Music Composition DUMmIES

(Ben Green) #1
ternary form: A typical three-part song form. ABA.

timbre: The unique quality of sound.

time signature: A notation made at the beginning of a piece of music, in the
form of two numbers such as 3/4, that indicates the number of beats in
each measure or bar and which note value constitutes one beat. The top
(or first) number tells how many beats are in a measure, and the bottom (or
second) number tells which kind of note receives the count of one beat.

tonal: A song or section of music which is organized by key or scale.

transposition: The transferring of a piece of music from its original key to
another.

treble clef: Symbol written at the beginning of the upper musical staff in the
grand staff. The treble clef establishes the pitch of the notes on the lines and
spaces of the staff existing above middle C.

triad: A chord of three tones.

trill: When a player rapidly alternates between two notes next to one another.

triplet: Used in simple time to divide a beat that should contain two equal
parts into three equal parts.

turnaround:A chord progression leading back to the beginning of a musical
composition.

whole step:An interval consisting of two half steps, represented on the piano
by moving two adjacent keys, black or white, to the left or right from a start-
ing point, or on the guitar as two frets up or down the neck from a starting
point.

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