Cathy's Music Dictionary for Singers - Post #4 - S Through Z
This is the FINAL installment of Cathy's Music Dictionary for Singers. I really hope you enjoy it, and that it's very helpful for you. Please send me more suggestions or corrections, and check out my website at www.SingitForward.net
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Saltando
This is another mood and tempo
term. It means to play or sing the piece
fast, short, and with rather a lot of pep.
sample
This is a term for contemporary
music and one all contemporary musicians should know and be familiar with. A “sample” is short recording from a live
performance, of a particular instrument, of a vocal sound, of a specific animal
sound, really anything that can later be re-used in other recordings or
performances to re-create that original sound and enhance the final
product. For example, Steven Spielberg
used samples of various animals to create the custom roars and sounds of the
Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. Today, the
average keyboard player may have thousands of “samples” in sound libraries that
he or she can access and use to enhance recordings, as well as live dates. The
samples are stored digitally, this technique of recording and using Sampling is
widely used in 2000s-era pop, hip-hop, and electronica music.
scratch
This is the term used in the studio
environment for the very first acceptable, recorded track, which can then be
used to build to a finished product. It
is still possible to “replace the basic” or later re-do the ‘scratch track” but
this provides a good base for beginning to build other tracks on. “Scratching” involves the manipulation of a
vinyl record on an actual turntable with his or her hands, using a DJ Mixer,
creating mixes, as well as rhythmic sounds.
segno
This is the actual name of the Sign
( 
)
in a piece of music. You will usually
see it as Dal Segno, meaning
"from the sign", indicating a return to the point marked by 
but Segno is the name of that Sign.
)
in a piece of music. You will usually
see it as Dal Segno, meaning
"from the sign", indicating a return to the point marked by but Segno is the name of that Sign.
This term means you are going to go
on to the next section or song without any kind of a pause or break. Most
likely, the arranger has written out notes to help bridge the segue painlessly.
Semi-tone
This term is the same thing as a
Half Step. It is the smallest distance
in music and the smallest pitch difference between notes, such as an F to an
F#.
session musician or player
This is a term for someone who makes
a living working in a recording studio.
These are usually studied, highly skilled, highly experienced, and
talented individuals who may specialize in a particular style of music or whose
skill may crossover through many styles.
sharp
This is the term for a note that is
one-half step higher or to the right of a note.
It is delineated by the symbol, (♯)
that raises the pitch of the note by a semitone or half step. This term can
also describe a situation where a singer or musician is performing and the
intonation is too high in pitch. They
would comment that the performer was “sharp.”
shred
This is one of those lovely slang
terms, that describes, usually, a stringed instrument like a guitar or banjo
but I have heard this used to describe singers and horn players as well. “He really shreds this solo!” It can be used
as an adjective (“shred guitar”) or a verb ( he shred on the guitar), as it
involves playing amazingly, fast, intense, and virtuosticly.
sidefills
This is another slang term, used for
onstage monitor speakers that are placed on the sides of the stage, and pointed
back at the performers. Oftentimes, the
music is SO loud and the players’ ears are SO shot that they need all the help
they can get with monitors.
slapping or slap bass
This is, again, somewhat of a slang
term that refers to a style of playing the electric bass and the upright bass,
though it is realized slightly differently for each. However, with both instruments this style
requires a very percussive way of “slapping” and popping the strings. Regarding the electric bass, the low strings
are slapped and the high strings are popped, which works best with funk, Latin,
and pop, although it also works in other styles, too. With the upright bass, the player “slaps” the
strings against the fingerboard creating a percussive, rhythmic effect, which
is effectively used for, at least, blues, rockabilly, and bluegrass.
slur
A sign in musical notation
consisting of a curved line drawn over or under a series of notes, indicating
that those notes should be played legato.
The slur also indicates the grouping and phrasing of a passage in a
composition.
snake
This is a slang term for the
multitude of cables that begin at the sound board and terminates at the patch bay and with the various instruments. It
truly looks like a giant snake, so the name, slang or not, is totally
appropriate. This “snake” is used to carry
all the signals from every onstage microphone and instrument amplifier, up to
the mixing board at the back and/or side of the performance
venue.
