septet

The Lindsey Septet performs at Carnegie Hall this evening.

A group of seven, particularly
(music) A group of seven musicians.

A group of seven, particularly
A group of seven musicians.

(music) A composition for a group of seven musicians.

szeptett

musical composition for seven instruments or seven voices


oblique

en-adj

oblique (comparative obliquer, superlative obliquest)

obliquer (comparative)
obliquest (superlative)

From Middle French oblique, from Latin oblīquus (also spelled oblīcus) (“slanting, sideways, indirect, envious”).

uder

In passing from the minor third to unison, the motion ought to be oblique, but from the major third to unison the motion ought to be similar

1837, Allan Cunningham, “Music”, in The Popular Encyclopedia, page 109

(music) Employing oblique motion, motion or progression in which one part (voice) stays on the same note while another ascends or descends.


pes

From Latin pēs (“foot”). Doublet of foot, pie (“Spanish unit of length”), and pous.

doublet

(music) a neume representing two notes ascending


mute

From Middle English muet, from Anglo-Norman muet, moet, Middle French muet, from mu (“dumb, mute”) + -et, remodelled after Latin mūtus.

(music) An object for dulling the sound of an instrument, especially a brass instrument, or damper for pianoforte; a sordine.


fine

From Italian fine (“end”). French fin. Doublet of fin and finis.

(music) The end of a musical composition.

(music) The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated.


range

Japanese: レンジ (renji)

Korean: 레인지 (reinji)

From Middle English rengen, from Old French rengier (“to range, to rank, to order,”), from the noun renc, reng, ranc, rang (“a rank, row”), from Frankish *hring, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“ring, circle, curve”).

der

(music) The scale of all the tones a voice or an instrument can produce.


Dr

(music, Japan) Abbreviation of drums (of a rock band)


chase

en-noun

chase (countable and uncountable, plural chases)

From Middle English chacen, from Anglo-Norman chacer, Old French chacier, from Late Latin captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Compare French chasser (“to hunt”, “to chase”), Spanish cazar (“to hunt”), Portuguese caçar (“to hunt”)
, see Norwegian skysse (“to hunt”).
Doublet of catch and related to capture.
Displaced native Old English ōht, ēhtnes, and wāþ. Broadly overtook Old English huntaþ.

(music) A series of brief improvised jazz solos by a number of musicians taking turns.


section

From Middle English seccioun, from Old French section, from Latin sectiō (“cutting, cutting off, excision, amputation of diseased parts of the body, etc.”), from sectus, past participle of secāre (“to cut”). More at saw.

разрэ́з

surgery: incision or the act of making an incision

The horn section is the group of symphonic musicians who play the French horn.

(music) A group of instruments in an orchestra.

A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
A group of instruments in an orchestra.


chorus

en-noun

chorus (plural choruses or (dated) chorusses or (rare) chori)

choruses (plural)
chorusses (dated plural)
chori (plural rare)

The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin chorus (“church choir”), Latin chorus (“group of dancers and singers; dance”), from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “group of dancers and singers, choir, chorus; dance accompanied by song; round dance”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (“to encircle, enclose”) or *ǵʰoros. Doublet of choir and hora.
The plural form chori is from Latin chorī, from Ancient Greek χοροί (khoroí).
The verb is derived from the noun.

der

A piece of music, especially one in a larger work such as an opera, written to be sung by a choir in parts (for example, by sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses).

The catchiest part of most songs is the chorus.

See the flowing bowl before us, / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / Strike the harp and join the chorus. / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

1862, T[homas] Oliphant, John Thomas, arranger, “No. 15. Nos Galan. New Year’s Eve. [Deck the Halls]”, in Welsh Melodies: With Welsh and English Poetry, London: Addison, Hollier & Lucas, →OCLC, stanza 2, page 140

A part of a song which is repeated between verses to emphasize the song's content; a refrain.

refren

part of a song repeated between verses — see also refrain

The main part of a pop song played after the introduction.

A group of organ pipes or organ stops intended to be played simultaneously; a compound stop; also, the sound made by such pipes or stops.

(often attributively) A feature or setting in electronic music that makes one instrument sound like many.

refrein

(Christianity) A simple, often repetitive, song intended to be sung in a group during informal worship.

Of additional interest is the riff in the second chorus, which was later copied by Joe Garland and recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra as "In the Mood," becoming the biggest hit of the Swing Era.

2002, Thomas E. Larson, History and Tradition of Jazz, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing

Jazz solos in the 1920s are much more about variety and discontinuity than unity and coherence. The explosive introduction, the instrutable and tender scat-clarinet dialogue, the spritely piano chorus, and the majestic trumpet chorus—contrast is far more important than unity.

2014, Thomas Brothers, “‘Some Kind of a God’”, in Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, New York, N.Y., London: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, page 299

(jazz) The improvised solo section in a small group performance.


recapitulation

en-noun

recapitulation (countable and uncountable, plural recapitulations)

re·kə·pĭ·chə·lāʹshən

From Anglo-Norman recapitulaciun et al., Middle French recapitulacion et al., or their source, from Late Latin recapitulatio (“summing up, summary”), from the participle stem of recapitulare (“recapitulate”), from re- + capitulum (“chapter, section”), diminutive of caput (“head”).

der

(music) The third major section of a musical movement written in sonata form, representing thematic material that originally appeared in the exposition section.

再現部

music: third major part of a movement in sonata form


verse

en-noun

verse (countable and uncountable, plural verses)

From Middle English vers, from a mixture of Old English fers and Old French vers; both from Latin versus (“a line in writing, and in poetry a verse; (originally) row, furrow”), from vertō (“to turn around”).

uder

(music) A portion of an anthem to be performed by a single voice to each part.


doughnut

→ Afrikaans: donut, doughnut

→ Albanian: donut

→ Arabic: دُونَات (dūnāt)

Hijazi Arabic: دونت (dōnat)

→ Bengali: ডোনাট (ḍōnaṭ)

→ Bulgarian: донът (donǎt)

→ Burmese: ဒိုးနပ် (dui:nap)

→ Catalan: dònut

→ Cebuano: donut

→ Chinese:

desc

Cantonese: 多甩 (do¹ lat¹), 冬甩 (dung¹ lat¹)

Mandarin: 多拿滋 (duōnázī)

→ Danish: donut

→ Dutch: donut

→ French: donut

→ German: Donut, Doughnut

→ Hindi: डोनट (ḍonaṭ)

→ Indonesian: donat

→ Irish: taoschnó (calque)

→ Japanese: ドーナツ (dōnatsu), ドーナッツ (dōnattsu)

→ Korean: 도넛 (doneot), (nonstandard spellings) 도나스 (donaseu), 도너스 (doneoseu), 도너츠 (doneocheu), 도우넛 (douneot)

→ Malay: donat

→ Maori: tōnati

→ Marshallese: tonaaj (via plural); to̧nōt

→ Persian: دونات (donât)

→ Portuguese: dónute, dônute (Brazil), donut (unadapted spelling)

→ Spanish: dona; dónat, dónut, donut

→ Swedish: donut

→ Tagalog: donat

→ Tausug: dunat

→ Thai: โดนัต (doo-nát), โดนัท (doo-nát) — popular spelling

→ Turkish: donut

→ Urdu: ڈونٹ (ḍonaṭ)

→ Yiddish: דאָנאַט (donat)

From dough + nut, 1809 because originally small, nut-sized balls of fried dough, or, more likely, from nut in the earlier sense of "small rounded cake or cookie", with the toroidal shape becoming common in the twentieth century. First attested in Knickerbocker’s History of New York, by Washington Irving, 1809.

take a flying fuck at a rolling doughnut


ow

Now don't you wait or hesitate / Let's move before they raise the parking rate, ow!

1970, Free (lyrics and music), “All Right Now”

Then you ran into the bedroom / You were struck down / It was your doom, Annie / Ow!

1987, Michael Jackson (lyrics and music), “Smooth Criminal”


disco

en-noun

disco (countable and uncountable, plural discos)

→ Cebuano: disko

→ Esperanto: diskoo

→ Dutch: disco

→ Polish: disco

→ Romanian: disco

→ Swahili: disko

→ Tagalog: disko

→ Turkish: disko

From a shortening of discotheque, from French discothèque.

And black music became a hot commodity in the form of disco, its lyrics and rhythm laced with a palpable (even ethnic) amiguity, helping people dance and escape their concerns. Even the cry of “burn, baby, burn”, a popular chant during many a 1960s urban rebellion, was co-opted by the times, becoming the chorus for the 1977 dance hit “Disco Inferno.”

2009, Marcus Reeves, Somebody Scream!, Farrar, Straus and Giroux

(uncountable, music) A genre of dance music that was popular in the 1970s, characterized by elements of soul music with a strong Latin-American beat and often accompanied by pulsating lights.


resolve

en-verb

resolve (third-person singular simple present resolves, present participle resolving, simple past and past participle resolved)

resolves (present singular third-person)
resolving (participle present)
resolved (participle past)
resolved (past)

From Middle English resolven, from Old French resolver, a learned borrowing of Latin resolvō (“loosen, thaw, melt, resolve”), equivalent to re- + solve. Piecewise doublet of re-solve.

sulattaa

to melt; to dissolve; to liquefy or soften

(music) To cause a chord to go from dissonance to consonance.

purkaa

to cause a chord to go from dissonance to consonance


tierce

From Old French tierce, from Latin tertia.

(music) The third tone of the scale. See mediant.


col legno

Borrowed from Italian col legno (literally “with the wood”).

bor

Webern took particular care with the col legno passages. In the quiet ostinatos of the first and third pieces (which can be seen as parallel in many ways), he added weich gezogen (gently drawn) to the col legno indications.

1996, Kathryn Bailey, editor, Webern Studies, Cambridge University Press, page 156

(music) A musical notation indicating that the strings of an instrument are to be struck with the wooden part of the bow.

per ligno

the strings must be struck with the wood of the bow


martellato

/ˌmɑː(ɹ)təˈlɑːtəʊ/

Borrowed from Italian martellato (“hammered”), from martellare (“to hammer, throb”), from martello (“hammer”), related to Latin martulus, marculus (“small hammer”), diminutive of marcus (“hammer”).

(music) Strongly accented, or hammered out; used of notes played on bowed string instruments, handbells, or the piano.


martellato

/ˌmɑː(ɹ)təˈlɑːtəʊ/

(music) A passage played with a strong accent, or hammered out.


delay

en-noun

delay (countable and uncountable, plural delays)

→ Portuguese: delay

From Middle English delaien, borrowed from Anglo-Norman delaier, Old French deslaier, from des- + Old French laier (“to leave”), a conflation of Old Frankish *lattjan ("to delay, hinder"; from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (“to delay, hinder, stall”), from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁d- (“to leave, leave behind”)), and Old Frankish *laibijan ("to leave"; from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (“to leave, cause to stay”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to remain, continue”)). Doublet of dally.
Akin to Old English latian (“to delay, hesitate”), Old English latu (“a delay, a hindrance”), Old English lǣfan (“to leave”). More at let (to hinder), late, leave.

cog

The 8-bit sound quality of many early delays did indeed leave a lot to be desired (compare this to the 16-bit digital technology of CDs)

2014, Dave Hunter, Guitar Amps and Effects For Dummies, page 259

(music) An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.


adagietto

/əˌdæ(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/

/əˌdɑː(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/

Borrowed from Italian adagietto, a diminutive of adagio.

