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Glossary
Glossary
Music concepts explained
105 articles in this collection
Written by
Sam Blakelock
and
Kyle Sparkman
Bubble picking
Rhythmic single-note lines often heard in R&B and funk music.
Written by
Kyle Sparkman
Updated this week
Voice Leading
An examination of how individual notes in a chord change and relate to each other throughout a chord progression
Written by
Kyle Sparkman
Updated this week
4ths
An interval of four staff positions/four notes higher in a diatonic scale
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Accidentals
A symbol that indicates a note is not in the given diatonic key
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Alternate tunings
Any tuning outside of the standard EADGBE guitar tuning
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Altered dominant chords
A dominant 7th chord with added extensions b5, #5, b9, and/or #9
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Arpeggio
A sequence of notes outlining a chord
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Articulation
How you play a note
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Barre Chord
A chord shape that requires you to lay a single finger (often the index finger) across your fretboard
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Bend
Pushing a string up or pulling it down in order to manipulate the pitch
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Blues Scale
A minor pentatonic scale with an added b5
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Call & response
A musical dialogue where a phrase is played or sung in direct response to one that precedes it
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Capo
A device that clamps guitar strings down across a single fret, which transposes the open tuning to a different key.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Chicken Pickin'
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Chord Scale relationship
The single note scale associated with a given chord. The scale contains the chord tones as well as its upper extensions.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Chord diagram
A visual representation of a guitar neck that displays the strings, frets, and finger numbers required to play a given chord.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Chromaticism
A sequence of half-steps derived from the chromatic scale, which consists of all 12 notes found in Western music
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Clef
A musical symbol that indicates the pitch of notes written on the staff.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Diatonic
Within the given key or scale
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Diminished chord
A chord composed entirely of minor third intervals – root, b3, b5, and bb7
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Diminished Scale
A dissonant-sounding scale that alternates between half steps and whole steps (or vice versa)
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Dominant 7 chord
A triad with an added flat seventh above the root. Root, 3, 5, b7
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Dorian
The second mode of a major scale
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Double stops
Playing two notes simultaneously on guitar
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Down stroke
Picking or strumming the strings in a downward motion
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Dynamics
The loudness of the notes you are playing
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Eighth note
A note that is played for one eighth the duration of a whole note
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Extensions
Notes added above a 7th chord.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Finger numbering
The numbers assigned to fretting- and picking-hand fingers
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Fingerstyle
A method of guitar playing that incorporates individual fingers to pluck and strum strings instead of a pick
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Fingerstyle pattern
Pattern based on the order of fingers used to play a rhythmic phrase.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Flat
Applying a flat symbol (♭) to a note lowers the pitch by one half step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Flat 7 (diminished 7th, b7)
The 7th degree of a scale lowered by a half (b7) or whole (bb7) step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Fret buzz
Sound produced when the guitarist is not using proper technique to fret the strings
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Fretting out
When you bend a guitar string, and the fret chokes off the sound of the note / prevents it from sustaining
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Fret wrap
A device that wraps around your guitar neck / strings and dampens the vibration
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Half diminished
A minor 7th chord with a flatted fifth.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Half note
A note that receives half the value of a whole note
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Half step
A semitone or a one-fret change on the guitar.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Hammer on
A guitar technique where a fretting-hand finger presses a string hard enough to cause it to emit sound without help from the picking hand.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Harmonics
High-pitched notes created by shortening the string's vibrating length
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Harmonic Minor Scale
A natural minor scale with a raised 7th
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Humbucker
A type of guitar pickup commonly found on Gibson guitars.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Hybrid picking
A picking technique that combines the use of a pick and fingers.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Interval
The distance between two notes
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Inversion
Reordering a chord’s notes so a pitch other than the root is on the bottom
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Key signature
A group of accidentals that indicate the key of the song
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Legato
An indication that notes are to be played in a smooth, flowing manner
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Lydian
The fourth mode of the major scale. A major scale with a #4
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major 7 chord
A chord composed of a root, third, fifth, and seventh
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major 2nd interval
Interval spanning one whole step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major 3rd interval
Interval spanning two whole steps
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major 6th interval
