeah, granted, the deaf community does have issues with CODAs and SODAs sometimes...

Even CODAs aren't allowed.

clef

/ˈkɫɛf/

noun

any of the signs written on the left-hand end of a staff indicating the pitch of the notes

Examples

concerto

/kənˈtʃɛɹtoʊ/

noun

a musical composition that is written for one or more solo instruments and accompanied by an orchestra with three movements

Examples

opus

/ˈoʊpəs/

noun

a musical piece or collection that is written by a famous composer followed by the date in which it was created

Examples

discography

/dɪˈskɔɡɹəfi/

noun

all of the records or a list of the records that have been created by a particular singer, composer or musical band

Examples

compilation

/ˌkɑmpəˈɫeɪʃən/

noun

something such as a book, record, etc. that consists of different pieces taken from several sources

Examples

etude

/ˈɛɾuːd/

noun

an instrumental composition that is usually short and is intended for practice or demonstration of a skill

Examples

fingerboard

/ˈfɪŋɡɝˌbɔɹd/

noun

a narrow flat part on the neck of a string instrument where the fingers press the strings to play various notes

Examples

to headline

/ˈhɛdˌɫaɪn/

verb

to be the star performer in a concert or performance

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Examples

Editors also write headlines and captions, words that can dramatically affect the viewer's perception of the image.

to improvise

/ˈɪmpɹəˌvaɪz/, /ˌɪmpɹəˈvaɪz/

verb

to create and perform words of a play, music, etc. on impulse and without preparation

Examples

major

/ˈmeɪdʒɝ/

adjective

based on a scale in which the interval between the third and the fourth notes and the seventh and the eighth notes is a half step

Examples

minor

/ˈmaɪnɝ/

adjective

based on a scale in which the interval between the second and the third notes, the fifth and the sixth notes and the seventh and eighth notes is a half step

Examples

interval

/ˈɪntɝvəɫ/

noun

a dissimilarity in pitch between two notes

Examples

pitch

/ˈpɪtʃ/

noun

the degree of highness or lowness of a tone that is determined by the frequency of waves producing it

Examples

tempo

/ˈtɛmˌpoʊ/

noun

the speed that a piece of music is or should be played at

Examples

octave

/ˈɑktɪv/

noun

the interval between the first and the last notes in eight diatonic degrees

Examples

mono

/ˈmoʊnoʊ/

adjective

describing sound transmission, recording or reproduction that is transferred through a single channel

Examples

to pluck

/ˈpɫək/

verb

to play a string instrument, such as a guitar, using the fingers or a plectrum

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Examples

Stretch it tight and pluck it.

Pluck the string where it crosses the opening.

When the strings are plucked, the saddle transmits the vibrations into the guitar body.

refrain

/ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/

noun

music that accompanies the section of a song or poem that is repeated after each verse, by a group of singers