(music) A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played slightly faster than adagio.


adagietto

/əˌdæ(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/

/əˌdɑː(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/


adagietto

/əˌdæ(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/

/əˌdɑː(d)ʒiːˈɛtəʊ/

(music) Describing a passage having this mark.


precipitato

Borrowed from Italian precipitato, masculine past participle of precipitare (“to precipitate”). Doublet of precipitate.


Schubertiade

(music) A social gathering whose primary purpose is the performance of the music of Schubert and where the music of no other composer is played.


handbag

en-noun

handbag (countable and uncountable, plural handbags)

From hand + bag. The music genre is named from women dancing around a pile of their handbags in nightclubs. The verb is a reference to Margaret Thatcher's handbag.

(uncountable, music) Ellipsis of handbag house.


cleaver

From Middle English clevere, equivalent to cleave + -er.

(music, Bahamas) A type of clave, or rhythm stick, a concussive musical instrument used in traditional Bahamian music.


matra

Borrowed from Sanskrit मात्रा (mātrā, “measure, small quantity”).

bor

(music) In Indian music, the smallest rhythmic unit of a tala.


intrata

She likes the intrata from Bach's fifth 'cello suite.

(music) A piece of music which serves as an introduction.


intrada

We listened to Telemann's intrada for two flutes.

(music) A piece of music that serves as an introduction.


rank

en-noun

rank (countable and uncountable, plural ranks)

From Middle English rank (“line, row”), from Old French ranc, rang, reng (“line, row, rank”) (Modern French rang), from Frankish *hring (“ring”), from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“something bent or curved”).
Akin to Old High German (h)ring, Old Frisian hring, Old English hring, hrincg (“ring”), Old Norse hringr (“ring, circle, queue, sword; ship”). Doublet of ring and rink.

cog

(music) In a pipe organ, a set of pipes of a certain quality for which each pipe corresponds to one key or pedal.


rest

en-noun

rest (countable and uncountable, plural rests)

From Middle English rest, reste, from Old English ræst, from Proto-West Germanic *rastu, from Proto-Germanic *rastō, from Proto-Indo-European *ros-, *res-, *erH- (“rest”). Cognate with West Frisian rêst (“rest”), Dutch rust (“rest”), German Rast (“rest”), Swedish rast (“rest”), Norwegian rest (“rest”), Icelandic röst (“rest”), Old Irish árus (“dwelling”), German Ruhe (“calm”), Albanian resht (“to stop, pause”), Welsh araf (“quiet, calm, gentle”), Lithuanian rovà (“calm”), Ancient Greek ἐρωή (erōḗ, “rest, respite”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌𐬨𐬈 (aⁱrime, “calm, peaceful”), Sanskrit रमते (rámate, “he stays still, calms down”), Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌼𐌹𐍃 (rimis, “tranquility”). Related to roo.

rest

stick used to support the cue in snooker

Remember there's a rest at the end of the fourth bar.

(music, countable) A pause of a specified length in a piece of music.

rusteken

(music, countable) A written symbol indicating such a pause in a musical score such as in sheet music.


roundel

From Middle English roundel, rundel, rondel, from Old French rondel (“something round and flat”), a diminutive of rond (“round”). More at round.


part

desc

→ Cantonese: part (paat¹), parts (paat¹ si²) (from the plural noun form)

→ Japanese: パート (pāto), パーツ (pātsu) (from the plural noun form)

The noun is from Middle English part, from Old English part (“part”) and Old French part (“part”); both from Latin partem, accusative of pars (“piece, portion, share, side, party, faction, role, character, lot, fate, task, lesson, part, member”), from Proto-Indo-European *par-, *per- (“to sell, exchange”). The verb is from Middle English parten, from Old French partir. Akin to portio (“a portion, part”), parare (“to make ready, prepare”). Displaced Middle English del, dele (“part”) (from Old English dǣl (“part, distribution”) > Modern English deal (“portion; amount”)), Middle English dale, dole (“part, portion”) (from Old English dāl (“portion”) > Modern English dole), Middle English sliver (“part, portion”) (from Middle English sliven (“to cut, cleave”), from Old English (tō)slīfan (“to split”)).

cog

The first violin part in this concerto is very challenging.

(music) The melody played or sung by a particular instrument, voice, or group of instruments or voices, within a polyphonic piece.

партия

music: melody played or sung by a particular instrument, voice, or group of instruments or voices


tag

From Middle English tagge (“small piece hanging from a garment”), probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Norwegian tagg (“point; prong; barb; tag”), Swedish tagg (“thorn; prickle; tine”), Icelandic tág (“a willow-twig”). Compare also tack.

cog

(music) The last line (or last two lines) of a song's chorus that is repeated to indicate the end of the song.

припев

music: last line or lines of a song's chorus that is repeated


barrel

From Middle English barel, from Anglo-Norman baril, Old French baril, bareil (“barrel”), of uncertain origin. An attempt to link baril to Old French barre (“bar, bolt”) (compare Medieval Latin barra (“bar, rod”)) via assumed Vulgar Latin *barrīculum meets the phonological requirement, but fails to connect the word semantically. The alternate connection to Frankish *baril, *beril or Gothic 𐌱𐌴𐍂𐌹𐌻𐍃 (bērils, “container for transport”), from Proto-Germanic *barilaz, *bērilaz (“barrel, jug, container”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carry, transport”), is more plausible as it connects not only the form of the word but also the sense; equivalent to bear + -le. Compare also Old High German biril (“jug, large pot”), Luxembourgish Bärel, Bierel (“jug, pot”), Old Norse berill (“barrel for liquids”), Old English byrla (“barrel of a horse, trunk, body”). More at bear.

vat

round vessel made from staves bound with a hoop

(music) The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and looks rather like a barrel (1).


mallet

From Middle English malet, maylet, from Old French mallet, maillet (“a wooden hammer, mallet”), diminutive of mal, mail (“a hammer”), from Latin malleus (“a hammer, mall, mallet”).

der

(music) A small hammer-like tool used for playing certain musical instruments.


A-sharp

The counterpoint began on a low A-sharp.

(music) A tone one semitone higher than A, denoted A♯.

Here the passage modulates into A-sharp and becomes very difficult to read.


E flat major

(music) Alternative spelling of E-flat major


A-flat

The bassoon came in on a low A-flat.

(music) A tone one semitone below A, between G and A, denoted A♭.

I had to take it to the shop because the A-flat was stuck.

(music) A key or other mechanism for producing an A-flat.

We will now hear the third sonata, in A-flat.


B-flat major

{\key bes \major bes c'd'es'f'g'a'bes'2}

(music) The major key with B-flat as its tonic, with the notes B♭, C, D, E♭, F, G, and A, the key signature of which has two flats.

(music) The major chord with a root of B-flat.


A-sharp major

{\key ais\major ais'bis'cisisdiseisfisisgisisais}

(music) the theoretical major key with A-sharp as its tonic and the notes A#, B#, C𝄪, D#, E#, F𝄪, G𝄪.

(music) the major chord with a root of A-sharp


A-minor

(music) the minor key with A as its tonic

(music) the minor chord with a root of A


invention

en-noun

invention (countable and uncountable, plural inventions)

From Middle English invencion, invencioun, from Latin inventiō either directly or via Middle French invencion, from Latin invenīre (“to discover, find, invent”), from in- (“in-: in, into”) + venīre (“to come”). Doublet of inventio. Equivalent to invent + -ion.
Displaced native Old English orþanc.

der

I particularly like the inventions in C-minor.

INVENTION. A term used by J. S. Bach, and probably by him only, for small pianoforte pieces — 15 in 2 parts and 15 in 3 parts — each developing a single idea, and in some measure answering to the Impromptu of a later day.

1880, George Grove (editor and entry author), A Dictionary of Music and Musicians II, London: Macmillan & Co., page 15, Invention

(music) A small, self-contained composition, particularly those in J.S. Bach’s Two- and Three-part Inventions.

invenció

small self-contained musical composition


A-flat major

{\key aes\major aes'bes'cdesesfgaes2}

(music) The major key with A-flat as its tonic, with the notes A♭, B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, and G, the key signature of which has four flats.

(music) The major chord with a root of A-flat.


second fiddle

The second fiddle on that tune is almost as hard as the first fiddle.

(music) A fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle.

toinen viulu

music: fiddle part in harmony to the first fiddle

I've been second fiddle in that orchestra for ten years now.

(music) The person playing second fiddle.


glockenspiel

/ˈɡlɔk.ŋ̩ˌʃpiːl/

From German Glockenspiel (literally “bells-set”).

bor

(music) A musical instrument of the percussion idiophone family of instruments; like the xylophone, it has tuned bars arranged like the keys on a piano, and is also smaller in size and higher in pitch.


B major

{\key b\major b cis'dis'e'fis'gis'ais'b'2}

(music) The major key with B as its tonic, with the notes B, C♯, D♯, E, F♯, G♯, and A♯, the key signature of which has five sharps:

(music) The major chord with a root of B.


A major

{\key a \major a'b'cisdefisgisa2}

(music) The major key with A as its tonic, with the notes A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, and G♯, the key signature of which has three sharps.

