Video Game Music Composer

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[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Andantino (pronounced On-Dawn-Tee-No). A tempo marking instructing that the music be played slightly faster than Andante. Considering Andante can be anywhere from 75 to 100 beats per minute, the tempo marking Andantino is fairly ambiguous.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Act Tune or Entr'acte (pronounced: On-tract). A piece of music played in between acts of an opera, play, or musical theater performance.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Bass Drop. A moment or multiple moments in an EDM, or another electronic genre piece of music where anticipation is built in advance of the bass entering the song. Then, the bass drops (begins to play in the song).

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Antecedent. A musical phrase that is followed by a second phrase called a consequent. Together, the two phrases make a musical period. The antecedent is like a question, the consequent is like an answer, and together they make a musical conversation called a period.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Allegro (pronounced Ah-leg-row). (1) A tempo marking indicating that the music is to be played around 120 beats per minute, or at a fast speed in general. (2) Sometimes, the first movement of a Sonata also called sonata-allegro form.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Billboard. A music magazine that publishes charts for song, album, and streaming sales. Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan. The Billboard Hot 100 is one of the most coveted charts to top for many music artists.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Al Fine (pronounced al feen-ay). A direction to continue to play the music until the sign "Fine", (pronounced feen-ay), is marked on the sheet music, at which point the piece of music ends with a final bar line.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Baby Grand. A small grand piano, generally under 5 feet in length.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Backbeat. An accent placed on beats two and four in a piece of music in a 4/4 time signature. Often found in rock and rock and roll music, the backbeat gives a feeling of "driving" the song forward.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Accordion. A hand operated bellows instrument that generates sounds through free reeds. The right hand is sounded by selecting keys on a piano keyvboard. The left hand is sounded by selecting different buttons that play bass notes, and chords.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Accidental. A symbol that raises or lowers a pitch by one half step or whole step (HS. WS).
1. Sharp (raise HS.)
2. Double sharp (raise WS.)
3. Flat (lower HS.)
4. Double flat (lower WS.)
5. Natural (cancels any previous accidental and sharp or flat).

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Alliteration. Two or more words used one after the next that begin with the same sound. This technique is used in lyrics in many styles and genres of vocal music from opera to rap.
Example 1: Maybe music makes me merry!
Example 2: Performers practice playing pink piccolos.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

ADSR.
Attack: The time for a sound to go from silence to the desired loudness.
Decay: The time for a sound to reach the loudness at which it sustains.
Sustain: The time a sound will continue on for at the desired loudness.
Release: The for the sound to return to silence.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Auxiliary Percussion. Any unpitched percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, bells, and shakers. Auxiliary percussion can also include random objects not normally intended for music use, such as typewriters, spoons, and chairs.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Balalaika. An instrument used in Russian folk music and dancing. Built out of wood, it has a triangular body in addition to a neck with frets just like a guitar. Unlike a guitar, it has 3 strings and a very short sustained sound. There are orchestras made up of only Balalaikas!

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Battery. Also known as a "drumline" and "batterie", a battery is a section of drums and drummers that are part of a marching band. Elements of the battery include snare drums, bass drums, tenor drums, and cymbals.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Anacrusis. Also known as a pick-up measure. An incomplete measure that begins a piece of music with fewer beats than are indicated by the time signature.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Baritone. (1) The term used to categorize the second-lowest male voice group for singers with a range between notes F2 and F4. (2) The term used to describe the fourth-highest instrument in many woodwind instrument families.
Example: Baritone saxophone.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Big Band. A jazz band with instrumentation consisting of 4-6 trumpets, 5 saxophones (2 alto, 2 tenor, 1 baritone), 4 trombones (3 tenor, 1 bass), drums, bass, piano, and guitar.
Example: Duke Ellington's Jazz Orchestra.

[Video Game Music Composer @Vgmcomposer]

Art Rock. A genre of music originating in the 1960s, art rock, or "progressive rock" mixes rock, jazz, classical, and avant guard music. Early art rock albums include:
Example 1: Freak Out! (The Mothers).
Example 2: The Velvet Underground & Nico (The Velvet Underground).