It’s Music, Not Theory, Damn It!

7. Miscellaneous Music Terms

1. Singing unaccompanied by an instrument is called a cappella. It’s Italian for in the chapel.

1. Ad libs are usually vocal doodling (improvisation) behind the main melody.

1. An arpeggio is the playing of a chord, up or down, over more than an octave, harp-like.

1. Arrangement usually means instrumentation and orchestration: which instruments are playing what and when. It can also mean how the parts of a song are put together to form a logical sequence.

1. Articulation generally means whether notes are played legato - smooth and connected, or staccato - short and separated.

1. A ballad usually means a slow song, often melancholy or reflective. Many of the world’s greatest songs are ballads.

1. A button ending is the opposite of a fade-out: ...