Questions tagged [music]
Questions about the English terms related to music, and the proper usage of them.
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What is the name of this keyboard music instrument? [closed]
I see a piano-like instrument on many of the fifties and sixties music videos. One of the best ways to describe is to show it to you:
[Source: Youtube]
The Doors keyboard man also played it. It has ...
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Word Hunt: Audio Player Terminology
I'm looking for a few words today, in the context of Audio Players. I'm basically looking for words that match the following definitions:
Here are my current known words, and their definitions:
...
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song lyric idiom [closed]
Well, I went upon the mountain - I looked down in the sea
I seen the crabs and the fishes - Doin' the be-bop-bee.
'Cause My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
Yea! My Bucket'...
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Word for playing the music purely and unpurely
I am looking for adjectives/adverbs that express the quality and the extent to which the melody of a musical performance adheres to the prescribed composition.
For example, A4 has a frequency of ...
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Image is to pixelated as a song is to ___?
The closest I could think of is "low quality" but that is not as specific as I'd like, it could also mean that the music is bad.
Example:
I like this song, but you should really get the CD. This ...
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Is there a word for when you hear ordinary sounds as being a part of or having the "feel" of music you were listening to?
I'm trying to find the word for when solitary notes or ordinary sounds invoke the "feel" of some music you were listening to after the music has ended. For instance, if you hear someone play an E♭ by ...
user22330
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What is the name of this symbol "♪"?
I need the names of the following symbols:
♪
The one that is not coloured in and looks like a "d"
The circular one, that looks like an "o"
The one like this ♪, but doesn't have the little thingy ...
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Idioms and common English phrases related to music? [closed]
I am writing a dissertation on musical education in developing countries.
I would like to find titles for my section that are catchy.
Does anyone have any recommendations for resources of music-...
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Word for unconventional performance in playing instruments?
A whoa-dude performance performs by Salut Salon: Competitive Foursome:
It uses abnormal playing positions in the instruments, while keeping the high level of speed and accuracy of the music. It ...
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Is there a word for "piano reinterpretation"?
I really love the idea of people taking a simple melody, perhaps a well known one, and making their own piano interpretation of it, implementing some parts of the original and adding their own bit, ...
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Term for composing/melodizing a fictional song
Is there a special term for composing/melodizing a fictional song?
Some novels have songs with made-up lyrics written by the authors; and sometimes, music is composed for those songs in real life.
For ...
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Name for this percussion instrument?
What is the name of this percussion instrument in English?
It is gripped by the round handle. By using circular movements of the hand, the flat part is spun around the handle, causing the thin wooden ...
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Etymology of "high" and "low" notes
The words "high" and "low" generally refer to magnitude or vertical distance. How did these words come to be associated with pitch?
We can draw comparison to high ("large") or low ("small") frequency,...
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What's a word or phrase that means "get together with people informally to play music"?
What’s a word, phrase, or expression that means to get together with people informally to play music? Something that doesn’t imply any particular style — could be Jazz, Rock, Classical, Rap, etc.
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Words Listed by Vowel Sound
I'm working on a libretto for a vocal composition which makes use of vowel formants. It's important that all of the singers can produce exactly the same vowel sound, so I'm using IPA symbols.
I'm ...
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Generic term for musical piece
Colloquially, people use "song", even though "song" has actual specific properties.
What is a generic term for a musical piece? "Musical piece" is OK, but there really should be one that is a single ...
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Boogie Woogie Verbing
I'm writing a caption for a cartoon using the musical genre "Boogie Woogie" as a verb.
Which do you think is the most correct? Which is most clearly understandable?
a) Boogie-woogie-ing
b) Boogie ...
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What does the expression "You're just one more hand me down" in this song mean? [closed]
Someday they'll find your small town world on a big town avenue
Gonna make you like the way they talk when they're talking to you
Gonna make you break out of the shell cause they tell you to
Gonna ...
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Understandable songs to learn English [closed]
I am not very good at speaking and listening English.
Can someone please suggest some songs, which have clear pronunciation of English words, to listen and understand the songs too and also I can use ...
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Playing from sheet music
What is the correct phrase for using sheet music while playing?
Example: I've never been good at...
1) playing by the sheets.
2) reading sheet music.
It should mean that I am able to read sheet ...
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Prolong the sound of a word in writing
How do I prolong the sound of a word in writing, while maintaining its natural sound?
I want to prolong the sound of these words:
Doh
Rei
Mi
Fah
Sol
If I write Doooooh, people might read ...
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Orchestral sheet music is called a 'score'. Is there an equivalent for sheet music for solo piano?
Let's say someone has a box full of sheet music for solo piano to give away, and they invite you to rummage through it and take what you like. if you wanted to let them know how many pieces you took, ...
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What was Princeton 6 in Jamaican English?
I got an Old Raggae album and started listening to "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy (youtube)
After listening several times, I could start making out the English words (lyrics):
A me seh one thing Nancy ...