(music) The major chord with a root of A.


pocket

From Middle English pocket (“bag, sack”), from Anglo-Norman poket, Old Northern French poquet, poquete, diminutive of poque, poke (“bag, sack”) (compare modern Norman pouquette and modern French pochette from Old French pochete, from puche), from Frankish *pokā (“pouch”), from Proto-Germanic *pukkô, *pukô (“bag; pouch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”). Doublet of pochette. Cognate with Middle Dutch poke, Alemannic German Pfoch (“purse, bag”), Old English pocca, pohha (“poke, pouch, pocket, bag”), Old Norse poki (“bag, pocket”). Compare the related poke (“sack or bag”). See also Modern French pochette and Latin bucca.

der

is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me

in the pocket

(music) A state achieved with steady, enjoyable drumming.


stereo

en-noun

stereo (countable and uncountable, plural stereos)

Shortened form of stereotype, stereoscope or stereophonic, all originally derived from Ancient Greek στερεός (stereós, “solid”).

der

(Myanmar, music) genre of Western-style pop and rock music


lock in

en-verb

lock in (third-person singular simple present locks in, present participle locking in, simple past and past participle locked in)

locks in (present singular third-person)
locking in (participle present)
locked in (participle past)
locked in (past)

(transitive, music) To synchronize (especially a rhythm section) into a groove.


divide

divide (third-person singular simple present divides, present participle dividing, simple past and past participle divided)

divides (present singular third-person)
dividing (participle present)
divided (participle past)
divided (past)

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English dividen, from Latin dīvidere (“to divide”). Displaced native Old English tōdǣlan.

dividend

the sum being divided, the upper term in a fraction

divisor

the number of parts in a division, the lower term in a fraction

(music) To play or sing in a florid style, or with variations.


kettle

→ Brunei Malay: kitil

→ Bengali: কেটলি (keṭli)

→ Hindi: केतली (ketlī)

→ Gujarati: કીટલી (kīṭlī)

→ Irish: citeal

→ Maltese: kitla

→ Zulu: igedlela

From Middle English ketel, also chetel, from Old English ċietel (“kettle, cauldron”) and in Middle English possibly influenced by Old Norse ketill and both from Proto-Germanic *katilaz (“kettle, bucket, vessel”), of uncertain origin and formation. Usually regarded as a borrowing of Late Latin catīllus (“small bowl”), diminutive of Latin catinus (“deep bowl, vessel for cooking up or serving food”), however, the word may be Germanic confused with the Latin: compare Old English cete (“cooking pot”), Old High German chezzi (“a kettle, dish, bowl”), Icelandic kati, ketla (“a small boat”). Cognate with West Frisian tsjettel (“kettle”), Dutch ketel (“kettle”), German Kessel (“kettle”), Swedish kittel (“cauldron”), Swedish kittel (“kettle”), Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐍄𐌹𐌻𐍃 (katils, “kettle”), Finnish kattila, Polish kocioł (“cauldron”), Czech kotel (“boiler”), Russian котёл (kotjól, “boiler, cauldron”).


adagissimo

Borrowed from Italian adagissimo, superlative of adagio.


lamentoso

en-adv

lamentoso (comparative more lamentoso, superlative most lamentoso)

more lamentoso (comparative)
most lamentoso (superlative)


affrettando

(music) In a rushing or hurrying manner; as if pressing onwards.


measure

→ Japanese: メジャー (mejā)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-measure.wav

From Middle English mesure, from Old French mesure, from Latin mēnsūra (“a measure”), from mēnsus, past participle of mētīrī (“to measure”). Displaced native Old English metan (“to measure”) and ġemet (“a measure”).

lainsäädäntötoimenpide

piece of legislation as course of action

(music) A musical designation consisting of all notes and or rests delineated by two vertical bars; an equal and regular division of the whole of a composition; a bar.


octave

From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava.

Octave in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

The melody jumps up an octave at the beginning, then later drops back down an octave.

The singer was known for astounding clarity over her entire five-octave range.

The octave has a pitch ratio of 2:1.

(music) An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.

The bass starts on a low E, and the tenor comes in on the octave.

(music) The pitch an octave higher than a given pitch.

(music) A coupler on an organ which allows the organist to sound the note an octave above the note of the key pressed (cf sub-octave)


mix

en-verb

mix (third-person singular simple present mixes, present participle mixing, simple past and past participle mixed)

mixes (present singular third-person)
mixing (participle present)
mixed (participle past)
mixed (past)
mix (infinitive)

From Middle English mixen (attested in past tense as mixed, myxyd), from Old English *mixian, miscian, from Proto-West Germanic *miskijan, from Proto-Germanic *miskijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *miḱ-sḱé-ti, from *meyǵ-, *meyḱ- (“to mix”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian miskje (“to mix, blend”), Middle Dutch mischen (“to mix”), Low German misken, mischen (“to mix”), Old High German miskian, miskēn (“to mix”) (German mischen), Welsh mysgu (“to mix”), Latin misceō (“mix”), Ancient Greek μίγνυμι (mígnumi, “to mix”), Old Church Slavonic мѣсити (měsiti, “to mix”), Lithuanian mišti and maišyti (“to mix”), Sanskrit मिश्र (miśra, “mixed”), Persian آمیختن (âmixtan, “to mix”), Old English māsc (“mixture, mash”). More at mash.

cog

I'll mix the rhythm tracks down to a single track.

(transitive, music) To combine (several tracks).

I'm almost done mixing this song.

(transitive, music) To produce a finished version of (a recording).

mikse

music: produce a finished version of a recording


mix

→ Polish: miks

→ Turkish: miks, mix

A merger of a nominal use of the verb and a borrowing from Anglo-Norman mixte, from Latin mixtus, past participle of misceō (“mix”). Nowadays regarded automatically as the nominal form of the verb.

The rhythm mix sounds muddy.

(music) The result of mixing several tracks.

I've almost finished the mix for this song.

(music) The finished version of a recording.


rap

en-noun

rap (countable and uncountable, plural raps)

→ Dutch: raps

⇒ Dutch: rapsen

→ Finnish: rap

→ German: Rap

→ Macedonian: рап (rap)

From Middle English rap, rappe, of North Germanic origin, related to Norwegian rapp (“a blow, strike, lash”), Swedish rapp (“a blow, lash, crack”), Danish rap (“a tap, smart, blow”). Compare Old English hreppan (“to touch, treat”). More at rape.

They like listening to rap.


funk

funk (countable and uncountable, plural funks)

1620, from French dialectal (Norman) funquer, funquier (“to smoke, reek”), from Old Northern French fungier (“to smoke”), from Vulgar Latin fūmicāre, alteration of Latin fūmigāre (“to smoke, fumigate”). Related to French dialect funkière (“smoke”). More at fumigate.

(uncountable, music) A style of music derived from 1960s soul music, with elements of rock and other styles, characterized by a prominent bass guitar, dance-friendly sound, a strong emphasis on the downbeat, and much syncopation.


giusto

/ˈd͡ʒuːstəʊ/

Borrowed from Italian giusto (“right, just”). Doublet of just.


giusto

/ˈd͡ʒuːstəʊ/

(music) Following a tempo marking strictly or exactly.


tala

(music) A rhythmic pattern in Indian music.


subsidiary

From Middle French subsidiaire, from Latin subsidiarius (“belonging to a reserve”).


cipher

14th century. From Middle English cifre, from Old French cyfre, cyffre (French chiffre), ultimately from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr, “zero, empty”), from صَفَرَ (ṣafara, “to be empty”). Doublet of zero. Sense 8 (a fault in an organ valve) may be a different word.

(music) A fault in an organ valve which causes a pipe to sound continuously without the key having been pressed.

They say no girls in the cipher, so I rock solo

2011, “The World Is Listening”, in The Journey Aflame, performed by Akua Naru


cipher

en-verb

cipher (third-person singular simple present ciphers, present participle ciphering, simple past and past participle ciphered)

ciphers (present singular third-person)
ciphering (participle present)
ciphered (participle past)
ciphered (past)

(intransitive, music) Of an organ pipe: to sound independent of the organ.


nasal

en-adj

nasal (comparative more nasal, superlative most nasal)

more nasal (comparative)
most nasal (superlative)

From Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsālis, from nāsus (“the nose”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of nasalis.


arrange

en-verb

arrange (third-person singular simple present arranges, present participle arranging, simple past and past participle arranged)

arranges (present singular third-person)
arranging (participle present)
arranged (participle past)
arranged (past)

Inherited from Middle English arengen, arrangen (“to draw up a battle line”), borrowed from Old French arengier, arrangier (“to put in a line, put in a row”), derived from reng, rang, ranc (“line, row, rank”), from Frankish *hring (“ring”), from Proto-Germanic *hringaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)krengʰ-, a form of Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”).

der

(music, transitive, intransitive) To prepare and adapt an already-written composition for presentation in other than its original form.

arrenjar

music: to adapt an existing composition for presentation


arrange

(music, Japan) rearranged rendition of a song; arrangement


repeat

From Middle English repeten, from Old French repeter, from Latin repetō, repetere, from the prefix re- (“again”) + peto (“attack, beseech”).

ҡабатлау

rerun of a television broadcast — see also rerun

(music) A mark in music notation directing a part to be repeated.

herhalingsteken

music mark directing a section be repeated


topic

From Latin topica, from Ancient Greek τοπικός (topikós, “pertaining to a place, local, pertaining to a common place, or topic, topical”), from τόπος (tópos, “a place”), of Pre-Greek origin.

In Peircean terms, topics are interpretants: signifieds that become new signifiers in the endless semiotic chain of interpretations.

2012, Esti Sheinberg, Music Semiotics, page 9

(music) A musical sign intended to suggest a particular style or genre.


principal

en-noun

principal (countable and uncountable, plural principals)

From Middle English principal, from Old French principal, from Latin prīncipālis.

Principal (education)
Principal value
principal

(music) A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ.


concord

concord (countable and uncountable, plural concords)

From French concorde, Latin concordia, from concors (“of the same mind, agreeing”); con- + cor, cordis (“heart”). See heart, and compare accord.

(probably influenced by chord, music) An agreeable combination of tones simultaneously heard; a consonant chord; a consonance; a harmony.


prime

composite

prime element of a mathematical structure

Borrowed from French prime, from Latin primus (“first”), from earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“beyond, before”). Doublet of primo.
The noun sense "apostrophe-like symbol" originates from the fact that the symbol ′ was originally a superscript Roman numeral one.

der

(music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.

тоника

music: first note or tone of a musical scale


cutaway

fraklip

the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else

(music) An indentation in the upper bout of a guitar's body adjacent to the neck, allowing easier access to the upper frets.

échancrure

indentation in a guitar's body, adjacent to the neck


atonal

en-adj

atonal (comparative more atonal, superlative most atonal)

more atonal (comparative)
most atonal (superlative)


assai

(music) A tempo direction equivalent to "very".


invert

en-verb

invert (third-person singular simple present inverts, present participle inverting, simple past and past participle inverted)

inverts (present singular third-person)
inverting (participle present)
inverted (participle past)
inverted (past)

(transitive, music) To move (the root note of a chord) up or down an octave, resulting in a change in pitch.


curl

From metathesis of Middle English crulle (“curled, curly”), from Middle Dutch crul, crulle (“curl”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *kruzlǭ (“bent or crooked object, curl”), of unknown origin; possibly from Pre-Germanic *grus-, contracted from Proto-Indo-European *gurus- (“twist, curl”), same source as Persian گرس (gors, “braid of hair”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Krulle (“curl, lock”), West Frisian krul (“curl”), Dutch krul (“curl”), German Low German Krull (“curl”), dialectal German Krolle (“curl”), Danish krølle (“curl”), Norwegian krull (“curl”). Related also to Saterland Frisian Kruus (“curl”), German kraus (“frizzy, crumpled, curly”), Danish krus (“curl”), Swedish krusa (“to crimp, curl”). Compare also Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌹𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kriustan, “to grind, crush, gnash”).

unk

unknown

cog

The one-piece back is of a medium curl.

(music, chiefly lutherie) The contrasting light and dark figure seen in wood used for stringed instrument making; the flame.

loimukuvio

music: light and dark figure seen in wood


bebop

Alteration of earlier rebop, nonsense syllables used in scat singing in the 1940s. Compare doo be doo be doo, doo-wop, etc.