This is the term for the highest
female vocal part or range. A typical
soprano range might be: C4 to A5.
Sospirando
This is a term regarding mood and
tempo in a piece of music. In this case,
Sospirando means the play or sing
with only a little energy, almost indifferent to your performance, and
listless. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t
recommend that you do anything “with little energy” but there are definitely
songs that would be inappropriate performed any other way. An example of this is, “I Don’t Care Much”
from the musical “Cabaret”.
Sostenuto
This is a term for a mood and tempo
marking. It means to sustain or lengthen
a passage that is marked with Sostenuto.
This is a term used to designate
when a passage should be sung quietly, in almost an undertone or whisper. This can be very effective used in the right
context.
This is a term used for notes that
are to be played or sung quickly, briefly, and detached. It is the total opposite of legato. It is indicated by a small dot
under or over the head of the note to be played or sung in a staccato
fashion.
standard tuning
This term is strictly for guitar
players and has to do with their tuning.
For acoustic and electric guitar, the standard tuning is
"E,A,D,G,B,E" (from lowest string to highest); this is how the guitar
is tuned or should be tuned when it is first purchased. Standard tuning for an electric bass is
"E, A,D,G". It is possible to “alter”
tunings in order to obtain lower notes, to facilitate playing slide guitar, or
to allow the playing of "open" chords that are not possible in
standard tuning. There are even
situations where a player might change the tuning of their instrument for a
specific song or style.
stanza
This is another name for the verse
of a song.
Stretto
This means to play or sing at a
faster tempo, and it often occurs near the end of a section of piece. Personally, as an accompanist, I find that at
times some singers are unable to hold notes as long as is called for and
therefore, I insert a Stretto section
so that they are able to finish a passage more quickly without losing tone or
pitch, and still maintaining the integrity of the song.
Subito
This word
means “suddenly”.
This is the name of a speaker
cabinet with a woofer that is designed especially for low-frequency sounds from
about 20 Hz-200 Hz. Subwoofers are used in PA systems and studio
monitor systems. The Subwoofers used in PA systems tend to be large diameter
woofers (18" or 21") mounted in large wooden cabinets. Studio monitor
subwoofers often use smaller cabinets and smaller-diameter woofers (10",
12", or 15"), as studio monitors need high fidelity, not massive
sound pressure output.
sweetening
This is the term used for “additional”
instruments and/or voices at a recording session. This could be anything from strings, vocal
harmonies, horns, percussionists, and any other “special” instrumentation or
vocal step-outs that might be helpful.
There are “session players” and “session singers” who are professionals,
trained and experiences to do such “sweetening” and even make additional
suggestions. The “basic tracks” are
usually the components of the band or a basic setup needed to provide melodic
and harmonic information to all the other players and singers coming after. This would include, at least, guitar, bass,
and drums.
sweet spot
This, again, is another slang term,
probably created by singers or other solo performers. This has to do with a spot on the stage of a
live performance or in a studio, for the placement of a microphone to go in
front of a singer, instrument, or guitar amplifier. The “sweet spot” is the place or position
where the sound is the sweetest, the most pleasing. Every good singer will understand the
advantages of finding this spot for a performance. It is, not only, good for the audience but
strengthens the performer’s confidence as well.
This is also a place free from feedback (unless you point your microphone
into one of the speakers). It is a “sweet”
spot.
This is a term that deals with
interrupting the regular rhythm and subdivision of beats in a piece of
music. Syncopation causes the rhythm of
a piece to be “off-beat”, which is both unexpected and may also be difficult for
some people to replicate. Rather than “pushing”
the beats, syncopation utilizing “back beats”.
It is used in many different types of music such as:
ragtime, jazz, funk,
gospel, reggae, hip hop, dubstep, progressive rock, Heavy Metal, samba, and ska.