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"Living like Jim Morrison" . what does it imply or refer to? [closed]
In the Gods and Monsters song by Lana Del Ray “No one’s gonna take my soul away”, there is the line:
I'm living like Jim Morrison
What does this line mean?
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What is the origin of the phrase "bo selecta"?
The phrase means literally "good song" or "good DJ". selecta is the DJ ("the selector"). But why that spelling? And where does bo come from? Is it from the French beau or the Latin bona? Is there a ...
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Meaning of "black on black" in Nickelback's "Animals"
The song "Animals" by Nickelback starts with the following lines:
I, I'm driving black on black
Just got my license back
I got this feeling in my veins
This train is coming off the track
I ...
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Meaning of "kick out the last jam of the set"
I can't clearly get this phrase. Is it related to the "kick out the jams"? Or "jam" means the song/jazz improvisation, so what does "kick out" mean in that case?
The context is "they are kicking out ...
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Origin of “riff”
What’s the origin of riff, a repeated musical motif? Wikipedia and the Online Etymology Dictionary both state that its origin is uncertain, possibly an alteration of riffle, refrain, or rhythmic ...
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Word for "A Song that Sets a Scene in a Particular Region or Culture"
This is a technical term in theater and movie arts for a stereotyped piece of music that is played to cue the audience that a scene is set in a particular location.
E.g.
London --> Rule ...
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Term to a verse that starts with the last word of the previous verse
The music "Glad you came" by The Wanted has the following verses
Turn the lights out now, now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink, drink it if you can
Can you spend a little ...
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What is the false stop in a music piece called?
For example, Watch around 2:10 here. What is this false stop called? is there a single word?
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Using your voice as an instrument
What are some words that describe using one's voice as an instrument, i.e. doing certain things with the voice, not necessarily just hitting particularly challenging higher/lower registers? Things ...
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What do you call a note that is "in" the given chord? [closed]
I'm trying to find a word that describes, for example, any one of the three notes in a C major chord. Would I just call it a "chord note"? Or is there a more fitting word or phrase to refer to that?
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What does "Nine Below Zero" mean?
There is a Blues Standard "Nine Below Zero" and I wonder what the phrase means. The chorus is
Nine Below Zero, she put me down for another
And it would also be super interesting where this ...
user41720
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Is there a word which describes the experience of not being able to comprehend new sensory input?
Is there a word which describes the experience of not being able to comprehend new sensory input?
Specifically, I am trying to find a word which describes my experience whenever I listen to a new ...
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Why are flutes called recorders? [closed]
It seems that a certain type of flute (like the wooden one children are often given in school) is called "recorder". How did that happen?
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What is the word for someone who sees music as colours?
Some people visualise specific musical keys or chords as specific colours. There is a name for this, which I think starts with chromo-. Am I remembering this correctly?
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What's the history of the mnemonic "Father Charles goes down and ends battle"
If you work your way around the 'circle of fifths' you work your may through all the major scales. For example, starting with C major if we add one sharp, F#, we get G major. Adding a second sharp, C#,...
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Is there a specific word for "sheet music portfolio"?
Is there a specific name for a portfolio (a type of briefcase) that is used exclusively for holding sheet music?
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Different types of whistling
Are there terms or succinct phrases that describe the different ways of whistling listed below?
The standard put-your-lips-together-and-blow
Tongue against bottom teeth
Sticking two fingers (thumb ...
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Term for music that imitates speech
I have searched and asked others for the answer to this but have come up dry: What is the name or technique in music where musical notes approximate/imitate speech?
Note that I am not talking about ...
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Symphonic vs. symphony
Is there any clear line between a symphony and symphonic?
For long, I thought that a symphony was simply a "song" played by a symphonic orchestra. Then I realized that more often than not, the ...
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Word for listening to a single song over and over
Is there an English verb that would mean listening to a single song (on repeat) over and over just because one likes it so much? In my language we have a word that would in English literally mean ...
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Orchestra Without a Score
What is the term for an orchestra or group of musicians playing without sheet music? Essentially they are "winging it" or improvising.
Maybe I need to clarify the question. I recall a specific term ...
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What does "edgy beat" mean?
Ólafur Arnalds mixes strings and piano with loops and edgy beats crossing-over from classical to pop.
What does the writer mean by saying edgy beats? Does the writer mean it's not exactly classical, ...
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Do “chorus” and “refrain” have different connotations?
In a musical context, let's say musicians talking about present-day pop music (i.e. there is not a real chorus with 40 people singing), do the words “chorus” and “refrain” carry different meanings? Is ...
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Do native speakers understand all the words in songs? [closed]
I'm wondering if native speakers understand all the words in songs. For me it is very very difficult, as I can usually understand only 30% of words and phrases in songs. While listening to people's ...
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What does "close to you behind the door" mean? [closed]
I love this song, it's called "Behind the Door" by Sixth Finger. I love the song, but I have no clue as to what it really means.
Here's a link to the song, just in case:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?...
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What's the difference between a tune and a melody?
What's the difference between a tune and a melody?
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