(music) An early form of modern jazz played by small groups and featuring driving rhythms and complex, often dissonant harmonies.


fill

en-noun

fill (countable and uncountable, plural fills)

table
From Middle English fille, vülle, fülle, from Old English fyllu, from Proto-West Germanic *fullī, from Proto-Germanic *fullį̄ (“fullness”). Cognate with German Fülle.

The second part of recomposed Embroidering Golden Banner achieves the brightness and cheerfulness of music, and presents a cheerful passion through sanda playing methods such as left-hind octave fills, right-hand echo decoration, and encircled decoration.

2015, Dawei Zheng, Control, Mechatronics and Automation Technology

bass fill

(music) A short passage, riff, or rhythmic sound that helps to keep the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody.


barre

Borrowed from French barre. Doublet of bar.


barre

en-verb

barre (third-person singular simple present barres, present participle barring, simple past and past participle barred)

barres (present singular third-person)
barring (participle present)
barred (participle past)
barred (past)

(music) To form a barre chord on an instrument.


triple

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English triple (also þripell), from Latin triplus. Doublet of treble.

(music) Of time, three times as fast as very fast.


emo

en-noun

emo (countable and uncountable, plural emos)

(uncountable, music) A particular style of hardcore punk rock

(uncountable, music) Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional


elegy

From Middle French elegie, from Latin elegīa, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐλεγείᾱ (elegeíā), ellipsis of ἐλεγείᾱ ᾠδή (elegeíā ōidḗ, “an elegiac song”).

requiem

a piece of music played at a mass for the dead

(music) A composition of mournful character.


lowboy

Possibly from low + French bois (“wood”).

(music) A precursor to the hi-hat drum, with a pair of cymbals low to the ground that are struck with a foot pedal.


idyll

From Latin īdyllium, from Ancient Greek εἰδύλλιον (eidúllion), from diminutive of εἶδος (eîdos, “form, shape”).

(music) A composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character, e.g. Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner.


juke

From Gullah juke, jook, joog (“wicked, disorderly”) (compare Wolof and Bambara dzug (“unsavory”)).

All Kouichi Furutono wanted to do was expose Japanese audiences to the skittering sounds of Chicago juke music.

2018 October 5, Patrick St. Michel, “The Inventive World of Japan’s Juke and Footwork Scene”, in Bandcamp Daily

(uncountable, music) A genre of electronic music native to Chicago, noted for its fast, abstract rhythms; see footwork.


jig

Unknown. Derivation from Middle English gyge (“fiddle”), from Old French gigue (“a fiddle”) has been proposed, but the connection and sense development are obscure. The sense “a type of dance” of modern French gigue is borrowed from English.

(music) A light, brisk musical movement; a gigue.

They danced a jig.

Soon Marshall is doing an elaborate foot-to-foot jig, and then they're all bounding around. Shoulder dips. Yee-ha faces. It's an impromptu hoedown.

2012 November 15, Tom Lamont, “How Mumford & Sons became the biggest band in the world”, in The Daily Telegraph

(traditional Irish music and dance) A lively dance in 6/8 (double jig), 9/8 (slip jig) or 12/8 (single jig) time; a tune suitable for such a dance. By extension, a lively traditional tune in any of these time signatures. Unqualified, the term is usually taken to refer to a double (6/8) jig.


motif

From French motif (1848), with the meaning of "main idea or theme". Doublet of motive.

(music) A short melodic or lyrical passage that is repeated in several parts of a work.

мотив

music: short melodic passage that is repeated in several parts of a work


baton

(music) The stick of a conductor in musical performances.


canto

From Italian canto (“song”). Doublet of chant.

(music) The designated division of a song.


compound

From Middle English compounen, from Middle French componre, compondre (“to put together”), from Latin componō, from Latin com- (“together”) + ponō (“to put”).

(music) An octave higher than originally (i.e. a compound major second is equivalent to a major ninth).


rondo

rondo (countable and uncountable, plural rondos)

Borrowed from Italian rondo, from French rondeau. Doublet of rondeau.

(music, countable) A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains.


oblique motion

oblique motion (countable and uncountable, plural oblique motions)

(music) A kind of motion or progression in which one part ascends or descends, while the other prolongs or repeats the same tone.


moll

From German Moll, from
 Latin mollis (“soft, tender, elegiac”). Compare molle (“flat (in music)”).
Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål moll.

Bach's Gavotte in B Moll

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909

(music, obsolete) minor; in the minor key.


opera

opera (countable and uncountable, plural operas or opere)

Borrowed from Italian opera. Doublet of oeuvre, opus, and ure.

(music) A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.

(music) The genre of such works, the art of composing operas.


winker

From wink (“blinking of only one eye”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

silmäniskijä

Where the wind-trunk is short between the reservoir and wind-chests the tone will be steady; but when it is long, and with bends, the elasticity of the air causes an unsteadiness in the tone, which must be obviated by the use of concussion-bellows, sometimes called "winkers," or by an elastic diaphragm.

1877, W[illia]m H[oratio] Clarke, “The Interior of the Organ”, in An Outline of the Structure of the Pipe Organ […], Boston, Mass.: Oliver Ditson Company […], →OCLC, page 21

A thing which is used to wink with, or which winks.

(music) A small bellows in an organ, regulated by a spring, which controls variations of wind pressure.


scat

en-verb

scat (third-person singular simple present scats, present participle scatting, simple past and past participle scatted)

scats (present singular third-person)
scatting (participle present)
scatted (participle past)
scatted (past)

(music, jazz) To sing an improvised melodic solo using nonsense syllables, often onomatopoeic or imitative of musical instruments.


aleatory

From Latin āleātōrius, from āleātor (“dice-player”), from ālea (“a die”).

(art, music) Produced with an element of chance (aleatoricism).


wrest

wrest (third-person singular simple present wrests, present participle wresting, simple past and past participle wrested)

wrests (present singular third-person)
wresting (participle present)
wrested (participle past)
wrested (past)

From Middle English wresten, wrasten, wræsten, from Old English wrǣstan (“to twist forcibly, wrench”), from Proto-Germanic *wraistijaną, (compare Proto-Germanic *wrīhaną (“to turn, wind; to cover, envelop”), *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist”), Old Norse reista (“to bend, twist”)), from a derivative of Proto-Indo-European *wreiḱ-, *wreyḱ- (“to bend, twist”), *wreyt- (“to bend”). See also writhe, wry.
The noun is derived from the verb.

cog

The Harpe. A harpe geueth ſounde as it is ſette / The harper may wreſt it vntunablye

1503 July, William Cornishe [i.e., William Cornysh], “In the Fleete Made by Me William Cornishe otherwise Called Nyshwhete Chapelman with the Most Famose and Noble Kyng Henry the VII. His Reygne the XIX. Yere the Moneth of July. A Treatise betwene Trouth, and Information.”, in John Skelton, edited by J[ohn] S[tow], Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate, Imprinted at London: In Fletestreate, neare vnto St Dunstan-in-the-West by Thomas Marshe, published 1568, →OCLC; republished as Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate to King Henry the VIIIth, London: Printed for C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, 1736, →OCLC, page 290

(transitive, music) To tune with a wrest, or key.


wrest

The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong / Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge

1503 July, William Cornishe [i.e., William Cornysh], “In the Fleete Made by Me William Cornishe otherwise Called Nyshwhete Chapelman with the Most Famose and Noble Kyng Henry the VII. His Reygne the XIX. Yere the Moneth of July. A Treatise betwene Trouth, and Information.”, in John Skelton, edited by J[ohn] S[tow], Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate, Imprinted at London: In Fletestreate, neare vnto Saint Dunstones Churche by Thomas Marshe, published 1568, →OCLC; republished as Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate to King Henry the VIIIth, London: Printed for C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, 1736, →OCLC, page 290

(music) A key to tune a stringed instrument.


vamp

From Middle English vaumpe, vaum-pei, vampe (“covering for the foot, perhaps a slipper or understocking; upper of a boot or shoe”), or from Anglo-Norman vampe, *vaumpé (“part of a stocking covering the top of the foot”), from Old French avantpied, avantpiet, variants of avantpié, from avant (“in front”) + pié (“foot”).
Noun senses 2 and 3 (“a patch; something patched up or improvised”) appear to have been extended from sense 1 (“top part of a boot or shoe”). Sense 4 (“repeated and often improvised musical accompaniment”) was probably derived from sense 3, and sense 5 (“activity to fill or stall for time”) from sense 4.
The verb senses were derived from the noun. Compare also Middle English vaum-peien (“(uncertain) to repair (footwear) with a new upper or vamp; to fabricate an upper or vamp”).

I would go even further and say that, once [Stephen] Sondheim had ceased to compose classical music with its nonspecific accompaniments, he began to explore how effectively a vamp can flesh out a character for the stage. He had little need to write distinctive vamps for his Williams [College] shows, but already in 1954—before the highly characteristic vamps in West Side Story—we see him growing in his ability to get under a character's skin through his accompaniment.

2005, Steve Swayne, “Pulling It Apart”, in How Sondheim Found His Sound, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, page 116

On the mega-rave circuit, a pop hardcore sound gradually emerged, fusing the piano vamps and shrieking divas of 1989-era Italo house with Belgian hardcore's monster-riffs and Shut Up and Dance style breakbeats and rumblin' bass.

2012, Simon Reynolds, “’Ardcore, You Know the Score”, in Energy Flash: A Journey through Rave Music and Dance Culture, Berkeley, Calif.: Soft Skull Press, page 119

(music) A repeated and often improvised accompaniment, usually consisting of one or two measures, often a single chord or simple chord progression, repeated as necessary, for example, to accommodate dialogue or to anticipate the entrance of a soloist.


vamp

en-verb

vamp (third-person singular simple present vamps, present participle vamping, simple past and past participle vamped)

vamps (present singular third-person)
vamping (participle present)
vamped (participle past)
vamped (past)

The band played ceaselessly. Even when the other instruments were resting the pianist kept up his monotonous vamping, with a dreary furbelow for embellishment here and there, to which some few of the dancers continued to shuffle round the floor.

1954, Alexander Alderson, chapter 4, in The Subtle Minotaur, London: John Gifford […], →OCLC, →OL, page 52

[W]hen she [Billie Holiday] finally emerged from her dressing room, she would take her time getting to the stage, stopping and greeting people and even having drinks at the bar while her accompanists vamped.

1994, Donald Clarke, “The War Years”, in Wishing on the Moon: The Life and Times of Billie Holiday, New York, N.Y.: Viking; republished as Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2002, page 206

(transitive) To cobble together, to extemporize, to improvise.

(transitive, intransitive, music, specifically) To perform a vamp (“a repeated, often improvised accompaniment, for example, under dialogue or while waiting for a soloist to be ready”).


chime

From Middle English chime, chim, chimbe, chymbe, a shortening of chimbelle (misinterpreted as chymme-belle, chimbe-belle), from Old English ċimbala, ċimbal (“cymbal”), from Latin cymbalum.

Hugo had a recording of someone playing the chimes against a background of surf noise that she found calming.

