Music Theory Intermediate Flashcards
Grade 9 · Music · Flashcards
Essential music theory vocabulary covering scales, intervals, chords, and harmonic concepts at an intermediate level.
Flashcards
- Half Step (Semitone)
- The smallest interval in Western music; the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano.
- Whole Step (Whole Tone)
- An interval equal to two half steps; e.g., C to D.
- Major Scale
- Seven-note scale with the pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H; produces a bright, stable sound.
- Natural Minor Scale
- Seven-note scale with the pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W; darker sound than major; relative minor shares the same key signature.
- Harmonic Minor Scale
- Natural minor scale with the 7th degree raised a half step, creating a leading tone and an augmented second between degrees 6 and 7.
- Key Signature
- Sharps or flats at the beginning of a staff indicating the key of the piece; eliminates the need to write accidentals repeatedly.
- Interval Quality
- The precise sound quality of an interval: perfect, major, minor, augmented, or diminished.
- Tritone
- An interval of three whole steps (augmented fourth or diminished fifth); highly dissonant, requires resolution.
- Triad
- A three-note chord built by stacking thirds; fundamental chord type in Western harmony.
- Seventh Chord
- A four-note chord built by adding a third above a triad; dominant seventh (V7) is the most common type.
- Tonic (I)
- The first scale degree and its chord; the harmonic 'home base' of a key—stable and resolved.
- Dominant (V)
- The fifth scale degree and its chord; creates harmonic tension that pulls toward resolution on the tonic.
- Subdominant (IV)
- The fourth scale degree and its chord; moves away from tonic and commonly precedes the dominant.
- Cadence
- A harmonic progression that signals the end of a phrase or section; types include authentic (V-I), plagal (IV-I), and half cadence (ends on V).
- Circle of Fifths
- A diagram arranging the 12 major and minor keys by intervals of a perfect fifth; shows key relationships and the order of sharps and flats.
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