This is the term that connotes when
to “lay out” (see definition above), not play or sing, or remain silent during
a performance. The composer or arranger
will usually have a sound reason for this choice and it will usually only be
for a short section of time. However, if
your job is to play something like a rather obscure percussion instrument, you
may be “tacet” for much of the entire piece of music, and, therefore, have to
be very diligent and alert to know exactly when to come in to enter and exit
correctly.
take
Another slang term, “take” is used
during recording sessions to describe ONE of the attempts of playing or singing
a particular passage in a piece of music.
Very unlike the “old days”, it is not at all unusual to need many, many “takes”
to get an acceptable or more superlative track, which allows you to move
forward. Making a recording is not a “one
time through” kind of thing anymore.
Obviously, there may be budget constraints but modern technology allows
a performer to create incredible tracks that were never possible before. A few extra “takes” are well worth the effort
and time.
tech
This is slang for “technician”, handyman
or even a repairman who works with or even tours with a band or group, and
whose duties include setting up, maintaining, loading, unloading, and repairing
musical instruments, equipment and related accessories, as well as sets and
lights. There are several different
types of techs, and there may be several associated with the same band or
group, depending on the size of the tour.
These include a "drum tech"; "bass tech", “lighting
tech”, and a "guitar tech".
This term means “time”. However, it actually has more to do with the
speed of the piece of music. Tempo is
measured according to beats per minute.
A very fast tempo, Prestissimo,
has between 200 and 208 beats per minute; Presto
has 168 to 200 beats per minute; Allegro
has between 120 and 168 beats per minute; Moderato
has 108 to 120 beats per minute; Andante has
76 to 108; Adagio has 66 to 76; Larghetto has 60 to 66; and Largo, the slowest tempo, has 40 to 60.
Tempo di
This is one of those “qualifiers”
that means “the speed of a”, such as Tempo
di valse (Speed of a Waltz, Metronome - 60); Tempo di Marcia (Speed of a march, Metronome – 120). Also possible are Tempo Giusto (at a consistent speed); Tempo Semplice (Regular Speed); and Tempo Primo (Original Tempo).
This is the name for the highest
male vocal range. For men, there is
tenor, then baritone, and on the bottom, bass.
An approximate range for a tenor might be b3 to G4.
This term means to hold but only
slightly longer than the actual value of the note. Unlike a fermata,
which can be held for an undesignated period of time, tenuto is a much, more brief lengthening of the note.
This is a term that describes the
most prominent and most common vocal pitch range in a particular piece of music. It can be very helpful to even look at the tessitura of a specific passage within
the piece, as particular areas within a piece can be amazingly challenging, and
may need to be studied and researched in order to effectively strategize,
articulate, and vocalize through the passage effortlessly or powerfully.
theme
This term is the musical basis upon
which a composition is built. Usually a
theme consists of a recognizable melody or a characteristic rhythmic pattern. The theme may sometimes be called the
subject.
tie
The term stands for a curved line
drawn over or under the heads of two notes of the same pitch indicating that
there should be no break between them but they should be played as a single
note.
This is a term given to describe the
quality of a musical note, sound, or tone, so that we are able to distinguish
one instrument or sound from another.
This is also known as tone color or tone quality. It is possible for two instruments or voices
to have the same pitch and loudness but different timbre, which distinguishes
them form each other. Examples of this would
be when a guitar and a piano play the same note at the same volume; they are
obviously different instruments but their timbre is a truly distinguishing
feature apart from their appearance.
Additionally, any two voices may sing the same pitch at the same volume
but again, they are, obviously, two different individuals. Timbre separates them by their qualities.
track
This term is commonly used to
describe several different things in music, including: a particular section on a compact disc, which
is usually separated by a minimum of 2 seconds, from other sections; an audio
channel, which contains a particular type of music, such as “instrumental track”,
“backing track”, or “accompaniment track with background vocals”; or a
particular song.
Train Wreck
This term is a GREAT slang term I
wish we never had to use. This refers to
a major fop as or mistake that occurs during a performance. It can be the result of pretty much anything
but whatever causes the problem, the audience hears and maybe sees a TRAIN
WRECK. I’m ashamed to say I was the key
player or the star of my very own train wreck.