Sylvia was a chime player in the school orchestra.

(music) A musical instrument producing a sound when struck, similar to a bell (e.g. a tubular metal bar) or actually a bell. Often used in the plural to refer to the set: the chimes.


labial

Borrowing from Medieval Latin labiālis (“of or pertaining to the lips”), from labium (“a lip”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to labium + -al.

af

a labial organ pipe


labial

All organ pipes are divided into two general classes, labial and lingual pipes. The main difference between the two classes is the manner by which the vibrations producing the sound are caused. In labial pipes the column of air entering the pipe under pressure is set in vibration by a fixed obstruction at the mount of the pipe. […] [T]he obstruction at the mouth […] causes the column of air to vibrate. In the lingual or reed pipe, the vibrations are caused by the air passing through a metal reed, which causes the tongue of the reed to vibrate, thereby setting up sympathetic vibrations in the column of air in the pipe.

1923, Estey Organ Company, The Philosophy of an Organ Builder, Brattleboro, VT, pages 34–35

(music) An organ pipe having a lip that influences its sound.


cater

From French quatre (“four”). Doublet of cuatro.

The very terms of the art are enough to frighten an amateur. Hunting, dodging... caters, cinques, etc.

1872, Henry Thomas Ellacombe, The Bells of Church, page 29

Cater... The name given by change ringers to changes of nine bells. The word should probably be written quaters, as it is meant to denote the fact that four couples of bells change their places in the order of ringing.

1878, George Grove, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, s.v. "Cater"

(music) A method of ringing nine bells in four pairs with a ninth tenor bell.


clang

1570, of imitative origin; Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from klingen), Danish and Swedish klang,
 Latin clangere.


volta

(music) A turning; a time (chiefly used in phrases signifying that the part is to be repeated).

(music, dance) A dance for couples popular during the late Renaissance, associated with the galliard and done to the same kind of music.


classical

en-adj

classical (comparative more classical, superlative most classical)

more classical (comparative)
most classical (superlative)

Garner's Modern English Usage
linguistic description
linguistic prescription

See classic § Etymology for history. By surface analysis, class + -ical = classic + -al

classic

see Usage notes regarding differentiation.

(music) Describing Western music and musicians of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

(informal, music) Describing art music (rather than pop, jazz, blues, etc), especially when played using instruments of the orchestra.


fanfare

en-verb

fanfare (third-person singular simple present fanfares, present participle fanfaring, simple past and past participle fanfared)

fanfares (present singular third-person)
fanfaring (participle present)
fanfared (participle past)
fanfared (past)

Today the mower's metal music fanfared summer's choir of motley symphonies and high concertos piped or chanted from a treetop, droned above the pollen bee flowers, babbled over stony brook-beds, whispered by the whine of willow,

1946, John Hugh Brignal Peel, Mere England: a poem, page 49

PAM is a guitar song fanfared by massive chords on an acoustic 12-string (probably (ribbed From The Who's contemporary hit 'Pinball Wizard').

2008, Ian MacDonald, Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties, page 364


ruff

I also used quite a few of the flat-fingered kind of ruff (as used before on the doumbek in the baladi section) to embellish some notes.

2003, Rob Lewis, “3 Camps: Rudimental Drum Solo”, in Crosstraining: A Method for Applying Rhythms and Techniques to Drum Set, Hand Percussion and Mallet Instruments, Pacific, Mo.: Mel Bay Productions, part 6 (Rudiments and Rudimental Solos), page 71

(music, often military) A low, vibrating beat of a drum, quieter than a roll; a ruffle.


dominant

→ Polish: dominant

(music) The fifth major tone of a musical scale (five major steps above the note in question); thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on.

(music) The triad built on the dominant tone.


dominant

en-adj

dominant (comparative more dominant, superlative most dominant)

more dominant (comparative)
most dominant (superlative)

Dominant seventh


novelette

(music) A short piece of lyrical music, especially one for the piano.


minuet

From French menuet, from menu (“small”) + -et (“diminutive”), from Latin minutus (“very small”).

(music) A tune or air to regulate the movements of the minuet dance: it has the dance form, and is commonly in 3/4, sometimes 3/8, measure.

(music) A complete short musical composition inspired by and conforming to many formal characteristics of the traditional musical accompaniment to the dance of same name.

(music) A movement which is part of a longer musical composition such as a suite, sonata, or symphony which is inspired by and conforming to formal characteristics of the dance of same name.


beam

From Middle English beem, from Old English bēam (“tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam, splint, post, stock, rafter, piece of wood”), from Proto-West Germanic *baum, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz (“tree, beam, balk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, swell”). Cognate with West Frisian beam (“tree”), Saterland Frisian Boom (“tree”), Dutch boom (“tree”), German Low German Boom (“tree”), German Baum (“tree”), Luxembourgish Bam (“tree”), Albanian bimë (“a plant”). Doublet of boom.
The original English meaning of beam ("tree") is preserved in some compound words such as quickbeam.
The verb is from Middle English bemen, from Old English bēamian (“to shine, to cast forth rays or beams of light”), from the noun.

inh

(music) A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.


beam

en-verb

beam (third-person singular simple present beams, present participle beaming, simple past and past participle beamed)

beams (present singular third-person)
beaming (participle present)
beamed (participle past)
beamed (past)

German: beamen

Dutch: beamen

Japanese: ビーム

(transitive, music) To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.


septette

(music) A musical composition for seven instruments or seven voices; a septuor.


grand

en-adj

grand (comparative grander or more grand, superlative grandest or most grand)

grander (comparative)
more grand (comparative)
grandest (superlative)
most grand (superlative)

From Middle English grand, grond, graund, graunt, from Anglo-Norman graunt, from Old French grant, from Latin grandis. Doublet of grande and grandee.

(music) Containing all the parts proper to a given form of composition.


fundamental

From Late Latin fundamentālis, from Latin fundamentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn.

(music) The lowest partial of a complex tone.


rosette

Borrowed from Middle French rosette, rozette (in sense 15) and (modern) French rosette.

(music) A decorative inlay surrounding the sound hole of a guitar.


plaque

en-noun

plaque (countable and uncountable, plural plaques)

Unadapted borrowing from French plaque (“plate, sheet (of metal); slab (of marble); bacteria on teeth”), from French plaquer, Middle French plaquer (“to plate”), from Middle Dutch placken (“to patch, beat metal into a thin plate”), from placke (“disk, patch, stain”), from Old Dutch *plagga (“patch”), from Proto-Germanic *plaggą (“patch”).
The word is cognate with Middle Low German placke, plagge (“small stain, scraps, rags, thin grass”), German Placken (“spot, patch”), Saterland Frisian plak, plakke (“a blow, slap”), Swedish plagg (“clothing, garment”). Compare plack.

plakki

abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease

blown plaques

aconcussion plaques

(countable, music) In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system: any flat, thin musical instrument.


rapper

He rose from the ghetto to become a successful rapper.

(music) A performer of rap music, or someone who raps in any form of music.


rave

en-noun

rave (countable and uncountable, plural raves)

→ Finnish: reivit (pl)

From Middle English raven (“to rave; talk like a madman”), from Old French raver, variant of resver, of uncertain origin. Compare rove.

der

Maybe I wear baggies / And white socks with flip-flops / Maybe I don't like listening to rave / And I'm not on the social mountaintops

2009, Chrysalis Experiential Academy, Mind Harvesting, page 109

(music, uncountable) The genres of electronic dance music made to be played in rave parties.


fake

en-verb

fake (third-person singular simple present fakes, present participle faking, simple past and past participle faked)

fakes (present singular third-person)
faking (participle present)
faked (participle past)
faked (past)

desc

→ Cantonese: fake (“to fool; to deceive”)

→ French: faker

The origin is not known with certainty, although first attested in 1775 C.E. in British criminals' slang. It is probably from feak, feague (“to give a better appearance through artificial means, spruce up, embellish”); akin to Dutch veeg (“a swipe”), Dutch vegen (“to sweep, wipe”); German fegen (“to sweep, to polish”). Compare also Old English fācn (“deceit, fraud”). Perhaps related also to Old Norse fjúka (“to fade, vanquish, disappear”), Old Norse feikn (“strange, scary, unnatural”).

unk

not known

m+

Occasionally the opportunity arises to stand up and "fake" a jazz standard.

In the face of this print music culture, 'faking' was the ability—at once respected and disrespected—to improvise a song (or a part in an arrangement) without reading the notation.

Denning, cited in 2020, Matt Brennan, Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (page 110)

(music, transitive, intransitive) To improvise, in jazz.


reel

From Middle English reel, reele, from Old English rēol, hrēol, from Proto-West Germanic *hrehul, from Proto-Germanic *hrehulaz, *hrahilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *krek- (“to weave, beat”). Cognate with Icelandic ræl, hræll.

der

[…]sample the famed waters from the Scottish mountains like a native born, and last but not least, play a reel on the bagpipes in the big hall that set all the laddies and lassies dancing.

The traditional reel Within a Mile of Dublin, for instance, distorts until it reaches something quasi-industrial.

2023 November 13, Patrick Clarke, “‘People’s idea of Irishness is so warped’: John Francis Flynn, the folk singer fighting for Dublin’s spirit”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

(music) The music of this dance; often called a Scottish (or Scotch) reel.


motive

From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the flutes mimicking the cello motive.

(architecture, fine arts, music) Alternative form of motif


stave

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-stave.wav

Back-formation from staves, the plural of staff.

(music) The set of five horizontal and parallel lines on and between which musical notes are written or pointed; the staff.


tact

en-noun

tact (countable and uncountable, plural tacts)

table
Directly borrowed from Latin tāctus.


fret

table
From Middle English freten (“to bind”), from Old French freter, from frete (“ferrule, ring”) (modern French frette). The origin of the music senses are uncertain; they are possibly from frete or from fret (“to chafe, rub”).

The long-necked Egyptian Nefer was certainly depicted in the 4th dynasty; and wall-painting of the time of Moses, preserved in the British Museum, shows that it then had frets.

1880, A. J. H[ipkins], “LUTE”, in George Grove, editor, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (A.D. 1450–1880) [...] In Three Volumes, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 175, column 2

The frets of the lute marked whole tones, while those of the guitar were a semi-tone apart.

1916, “History of the Orchestra”, in Daniel Gregory Mason, editor-in-chief, Benjamin Lambord, editors, The Orchestra and Orchestral Music (The Art of Music: A Comprehensive Library of Information for Music Lovers and Musicians; 8), New York, N.Y.: The National Society of Music, →OCLC, section III, page 69

(music) One of the pieces of metal, plastic or wood across the neck of a guitar or other string instrument that marks where a finger should be positioned to depress a string as it is played.

tast

one of the pieces of metal, etc., across the neck of a guitar or other string instrument


fret

en-verb

fret (third-person singular simple present frets, present participle fretting, simple past and past participle fretted)

frets (present singular third-person)
fretting (participle present)
fretted (participle past)
fretted (past)

to fret a guitar

To fit frets on to (a musical instrument).

