African music

Much African music features voices and/or African drums.

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A-Z Concepts List

2, 3 or 4 beats in the bar
3 against 2
A cappella
A tempo
AB
ABA
ABACA
Accelerando
Accent/accented
Acciaccatura
Accompanied
Accordion
Acoustic guitar
Adagio
Added 6th
African music
Allegro
Alto
Anacrusis
Andante
Answer
Anthem
Antiphonal
Appoggiatura
Arco
Aria
Arpeggio
Ascending
Atonal
Augmentation
Augmented triad
Ayre/air
Backing vocals
Bagpipes
Ballett
Baritone
Baroque
Bass
Bass guitar
Basso continuo
Bassoon
Beat/pulse
Binary
Blowing
Blues
Bodhran
Bongo drums
Bothy ballad
Bowing
Brass
Brass band
Bridge
Broken chord
Cadenza
Canon
Castanets
Cello
Celtic rock
Chamber music
Change of key
Choir
Chorale
Chord
Chord change
Chord progression I, IV, V
Chord progressions using I, IV, V, VI
Chords I, IV, V and VI in major and minor keys
Chord II and 1st inversion (major key only)
Chorus
Chromatic
Clarinet
Clarsach
Cluster
Coda
Coloratura
Compound time
Con sordino
Concertino
Concerto
Concerto grosso
Contemporary jazz
Contrapuntal
Contrary motion
Countermelody
Countersubject
Countertenor
Crescendo
Cross rhythms
Cymbals
Da capo aria
Descant (voice)
Descending
Diminished 7th
Diminuendo
Diminution
Discord
Distortion
Dominant 7th
Dotted rhythm
Double bass
Drone
Drum fill
Drum kit
Electric guitar
Electronic dance music
Episode
Exposition
Faster
Fiddle
Flute
Flutter tonguing
Folk group
Forte
Fortissimo
French horn
Fugue
Gaelic psalm
Galliard
Glissando
Glockenspiel
Gospel
Grace note
Ground bass
Güiro
Harmonic minor scale
Harmonics
Harmony
Harp
Harpsichord
Hemiola
Hi-hat cymbals
Homophonic
Imitation
Imperfect cadence
Impressionist
Improvisation
Indian
Interrupted cadence
Interval
Inversion
Inverted pedal
Irregular time signatures
Jazz
Jazz funk
Jig
Latin American
Leap (leaping)
Legato
Leitmotiv
Lied
Madrigal
Major tonality
March
Mass
Melismatic
Melodic minor scale
Mezzo forte
Mezzo piano
Mezzo soprano
Middle eight
Minimalist
Minor tonality
Mode / Modal
Moderato
Modulation
Mordent
Motet
Mouth music
Musical
Musique concrète
Muted
Nationalist
Neo-Classical
Obbligato
Oboe
Octave
Off the beat
On the beat
Opera
Oratorio
Orchestra
Organ
Ornament
Ostinato
Pan pipes
Passacaglia
Pause
Pavan
Pedal
Pentatonic
Percussion
Perfect cadence
Pianissimo
Piano
Piano (instrument)
Piano trio
Pibroch
Piccolo
Pitch bend
Pizzicato
Plagal cadence
Plainchant
Plucking
Polyphonic
Polytonality/bitonality
Pop
Question and answer
Ragtime
Rallentando
Rapping
Recitative
Recorder
Reel
Reggae
Relative major
Relative minor
Renaissance
Repetition
Retrograde
Reverb
Riff
Ripieno
Ritardando
Ritornello
Rock
Rock ‘n’ roll
Rolls
Romantic
Rondo
Round
Rubato
Saxophone
Scale
Scat singing
Scotch snap
Scots ballad
Scottish
Scottish dance band
Semitone
Sequence
Serial
Sforzando
Simple time
Sitar
Slower
Snare drum
Solo
Sonata
Sonata form
Song cycle
Soprano
Soul music
Sprechgesang
Staccato
Steel band
Step (stepwise)
Strathspey
Stretto
Striking (hitting)
String quartet
Strings
Strophic
Strumming
Subject
Suspension
Swing
Syllabic
Symphony
Syncopation
Tabla
Tambourine
Tenor
Ternary
Theme and variation
Through-composed
Tierce de Picardie
Time changes
Timpani
Tone
Tone row/note row
Tremolando
Triangle
Trill
Tritone
Trombone
Trumpet
Tuba
Tuned percussion
Turn
Unaccompanied
Unison
Untuned percussion
Vamp
Verse and chorus
Viola
Violin
Voice
Walking bass
Waltz
Waulking song
Whole tone scale
Wind band
Woodwind
Xylophone