Every music word used on this site, in plain words. In the lessons, words with a dotted underline show their meaning when you hover over or tap them.
accidental
A sharp (♯) or flat (♭) sign, or a note that needs one: the five notes between the natural notes, the black keys. Fundamentals › Intro to Notes
augmented
A half step wider than major or perfect. An augmented 5th is 8 half steps, and an augmented chord has one. Scales › Degrees and Intervals
bar
A group of beats (often four), marked off by bar lines on the staff. Also called a measure. Fundamentals › Rhythm Basics
barre chord
A grip where the index finger lies flat across several strings, taking the place of the nut, so the shape can move anywhere on the neck. Chords › Chords on the Guitar
Pushing a string sideways while it rings to raise its pitch, usually by a half or whole step. Written b or with an arrow in tab. Fundamentals › Reading Tab
The five open chord shapes C, A, G, E and D. Moved up the neck, they fit together to play any major chord in five places. Chords › Chords on the Guitar
capo
A clamp across the guitar neck that raises every string by a half step per fret, so familiar shapes sound higher. Keys › Transposing
A picture of a grip: the strings with the high e on top, frets numbered below, and finger numbers (1 = index … 4 = little finger) on the notes to press. Chords › Chords on the Guitar
The twelve keys arranged a 5th apart. From C, each step clockwise adds a sharp, each step anticlockwise a flat. Keys › Circle of Fifths
clef
The sign at the start of a staff that tells you which letter sits on which line: the treble clef (𝄞) for higher notes, the bass clef (𝄢) for lower ones. Fundamentals › Reading Music
How many times per second something vibrates, measured in hertz (Hz). It sets the pitch. Fundamentals › Intro to Notes
fret
A metal strip across the guitar neck. Pressing a string behind a fret raises it by a half step per fret. Fundamentals › Notes on Instruments
grip (chord shape)
How your fretting hand holds a chord on the guitar neck: which fingers press which strings at which frets. Chords › Chords on the Guitar
half step
The smallest step between two neighbouring notes: one piano key or one guitar fret. Also called a semitone. Written H. Fundamentals › Intro to Notes
hammer-on
Sounding a higher note on the same string by bringing a finger down hard on its fret, without picking again. Written h in tab. Fundamentals › Reading Tab
interval
The distance between two notes, named by how many letters it spans (a 3rd, a 5th) and its exact size in half steps. Fundamentals › Why Twelve Notes?
inversion
A chord played with a note other than its root at the bottom: the 3rd (1st inversion) or the 5th (2nd inversion). Chords › Inversions
key
A home note plus the scale built on it. In G major, G is home and the notes come from the G major scale. Keys › Key Signatures
key signature
The sharps or flats at the start of each line of music: the key's sharps or flats, written once instead of before every note. Keys › Key Signatures
Two sizes of the same interval: a minor 3rd is 3 half steps, a major 3rd 4. Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths come in both sizes. Scales › Degrees and Intervals
How long a note lasts: whole, half, quarter, eighth or sixteenth, each half as long as the one before. Fundamentals › Rhythm Basics
nut
The small strip at the top end of the guitar neck where the open strings stop, like fret 0. Chords › Chords on the Guitar
octave
The distance from a note to the next note with the same name: double the frequency. It sounds the same, only higher. Fundamentals › Intro to Notes
octave number
The number after a note name, such as A4 or C3. It counts octaves from the bottom of the piano and goes up at every C. C4 is middle C. Fundamentals › Notes on Instruments
Just the root and the 5th (often with the root doubled), written 5 (E5). Chords › Power Chords
pull-off
Sounding a lower note on the same string by pulling the fretting finger off with a slight flick, without picking again. Written p in tab. Fundamentals › Reading Tab
relative minor
The minor scale or key with the same notes as a major one, starting three half steps lower: A minor for C major. Scales › Minor Scales
A chord written as the number of the scale note it starts on: I, IV, V. Capitals are major chords, small letters (ii, vi) minor. Chords › Chords in a Key
The two numbers at the start of a staff, like 4/4: the top one counts the beats in a bar, the bottom one says which note gets a beat. Fundamentals › Rhythm Basics
tonic (home note)
The note a scale or key feels at home on, its 1st degree. Music sounds finished when it gets back there. Scales › Degrees and Intervals
transpose
Move music to another key by shifting every note by the same number of half steps. Keys › Transposing
triad
A three-note chord made of a root, a 3rd above it and a 5th above it: two 3rds stacked. Chords › Triads
tritone
An interval of three whole steps (6 half steps), the most restless-sounding interval, like B to F. Chords › Triads