Note that right next to the headstock, the boxes may utilize some open notes in place of fretting with the pointer finger because the nut will effectively fret the notes for you[…].

2015, Drew Turrill, “Step by Step Exercises”, in Don’t Fret – Learn Lead Guitar the Easy Way, [s.l.]: BookBaby

(transitive, music) Musical senses.
To press down the string behind a fret.


slam

en-noun

slam (countable and uncountable, plural slams)

From Middle English *slammen (not recorded), apparently from a Scandinavian source ultimately from Old Norse slæma, slœma (“to slam, swing a weapon, strike an object out of reach”), related to Old Norse slamra, slambra (“to slam”). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål slamre (“to slam”), Swedish slamra (“to pound, beat, make a clatter, rattle”), Norwegian Nynorsk slamra (“to sway, dangle”).

cog

(music, uncountable) A subgenre of death metal with elements of hardcore punk focusing on midtempo rhythms, breakdowns and palm-muted riffs.


shred

en-verb

shred (third-person singular simple present shreds, present participle shredding, simple past shredded, past participle shredded or shred)

shreds (present singular third-person)
shredding (participle present)
shredded (past)
shredded (participle past)
shred (participle past)
shred (infinitive)

The verb is derived from Middle English shreden, shred (“to chop, cut up; to cut, hack; to wound with a knife; to cut off a part of (something); to prune, trim”) [and other forms], from Old English sċrēadian (“to cut up, shred; to cut off; to prune, trim”), from Proto-West Germanic *skraudōn, related to Proto-West Germanic *skraudan (“to cut up; to shred”), from Proto-Germanic *skraudaną (“to cut up; to shred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”).
The adjective is derived from the past participle form of the verb.

nb...

schred, schredde, schrede, screde, shreade, shrede, shredde, shrid, (Early Middle English) screda, scradien, (Ormulum) shrædenn

inh

(music) Chiefly in rock and heavy metal: to play (a musical instrument (especially a guitar) or a piece of music) very fast.

tiluttaa

to play (a musical instrument or a piece of music) very fast


suite

Borrowed from Middle French suite. See also the doublet suit.

(music) A musical form, popular before the time of the sonata, consisting of a string or series of pieces all in the same key, mostly in various dance rhythms, with sometimes an elaborate prelude.

(music) An excerpt of instrumental music from a larger work that contains other elements besides the music; for example, the Nutcracker Suite is the music (but not the dancing) from the ballet The Nutcracker, and the Carmen Suite is the instrumental music (but not the singing and dancing) from the opera Carmen.


player

From Middle English pleyer, playere, from Old English pleġere (“player, athlete, wrestler”), equivalent to play + -er.

(music) One who plays on a musical instrument.

One that plays
One who plays on a musical instrument.


psalm

From Middle English salm or psalme, from Old English psealm, later reinforced from Old French psalme (modern French psaume), both from Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “the sound emanating from twitching or twanging perhaps with the hands or fingers, mostly of musical strings”) (from ψάλλω (psállō, “to make a sound by striking, touching, plucking, rubbing, twanging, or vibrating”)), but later in New Testament times the meaning of ψαλμός (psalmós) evolved from its Classical meaning of "a tune played to the harp" to a more general tune that could be played with any instrument; even a song sung with or without musical accompaniment. By the Byzantine Period, it lost all of its instrumental nuances.

Psalms

of the book of the Bible in which the psalms are collected

(religion, music) A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.


release

en-noun

release (countable and uncountable, plural releases)

From Middle English relesen, relessen, from Old French relaisser (variant of relascher).

отцепване

a device adapted to hold or release a device or mechanism as required

(music) A kind of bridge used in jazz music.


spike

From Middle English spike, spyke, spik, from Old Norse spík (“spike, sprig”), from Proto-Germanic *spīkō (“stick, splinter, point”), from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“to be pointed; sharp point, stick”). Cognate with Icelandic spík (“spike”), Swedish spik (“spike, nail”), Dutch spijker (“nail”), Old English spīcing (“spike”), and Latin spīca (“ear of corn”), which may have influenced some senses.


punk

en-noun

punk (countable and uncountable, plural punks)

Uncertain. Possibly from punk ("rotten wood dust used as tinder", attested since 1678; see Etymology 2 below) to anything worthless (attested since 1869) and then to any undesirable person (since 1908).

gl

Who else... would have the nerve to actually begin a song with the line ‘Whatchew gonna do, mama, now that the roast beef's gone...?’ Man, that is true punk; that is so fucked up it's got class up the ass.

(uncountable, music) Short for punk rock, a genre known for short, loud, energetic songs with electric guitars and strong drums.


organize

en-verb

organize (third-person singular simple present organizes, present participle organizing, simple past and past participle organized)

organizes (present singular third-person)
organizing (participle present)
organized (participle past)
organized (past)
organize (infinitive)

From Middle English organizen, organysen, partly from Middle French organiser and partly from its etymon, Medieval Latin organizō, from Latin organum (“organ”); see organ.

to organize an anthem

Formerly , those Catholic priests who sung in parts : so to sing , was to organize

1828, Thomas Busby, A Complete Dictionary of Music


wail

wail (third-person singular simple present wails, present participle wailing, simple past and past participle wailed)

wails (present singular third-person)
wailing (participle present)
wailed (participle past)
wailed (past)

c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy.
The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.

At Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted

1999, Lewis A. Erenberg, Swingin' the Dream: Big Band Jazz and the Rebirth of American Culture, page 111

The band was really wailing as we quickly made our dance moves in a most provocative manner.

2012, Robert Lewis Barrett, A Portrait of the First Born As a Child, page 377

We had a nondenominational wedding, with a bunch of great Sufi musicians really wailing, and my wildly enthusiastic mother in attendance.

(slang, music) To perform with great liveliness and force.

jaulen

to perform with great liveliness and force (slang)


rap music

(music) Hip-hop music, especially when focused on rapping.


Baroque

en-adj

Baroque (comparative more Baroque, superlative most Baroque)

more Baroque (comparative)
most Baroque (superlative)

Via French (which originally meant a pearl of irregular shape) from Portuguese barroco (“irregular pearl”); related to Spanish barrueco and Italian barocco, of uncertain ultimate origin, but possibly from Latin verruca (“wart”), or possibly from the technical construction of scholastic logic, Baroco.

(art, music) From or characteristic of the Baroque period.

barokní

relating or belonging to the Baroque period


Baroque

(art, music) A period in western architecture, art and music from ca. 1600 to ca. 1760 CE, known for its abundance of drama, rich color, and extensive ornamentation.


strain

From Middle English streen, strene, streon, istreon (“race, stock, generation”), from Old English strēon, ġestrēon (“gain, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *streuną (“heap, treasure, profit, gain”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”) (cognate with Old Saxon gistriuni, Old High German gistriuni (“gain, property, wealth, business”), Latin strues (“heap”)). Confused in Middle English with the related noun strend, strynd, strund, from Old English strȳnd (“race; stock”), from strēonan, strȳnan (“to beget; acquire”). Related also to Dutch struinen (“to prowl, root about, rout”).

cog

Yet Keats, though for so many years he has given nothing to the world, is understood to have devoted himself to the composition of an epic poem. Some passages of it have been communicated to the inner circle of his admirers, and impressed them as the loftiest strains that have been audible on earth since Milton’s days.

1846, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “P.'s Correspondence”, in Mosses from an Old Manse

(music, poetry) Any sustained note or movement; a song; a distinct portion of an ode or other poem; also, the pervading note, or burden, of a song, poem, etc.


smooth jazz

(music, jazz) A modern form of jazz first developed in the 1970s that blends in elements of rhythm and blues.


trope

Japanese: トロープ (torōpu)

Korean: 트로프 (teuropeu)

From Latin tropus, from Ancient Greek τρόπος (trópos, “a manner, style, turn, way; a trope or figure of speech; a mode in music; a mode or mood in logic”), related to τροπή (tropḗ, “solstice; trope; turn”) and τρέπειν (trépein, “to turn”); compare turn of phrase. The verb is derived from the noun.

troop

music, Roman Catholicism: phrase or verse added to the Mass

Is not the trope of muſic, to avoid or ſlide from the cloſe or cadence, common with the trope of rhetoric, of deceiving expectation? Is not the delight of the quavering upon a ſtop in muſic, the ſame with the playing of light upon the water?

1765, Francis Bacon, “The Second Book of Francis Bacon: Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Human”, in The Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Alban, and Lord High Chancellor of England. In Five Volumes, volume I, London: Printed for A[ndrew] Millar, in the Strand, →OCLC, page 53

If the antiphon comes to an end with the “Praeparatio” trope, a musical difficulty is presented by the trope’s cadence. Although the antiphon is in the E-plagal mode and the first three trope elements cadence on E, this trope cadences on G, a rare cadence tone in this mode.

1983, John G. Johnstone, “Beyond a Chant: ‘Tui sunt caeli’ and Its Tropes”, in Studies in the History of Music, volumes 1 (Music and Language), New York, N.Y.: Broude Brothers, pages 24–37; reprinted in Alejandro Enrique Planchart, editor, Embellishing the Liturgy: Tropes and Polyphony, Abingdon, Oxon., New York, N.Y.: Routledge, 2016, page 138

A short cadence at the end of the melody in some early music.

troop

music: short cadence at the end of the melody

The eighty six-note segments were originally tabulated by Hauer and are the basis of his twelve-tone system. Each of [Josef Matthias] Hauer's tropes consists of two hexachords of mutually exclusive content, so that each pair of hexachords includes all twelve tones of the semitonal scale. Only eight hexachords may be associated in this way with their own transpositions. These generate the eight tropes illustrated in examples 141 and 128. Each of the remaining seventy-two hexachords must be paired with a dissimilar hexachord in order to form a trope.

1963, George Perle, “Simultaneity”, in Serial Composition and Atonality: An Introduction to the Music of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press, →OCLC, page 120

twelve-tone technique
twelve-tone technique

A pair of complementary hexachords in twelve-tone technique.

The Torah was chanted in a loud and strong voice so that all could hear. This cantillation of the Torah—trope—is shown by musical notation which serves grammatical and exegetical functions, ta'amay hamikra or ta'amay n'ginah. They put down in a final form an oral tradition that had been maintained for centuries. The Ashkenazim today have six systems of cantillation, each reflective of the texts and time of chanting. For example, on Tishah B'av the tunes are sad and doleful; on Purim the trope resembles a speedy narrative; the readings of Yamim Nora'im are quite majestic, and so on.

1985, Steven M. Brown, “The Languages of Prayer”, in Stephen Garfinkel, editor, Higher and Higher: Making Jewish Prayer Part of Us, Department of Youth Activities, United Synagogue of America, →OCLC, section 3 (The Language of Music), page 45

The trope does not appear on the handwritten Torah scroll, but the assignment of notes for each word was fixed long ago and is accepted by Jewish communities around the world; the trope now appears in nearly every Jewish printed Bible. […] The symbols that signify the trope for the Hebrew text were introduced at the end of the 10th century of the Common Era.