It was a dance recital and I had never rehearsed with the class as a
whole, just with the instructor. I knew
the steps cold…I thought. Problem. When you’re alone, you can make mistakes and
no one is the wiser. However, when you
make a mistake with 20 other people, 19 people are dancing one way and I (yep,
you guessed, me) was dancing the other direction. Major Train Wreck!
tranquillo
This is a term for playing or
singing a piece of music in a calm, peaceful way. This could also be termed Tranquillamente.
transcription
This is a term that describes when a
performer imitates every single note and nuance from an original recording,
whether this is a singer or an instrumentalist.
If a musician is “taking down” or writing out the melody and chords,
movement, dynamics, and other aspects of a piece of music, a true transcription
is note-for-note, including every nuance, riff, and musical move.
trill
This is a term for a musical alternation
between two adjacent notes of a semitone or half step, or a whole step, where
you move back and forth between the two notes for a designated period of
time. If you do the same alternation but
with a bigger interval, it is called a tremolo. This is also my very favorite vocal exercise,
a Vocal Trill, performed by “motor-boating” the lips while humming at the same
time. The Vocal Trill can be performed
for any exercise or for an entire song to warm the voice in any and all areas.
Trionfante
This is one of the mood and tempo
markings. It means to play or sing a
piece of music in a triumphant way, gallantly, grandly, victoriously.
triplet
This is a term used to denote when three
notes are played in the space of two, most often eighth notes. I always found it help to say “tri-pul-et” as
I played. It helped me get the rhythm right
without any “fancy” mathematical
calculations.
without any “fancy” mathematical
calculations.
triste
This is a term that means you sing
or play a piece of music in a sad or wistful way.
This word means “All” or everyone,
or all together. You will ordinarily see
this term connected with an orchestral or choral score when the orchestra or
all of the voices come in at the same time.
unisono
(unis) (Fre)
This term means “In Unison”, which
means that a section of players or singers from a group will play or sing
exactly the same notes within their written part (unison), as opposed to
splitting simultaneous notes among themselves.
uptempo
This term refers to a quick, lively
tempo. This can be any piece of music
with an increased, bright tempo.
vamp till cue
This is a term used in various modes
of musical style, which has rhythm section members repeat the beginning section
of a piece of music until the band leader or conductor instruct them to
continue onto the following sections.
This is found in jazz, fusion, and musical theatre.
variations
This term stands for a deviation
from a theme that uses the same bass pattern or harmonic progression that the
theme used, and usually having the same number of measures as the theme. Generally, a variation is played after a
theme with the variation being slightly more ornate; in several cases there are
many variations upon a single theme.
Variations are often used as accompaniments to songs that are several
verses long, or as dance music. In both
cases, the repeating structure is beneficial to the nature of the function.
'verb
This is a slang term for “reverb”,
which is listed above and refers to an electronic “delay” or echo effect.
This is a musical term for a natural
effect in the human voice. It is a
regular, pulsing of the voice, which causes a slight change in pitch. Vibrato
is often heard best at the end of a phrase or word. It tends to warm the sound and add expression
to a voice. People sometimes confuse Vibrato with Tremolo but they are, in truth, totally different. Tremolo is not a changing of pitch but a
reiteration of the same pitch over and over again.
virtuoso
This is a
term for someone who performs with exquisite talent, technique, ability, and
artistry.
vivace
This is a term for a very lively,
up-tempo piece of music.
Whole Note
This term denotes a note having the
time duration of an entire measure, though usually a whole note lasts four
beats.
Whole Rest
This term denotes a pause or rest in
a composition having the time duration of a whole note or probably, an entire
measure.
woodshed
This is a slang term that refers to a
time of practicing intensely, usually on a particular piece or section of a
piece of music. It is often very obvious
to listeners when a musician or singer has “woodshedded” a project or specific
song, as the hard work is obvious in the perfected product.
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