Clef: A symbol at the start of the staff that shows the pitch of the notes.
Staff: The set of five lines on which music is written.
Scale: A series of musical notes ordered by pitch.
Chord: A group of notes played together to create harmony.
Triad: A chord with three notes—the root, third, and fifth.
Tempo: The speed of music.
Rhythm: The pattern of notes played in relation to the beat.
Coda: An Italian word meaning “tail” which is a final passage that ends a piece or movement.
Inversion: A chord rearrangement where a note other than the root is the lowest.
Dynamics: The volume of a note or passage, like piano (soft) and forte (loud).
Accent: The emphasis or stress placed on a note or beat. Accents can be indicated in the music notation or communicated by the performer.
Rubato: A flexible tempo that allows for expressive timing and phrasing, often used in Romantic music.
Crescendo: A gradual increase in volume from piano to forte (loud).
Phrasing: How musical sentences or note groups are connected.
Arpeggio: A broken chord where notes are played in sequence, not at the same time.
Pianoforte: Early term for the piano, referring to its ability to play both soft and loud sounds.
Harpsichord: A keyboard instrument, predecessor of the piano, where strings are plucked rather than struck.
Clavichord: Another early keyboard instrument, where strings are struck by tangents.
Virtuoso: A highly skilled performer, especially on the piano.
Improvisation: The act of creating music spontaneously, often seen in jazz performances.
Metronome: A device that marks time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick.
Sight-reading: The ability to read and perform music at first sight without prior practice.
Ornamentation: Decorative notes added to the main melody to embellish the music, such as trills and grace notes.
Pedal: A foot-operated lever on the piano that affects the sound, usually by sustaining notes.
Chord Progression: A sequence of chords played in succession.

Glossary of Musical Terms