2006, Sara E. Karesh, Mitchell M. Hurvitz, “trope”, in Encyclopedia of Judaism (Encyclopedia of World Religions), New York, N.Y.: Facts On File, Infobase Publishing, page 526, column 1

(Judaism) A cantillation pattern, or one of the marks that represents it.

troop

music, Judaism: cantillation pattern or mark


traditional

en-noun

traditional (countable and uncountable, plural traditionals)

/tɹəˈdɪʃənəl/

/tɹəˈdɪʃnəl/

traditional grip
traditional grip#English

(informal, uncountable, music) Short for traditional grip.


articulate

en-verb

articulate (third-person singular simple present articulates, present participle articulating, simple past and past participle articulated)

articulates (present singular third-person)
articulating (participle present)
articulated (participle past)
articulated (past)

Articulate that passage heavily.

(music, transitive) to attack a note, as by tonguing, slurring, bowing, etc.


disposition

en-noun

disposition (countable and uncountable, plural dispositions)

From Middle English disposicioun, from Middle French disposition, from Latin dispositiōnem, accusative singular of dispositiō, from dispōnō. By surface analysis, dispose + -ition. Doublet of dispositio.

This small harpsichord has a 1 x 4' disposition.

The way in which something or someone is disposed or disposed of (in any sense of those terms); thus:

Control over something, or the results produced by the exercise of such control; thus:

(music) The set of choirs of strings on a harpsichord.


pathogenic

en-adj

pathogenic (comparative more pathogenic, superlative most pathogenic)

more pathogenic (comparative)
most pathogenic (superlative)

Melogenic music represents the wide middle area between the extremes of logogenic and pathogenic music.

2008, Curt Sachs, The Rise of Music in the Ancient World, East and West, page 42

(music) Consisting of harsh, percussive, nonverbal sounds.


delta blues

(music) A form of blues originating in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States, generally featuring minimal instrumentation and song structure.


blues scale

{\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"alto sax" c'es'f'ges'g'bes'c2}

(music) A minor hexatonic scale originating in the American musical genre blues, consisting of tonic, minor third, fourth, diminished fifth, fifth, and minor seventh, in which notes, particularly the minor third, fourth, diminished fifth, and minor seventh may be bent. It can also be called the minor blues scale when distinguishing it from its only other functional mode the major blues scale.


rag

en-verb

rag (third-person singular simple present rags, present participle ragging, simple past and past participle ragged)

rags (present singular third-person)
ragging (participle present)
ragged (participle past)
ragged (past)

Perhaps from ragged. Compare later ragtime.

(music, obsolete) To add syncopation (to a tune) and thereby make it appropriate for a ragtime song.


dubplate

From dub (“style of reggae music involving mixing of different audio tracks”) + plate (“music record, usually vinyl”).

compound

You heard that new Danny Weed dubplate?

Their dub-plate (unreleased tracks on private pressings) battles are usually limited to JA [Jamaica] and the UK, but they have begun to invade the States with this unique form of entertainment.

1986 April, Roger Steffens, “World Beat”, in Bob Guccione, Jr., editor, Spin, volume 2, number 1, New York, N.Y.: Camouflage Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 19, column 1

The sound systems – the mobile reggae discos with their own d.j.s, their "specials" and "dub plates" (specially recorded rhythms owned by the system), their own local followings – are networks of live wires and speakers, sounds and affects.

1988, Dick Hebdige, “Post-script 1: Vital Strategies”, in Hiding in the Light: On Images and Things (A Comedia Book), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 1990, section 4 (Postmodernism and “The Other Side”), page 215

Various Artists, Soundclash Dubplate Style (Taurus Jamaica)]

[1989 June, “Groove Me: 20 Recommended Current Albums and Reissues”, in Bob Guccione, Jr., editor, Spin, volume 5, number 3, New York, N.Y.: Camouflage Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 66

[Courtney] Cole, who finds his artists through talent shows held at his Ocho Rice Roof Club, says he tries out new tunes on a live audience "first on dubplate [special one-off mixes for sound systems and radio jocks], so we can test again before pressing it."

1993 July 10, Maureen Sheridan, “Secrets of the Dancehall Laboratory: Top Groovemasters Drop Science about Reggae’s Tuffest Trend yet”, in Timothy White, editor, Billboard: The International Newsweekly of Music, Video and Home Entertainment, volume 105, number 28, New York, N.Y.: BPI Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page R-20, column 4

The dubplate is a Jamaican idea: seventies sound systems pressed up their own tracks in order to outdo their rivals. Similarly, jungle's top DJs, desperate for exclusive tracks, spend more than two hundred pounds a week on dubplates—either their own productions or tracks by kindred-spirit producers. Dubplates are also a way of testing out a new track on a club sound system, of seeing how the crowd responds and what scope is for improving the record.

1998, Simon Reynolds, “Roots ’n’ Future: Jungle Takes Over London, 1993–94”, in Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, page 264

By the mid-1970s, companies had begun to release sneak previews of coming releases in dub form on acetates. These rare gems became known as ‘dub[-]plates’.

1999, Eugene Lange, “dub”, in edited by Peter Childs and Mike Storry, Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, page 163, column 2

Mikey Dread defined the dub plate as "a little pre-release of the thing before it gets to the streets. Back in those days we didn't have CD burners where you could just go and get a copy. You'd have to wait months. So, the dub plate was just taking the same procedure from the mastering room [of the record manufacturing plant] and they just cut this little thing they called an acetate. They cut it right there [in the recording studio]."

2007, Michael E. Veal, “‘Every Spoil is a Style’: The Evolution of Dub Music in the 1970s”, in Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae (Music/Culture), Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, page 51

[A]t Duke Reid's Treasure isle studio the engineer Byron Smith had cut the dub-plate with the vocals accidentally turned down. After rocking the crowd with the original vocal pressing of the song, [Ruddy] Redwood played them this new voiceless version. The crowd went crazy, singing along, and he played the song so many times that night that by morning the acetate was worn out.

2006, Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton, “Reggae: Wreck Up a Version”, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey, updated edition, New York, N.Y.: Headline Book Publishing, Grove Press, page 127

Dubs originally referred to one-off acetates (eventually called dubplates) that were meant for previewing new music in the 1960s and the praise of an individual sound system in competitive sound clashes[…]. Dubplates are prerecorded endorsements of a particular sound by a reggae artist; they usually follow the melody or lyrics of a popular tune (sometimes a tune sung by that same artist), inserting the name of the sound system and praise for that sound system's skills[…]. In some cases, these improvised lyrics for a dubplate would be cut as records and sold or added to albums[…].

2022, Mark V. Campbell, “Dubbing the Remix and Its Uses”, in Afrosonic Life, New York, N.Y., London: Bloomsbury Academic, Bloomsbury Publishing, pages 94–95

(music, originally Jamaica) An acetate or vinyl record pressed in very limited numbers, especially one issued to disc jockeys in advance of an official release; specifically (and originally), one containing a piece of dub music (a style of reggae music, often instrumental, involving the mixing of different audio tracks).

dubplate

acetate or vinyl record produced in very limited numbers


larghetto

Borrowed from Italian larghetto, diminutive of largo.

Play larghetto here, even though it’s marked largo.

(music) Slower than adagio but not as slow as largo; nearly andantino.


fermata

en-noun

fermata (countable and uncountable, plural fermatas or fermate)

/ˌfɜːˈmɑːtə/

/ˌfɜːɹˈmɑtə/

Borrowed from Italian fermata, from fermare (“to stop”).

(music) The holding of a note or rest for longer than its usual duration.

延長號

holding a note beyond its usual duration or the notation representing it

(music, countable) The notation ⟨◌͒⟩ of such a prolongation, usually represented as a dot with a semi-circle above or below it, written above or below the prolonged note or rest.


crunchy

en-adj

crunchy (comparative crunchier, superlative crunchiest)

crunchier (comparative)
crunchiest (superlative)

From crunch + -y. The slang sense is derived from the concept of crunchy granola.

(music, informal) Of a chord: containing dissonant intervals.


popular music

en-noun

popular music (usually uncountable, plural popular musics)

(music) Any genre of music that has wide appeal amongst the general public of a society, typically distributed widely by the music industry; typically as seen in contrast to classical music and folk music.

مُوسِيقَى الْبُوب

genre that has wide appeal amongst the general public — see also pop music


phat

en-adj

phat (comparative phatter, superlative phattest)

phatter (comparative)
phattest (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-phat.wav

The term derives from African American Vernacular English as a deliberate misspelling of the word fat.

The song has a phat bass line.

(slang, music) Rich in texture; prominent.


banger

→ Estonian: bänger

→ Finnish: bängeri

From bang + -er. The sausages were so called because of their excess water content and impervious skin, leading to the risk of explosion if not punctured before cooking.

My frequencies are transient and resonate your eardrums / I make bangers, not anthems

2002, Mike Skinner (lyrics and music), “Let's Push Things Forward”, in Original Pirate Material, performed by The Streets

Morris' melding of influences ranging from mid-'80s computer technology to Baltimore club bangers to the U.K. rave scene has cemented his reputation as one of London's most formidable DJs.

2008, Billboard, volume 120, number 32, page 44

'Ice Ice Baby' was an absolute banger, though, wasn't it? And knowing the history of that song, it had proper rap credentials.

2012, Mike Skinner, The Story of The Streets, page 31

A thing or person which bangs, in any sense.

(music, slang) A powerfully energetic and/or very good song, especially in hip-hop and dance music.


shell

From Middle English schelle, from Old English sċiell, from Proto-West Germanic *skallju, from Proto-Germanic *skaljō, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cleave”).
Compare West Frisian skyl (“peel, rind”), Dutch schil (“peel, skin, rink”), Low German Schell (“shell, scale”), Irish scelec (“pebble”), Latin silex (“pebble, flint”), siliqua (“pod”), Old Church Slavonic сколика (skolika, “shell”). More at shale.
Doublet of sheal.
* (computing): From being viewed as an outer layer of interface between the user and the operating-system internals.

cog

The first lyre may have been made by drawing strings over the underside of a tortoise shell.

when Jubal struck the chorded shell

1687, John Dryden, A Song for Cecilia's Day

(music) A string instrument, as a lyre, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell.

lier

music: string instrument, whose acoustical chamber is formed like a shell

(music) The body of a drum; the often wooden, often cylindrical acoustic chamber, with or without rims added for tuning and for attaching the drum head.


track

→ Kashubian: trak (Canada)

From Middle English trak, tracke, from Old French trac (“track of horses, trail, trace”), of uncertain origin. Likely from a Germanic source, either Old Norse traðk ("a track; path; trodden spot"; > Icelandic traðk (“a track; path; tread”), Faroese traðk (“track; tracks”), Norwegian tråkke (“to trample”)) or from Middle Dutch trec, *trac, treck ("line, row, series"; > Dutch trek (“a draft; feature; trait; groove; expedition”)), German Low German Treck (“a draught; movement; passage; flow”). See tread, trek.

gloss

"line, row, series"; > Dutch <i class="Latn mention" lang="nl">trek</i> (“a draft; feature; trait; groove; expedition”)

cog

My favourite track on the album is "Sunshine".