Interval spanning four whole steps and a half step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major 7th interval
Interval of a major 7th (5 whole steps and a half step)
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major chord
A chord composed of a root, major 3rd, and 5th
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Major scale
A commonly used diatonic scale containing 7 notes
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Measure
Line segments dividing a staff into equal increments to display time
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Melodic Minor scale
A natural minor scale in jazz with a raised 6th and 7th
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Metronome
A device used as a practice tool that provides a steady beat.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor chord
A chord composed of a root, flatted 3rd, and 5th.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 6 chord
A chord made up of a root, b3, 5th and 6th
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 7 chord
A minor triad with an added b7
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 2nd interval
Interval that spans one half step.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 3rd interval
Interval that spans one whole step and a half step.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 6th interval
An interval spanning four half steps
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Minor 7th interval
An interval spanning five whole steps
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Mixolydian
The fifth mode of the major scale
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Music notation
A written method used to convey musical ideas
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Natural Minor Scale
A scale with a flatted third and sixth, also known as the Aeolian mode.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Note names (on the staff)
Notes are assigned corresponding letters A,B,C,D,E,F,G as a way of communication. With accidentals, there are 12 notes in Western music.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Octave
An interval spanning 8 notes in the major scale, reaching the next occurring version of that note.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Open-position chord
A guitar chord played in the lowest position on the guitar neck, utilizing a combination of open strings and fretted notes.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Open String
A string played without fretting on the neck
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Palm muting
A technique where you place the palm of your picking hand against the strings while playing in order to deaden or shorten notes
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Pentatonic Scale
A five-note scale common to rock and blues improvisation
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Perfect 4th interval
Interval spanning two whole steps and a half step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Perfect 5th interval
Interval spanning three whole steps and a half step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
PIMA
Letters assigned to picking-hand fingers with classical guitar fingerstyle technique
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Power chord
A two-note chord made up of the root and fifth
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Pull off
Pulling your finger off a string to sound a note without picking it.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Quarter note
A note that is one quarter the value of a whole note.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Scale Degree
The note order relative to the first scale degree of a given key.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Sharp
Applying a sharp symbol (#) to a note raises the pitch by one half step
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Sharp 5 (#5)
A raised 5th. In a chord, a #5 makes the chord augmented
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Sharp 11 (#11)
A raised 4th used as an upper extension in a chord
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Single coil
A type of guitar pickup common on Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Slide
A metal or glass tube worn over one of the fretting fingers, used to slide along the string
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Spread triad (broken triad)
A triad where the notes are not all within the same octave
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Staccato
An articulation where notes are short and broken up
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Staff
A five-line, four-space figure where music is notated
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
String names
In standard tuning, the guitar strings are named after their open pitches
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Syncopation
Shifting or displacing the beat by emphasizing the weak beats
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
TAB
A guitar-specific notation system displaying the strings and fret location for each note
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated this week
Tempo
The speed at which music is performed
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Time signature / meter
A number value given at the beginning of a piece of music displaying how many beats are in a measure and which note value receives one beat.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Transpose
Taking a song or musical phrase and moving it to a different key
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Tritone
An interval that’s an augmented fourth or diminished fifth from the root (three whole steps.)
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Triads
Three-note chords built from a root note, third, and fifth
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Tuning
On the guitar, tuning is the method of raising or lowering a string's pitch until it perfectly matches the desired note
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Turnaround
A chord progression occuring at the end of a song that’s used to lead back to the top of the form
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Upstroke
Picking or strumming the strings in an upward motion
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Vibrato
Manipulating a string by slightly raising and lowering it's pitch quickly and repeatedly
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
What if I don’t understand the musical terms being used in the lessons?
We created a music theory glossary for all of those confusing terms.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Whole note
A note value that receives four beats
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago
Whole Tone Scale
A whole tone scale is a scale composed entirely of whole steps.
Written by
Sam Blakelock
Updated over a week ago