Glossary
12-bar blues: a common musical form of the blues where the music and lyrics follow an A-A-B format
accordion: a musical instrument with a keyboard and/or buttons where the sound is produced by squeezing metal bellows in and out
Ahava raba: a specific mode used in klezmer music
alegre: middle-pitched hand drum, used in cumbia
blue note: notes in between the notes of a blues scale
blues: a genre of music originating in African-American communities in the southern United States, characterized by narrative lyrics, 12-bar form, and blues scale
blues scale: a six-note scale, used in blues music
Carnival: a festival held before Lent that includes music and dancing
chipping: a form of calypso dance
drone: a continuous musical note
dynamics: how loud or soft a song/music is
engine room: A group of non-pitched percussion instruments that form the rhythm section of a steel band
expression: the way someone says something to communicate emotion or feeling
form: the way music is organized
gaita: Colombian flute, of indigenous origin, made from cactus
harmonium: a small keyboard instrument where sound is produced by air through a hand-operated bellow
improvisation: the act of making up something on the spot
jump-up: the communal celebratory dance during the Carnival parade
klezmer music: a type of Jewish folk music from Eastern Europe
limbo: a popular dance contest from Trinidad, in which contestants shimmy under a limbo bar
llamador: high pitched drum, played on beats 2 and 4 in cumbia
lyrics: the words in a song
maraca: percussion instrument, made of gourd-shaped rattle, played by shaking
melodic contour: the shape and direction of the melody
melody: the tune of the song
meter: a repeating pattern of strong and weak beats in music
ornamentation: decoration that is added to make something fancier in music
refrain: the line or lines that are repeated in music
rhyme: two words that have the same last sound
rhythm section: an instrumental jazz ensemble made up of piano, bass, and drums, which establishes the underlying rhythm, harmony, and beat of the music
rhythmic layers: layers of repeated rhythms on top of each other to create a more complex polyrhythm
ritardando: when the tempo slows down in music
sargam: a pattern of musical notes and syllables in music of India, much like a scale
scale: a pattern of musical notes
scat: improvising with the voice using “nonsense” syllables
solfège: the use of sol-fa syllables to name each note in a musical scale
soloing: when one musician in an ensemble takes a turn singing or playing by themselves
soundscape: the section of sounds that portray or characterize a specific environment
steel band: a musical group that brings together steel pans of different sizes with an engine room of non-pitched percussion
steel pan: an instrument used in steel bands made from oil drums
tabla: a pair of small hand drums used in Indian music
tambora: a two-headed drum; played with sticks on the head and shell in cumbia
tempo: how fast or slow a song is
Yiddish: the language of the Ashkenazi Jews dating back to the 9th century