(music) A song or other relatively short piece of music, on a record, separated from others by a short silence.

nummer

a song or other relatively short piece of music, on a record, separated from others by a short silence


rackett

(music) An old wind instrument of the double bassoon kind, having ventages but not keys.


slap

en-noun

slap (countable and uncountable, plural slaps)

From Middle English slappen, of uncertain origin, possibly imitative. Compare Low German Slappe (“slap”), whence also German Schlappe (“defeat”). Compare also Italian sleppa (“slap”).

onomatopoeic

imitative

Havens goes into the terrific Freedom for an encore, which will turn out to be a highlight of the movie; its chopped guitar and conga slaps pre-empt late 90s R&B.

2019 August 15, Bob Stanley, “'Groovy, groovy, groovy': listening to Woodstock 50 years on – all 38 discs”, in The Guardian

(countable, music) The percussive sound produced in slap bass playing.


fungi

See fungee. Sense 2 (“style of folk and popular music”) is apparently from the fact that the music is a blend of different musical instruments and styles, just as the dish (sense 1) is a blend of different flavours.

percussion instrument
percussion instrument

(by extension, music) A style of folk and popular music from the Virgin Islands, traditionally performed by bands consisting of banjo, guitar, ukulele, and washboard with various percussion instruments on rhythm.


blues

en-noun

blues (countable and uncountable, plural blues)

→ Catalan: blues

→ Danish: blues

→ Finnish: blues

→ French: blues

→ Hungarian: blues

→ Icelandic: blús

→ Italian: blues

→ Portuguese: blues

→ Spanish: blues

→ Swedish: blues

Many great blues musicians came from the Mississippi Delta region.

A large portion of modern popular music is influenced by the blues.

(music) A musical form, African-American in origin, generally featuring an eight-bar or twelve-bar blues structure and using the blues scale.

My next number is a blues in G.

(music, always singular) A musical composition following blues forms.


piccolo

(music, rare) An organ stop with the tone of a piccolo flute.


troll

en-verb

troll (third-person singular simple present trolls, present participle trolling, simple past and past participle trolled)

trolls (present singular third-person)
trolling (participle present)
trolled (participle past)
trolled (past)
troll (infinitive)

Spanish: trolear

table
The verb is derived from Late Middle English trollen, trolle (“to go about, wander; to move (something) to and fro, rock; to roll; to turn”) [and other forms], from Old French troller, trôler (“to run here and there; to walk aimlessly, ramble, stroll; (hunting) to wander about looking for game”) (modern French troller); further etymology uncertain, possibly related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll”) (modern German trollen (“(informal) to move slowly, trundle; to push off, toddle off”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to *trudaną (“to step on, tread”) (see further at etymology 1). Doublet of trull.
Verb sense 4.2.2 (“to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat”) is possibly influenced by trail and/or trawl
The noun is probably derived from the verb. Noun sense 3 (“person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”) is possibly influenced by troll (etymology 1).
cognates
* Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”) (Low German trullen (“to troll”))

laulaa vuoroin

(transitive, intransitive) to sing the parts of (a catch, round, or similar song) in succession

tokaista

(transitive, intransitive) to say (something) lightly and quickly

kalastama

(transitive, intransitive) to fish in (a place) using a running fishing line

Good Snell, do thou a burthen try / Shall change our sadness into joy: / Such as thou trollest in blythe mood, / On days of sunshine in the wood.

1846, Thomas Cooper, “Canto II”, in The Baron’s Yule Feast: A Christmas-rhyme, London: Jeremiah How […], →OCLC, page 34

Deck the hall with boughs of holly, / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / 'Tis the season to be jolly: / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / Fill the meadcup, drain the barrel, / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / Troul the ancient Christmas carol. / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!

1862, Thomas Oliphant, John Thomas, arranger, “Nos Galan. New Year’s Eve. [no. 15]”, in Welsh Melodies, with Welsh and English Poetry […], volume II, London: Addison, Hollier, & Lucas, →OCLC, page 140

Senses relating to the motion of passing around.

(music, archaic) To sing the parts of (a catch, round, or similar song) in succession; also (generally), to sing (a song) freely or in a carefree way, or loudly.

(music, archaic) Of a person: to sing the parts of a catch, round, or similar song in succession; also (generally), to sing freely or in a carefree way, or loudly.

(music, archaic) Of a song: to be sung freely or in a carefree way, or loudly; also, of a tune: to be constantly in someone's mind.

soida päässä

of a tune: to be constantly in someone’s mind


troll

Spanish: trol

And thence the catch and troll, while "laughter, holding both his sides" sheds tears to song and ballad pathetic on the woes of married life, and all the ills that "our flesh is heir to."

1845, [John] Wilson, The Genius, and Character of Burns (Wiley and Putnam’s Library of Choice Reading), New York, N.Y.: Wiley and Putnam, […], →OCLC, page 103

(music) A song the parts of which are sung in succession; a catch, a round.


fingerstyle

(music) A style of playing a stringed instrument, such as a guitar, which includes the use of the fingers to pluck the strings instead of a pick, or plectrum.


chutney

en-noun

chutney (usually uncountable, plural chutneys)

Borrowed from Hindustani चटनी (caṭnī) / چَٹْنِی (caṭnī).

(music) A style of Indo-Caribbean music from the West Indies, associated especially with Trinidad and Tobago.


variation

variation (usually uncountable, plural variations)

/ˌvɛəɹɪˈeɪʃn̩/

/ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/

/ˌvæɹiˈeɪʃn̩/

/ˌvɛɹiˈeɪʃn̩/

From Middle French variation, from Old French variacion, from Latin variātiō.

(music) A technique where material is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, counterpoint or orchestration; but with some invariant characteristic, e.g. a ground bass.


metaller

(music, informal) One who listens to heavy metal music.


collection

collection (countable and uncountable, plural collections)

From Middle English colleccioun, collection, from Old French collection, from Latin collēctiō, collēctiōnem, from collēctus, from colligō (“collect together”), composed of con- + legō (“bring together, gather, collect”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to gather, collect”).

der

The "collectional information" one receives is ambiguous since the collection { C, E, F, G, A } occurs in the key of C and in the key of F.

2005, Neil Minturn, The Last Waltz of The Band, page 112

In fact, students are often taught that specific collections—diatonic, octatonic, and whole-tone, etc.—typify these composers' compositional language.

2009, Brian Moseley, “Form and Transpositional Combination in George Crumb's Lux Aeterna”, in Bruce Quaglia, Jack Boss, editors, Musical Currents from the Left Coast, page 174

Simply put, the realm of available collections in a largely diatonic environment is much smaller than it is in truly atonal one.

2012, Marguerite Boland, John Link, Elliott Carter Studies, page 22

(music) A set of pitch classes used by a composer.


grinder

From Middle English grinder, grindere, from Old English grindere (“one or that which grinds; grinder”), equivalent to grind + -er.

inh

(music, slang) A fan or performer of grindcore music.


skank

Originally Jamaican, attested from the twentieth century, but earliest source is uncertain. The verb sense be dishonest is evidently older. Perhaps originally onomatopoeic. The dance senses may come from a resemblance to motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic. Compare skanker.

{\time3/4\tempo4=180\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"electric guitar (muted)"\repeat unfold2{r8a4}\repeat unfold2{r8g4
}}

He took it another step and brought blues into reggae music. I don’t play skank. I don’t play reggae guitar. So I had to call.

2017, Jas Obrecht, “Ben Harper in San Francisco, May 3, 1994”, in Talking Guitar, page 279

(music) A style of rhythmic guitar strumming in ska, reggae, and punk.


shift

en-noun

shift (countable and uncountable, plural shifts)

From Middle English schiften, from Old English sċiftan (“to divide, separate into shares; appoint, ordain; arrange, organise”), from Proto-Germanic *skiftijaną, *skiptijaną, from earlier *skipatjaną (“to organise, put in order”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyb- (“to separate, divide, part”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, divide, separate, part”). Cognate with Scots schift, skift (“to shift”), West Frisian skifte, skiftsje (“to sort”), Dutch schiften (“to sort, screen, winnow, part”), German schichten (“to stack, layer”), Swedish skifta (“to shift, change, exchange, vary”), Norwegian skifte (“to shift”), Icelandic skipta (“to switch”). See ship.

cog

(music) In violin-playing, any position of the left hand except that nearest the nut.


shift

en-verb

shift (third-person singular simple present shifts, present participle shifting, simple past and past participle shifted)

shifts (present singular third-person)
shifting (participle present)
shifted (participle past)
shifted (past)

(music) In violin-playing, to move the left hand from its original position next to the nut.


prelude

From Middle French prélude (“singing to test a musical instrument”), from Medieval Latin preludium, from Latin praelūdere.

der

(music) A short, free-form piece of music, originally one serving as an introduction to a longer and more complex piece; later, starting with the Romantic period, generally a stand-alone piece.


tromboon

Blend of trombone + bassoon, humorously coined by composer Peter Schickele, attributed to fictitious composer P. D. Q. Bach.

(music) A trombone with the reed and bocal of a bassoon placed instead of the usual mouthpiece, which combines the limitations of both instruments, producing a loud comical sound.


eight-bar blues

en-noun

eight-bar blues (countable and uncountable, plural eight-bar blues)

(music) A blues form built on an eight-measure chord pattern, most typically I, I, IV, I, V7, IV, I, V7, where I, IV and V7 represent the tonic, subdominant and dominant seventh chords respectively.


twelve-bar blues

(music) A blues form built on a twelve-measure chord progression, most typically based around the tonic, subdominant and dominant seventh chords of a key.


module

Borrowed from French module, from Latin modulus (“a small measure, a measure, mode, meter”), diminutive of modus (“measure”) (whence mode). Doublet of modulus and mold.

der

(music, computing) A file containing a music sequence that can be played in a tracker (also called mod or music module).


dominant seventh

G7, the dominant seventh chord of a C major scale

(music) The chord consisting of the fifth, major seventh, ninth and eleventh of a given scale; a seventh chord built on the dominant tone.


subdominant

(music) The triad built on the subdominant tone.


first violin

(music) The lead or primary violin role in an orchestra or other ensemble, or in a musical composition, that typically contains the melody and is often more technically demanding than the second violin role. The first violin role is played by a first violinist, typically the best violinist in the orchestra.

(British, music) The leader of the violin section of a symphony orchestra; the concertmaster.


entry

en-noun

entry (countable and uncountable, plural entries)

exit

antonym(s) of “doorway that provides a means of entering a building”

Inherited from Middle English entre, from Old French entree (feminine past participle of the verb entrer, Modern French entrée). From Latin intrō. Doublet of entrada and entrée.

(music) The point when a musician starts to play or sing; entrance.

aloitus

music: point when a musician starts to perform