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sound - I can play acoustic guitar, but I can't play electric guitar.
alternative hip hop (noun): any style that isn't mainstream commercial hip
hop - Have you heard much alternative hip hop?
autoharp (noun): a small harp with buttons to press for playing chords - Is
the autoharp used much in bluegrass music?
ballad (noun): a slow song usually about love - Janis sings up-tempo rock
songs as well as slow ballads.
bar (noun): one of many small sections in a piece of music that contains a
fixed number of beats - Each bar in the song has four beats.
bass (guitar) (noun): an electric guitar with thick strings for playing low
"bass" notes - We need someone who can play bass.
beat (noun): the regular pulse in music that dancers move to and audiences
clap to - Dance music always has a strong beat.
beats (noun): the breakbeat rhythms that MCs rap to in hip hop music -
Who produced the beats on this album?
bebop (noun): a complex style of up-tempo jazz from the 1950s - The best
bebop player I ever heard was Charlie Parker.
big band (noun): a large jazz band, esp. one that plays big band jazz - Most
popular singers of the 30s and 40s had their own big bands.
big beat (noun): an EDM genre with breakbeats, heavy bass, vocals and
samples - Maxim loves that big beat sound.
block party (noun): a free party on the streets of a city block - Are you
going to the block party on Saturday?
(the) blues (noun): African American guitar-based folk music that led to
R&B and rock - I'm learning some old blues songs.
bpm (noun): beats per minute - The fastest drum and bass tracks are
around 160 bpm.
boy band (noun): a group of three or more boys or young men who sing
and dance - My little sister loves that Korean boy band Super Junior.
brass (noun): instruments made of brass, like the trumpet, trombone and
tuba - Harry plays trumpet in a brass band.
break (noun): a moment in which most instruments stop, but one or two
continue, esp. drums - We sampled a snare-drum break from an old jazz
record.
breakdown (noun): section of a dance track with less singing and more
percussion - Does the track have a good breakdown?
call and response (noun): two musical phrases, one of which answers the
other - The call and response is before the last chorus.
catchy (adjective): enjoyable when first heard, and difficult to forget - It's
so catchy! I can't stop hearing it in my head.
(the) charts (noun): lists of the best-selling songs of the previous week -
Our single got to the top of the charts!
chord (noun): three or more notes played together - Lots of great songs
only have two chords, you know.
chorus (noun): the part of a song with the same melody and words each
time it's heard - I'll sing the verses, and you sing the choruses.
classic (adjective): very good and highly-regarded for a long time - Neil
loves those classic American cars of the 50s.
contemporary R&B (noun): recent R&B that mixes soul, pop and hip hop
sounds - Contemporary R&B is really popular these days.
crossover hit (noun): a country, dance or hip hop song that's on the pop-
music charts - We'll all be rich if we have a crossover hit.
country music (noun): a genre of American music with origins in the rural
folk music of Europe - Harry only listens to country music.
country pop (noun): a style that mixes pop and country music - Country
pop is really popular in America these days.
country rock (noun): a style that mixes rock and country music - He
doesn't like country pop much, but he loves country rock.
dance-pop (noun): up-tempo pop music with a dance rhythm - Her dance-
pop singles always become hits.
disco music (also "disco") (noun): 70s dance music with a steady four-
on-the-floor beat - My sister loves dancing to disco music.
DJ (or "disc jockey") (noun): someone who plays records at dance clubs
or on radio - Do you like the tracks this DJ's playing?
DJ mixer (noun): a small mixer made for DJs - All you need is two
turntables, a DJ mixer and some records.
double bass (noun): a large stringed instrument for playing low notes - In
jazz, double bass strings are plucked instead of bowed.
drop (noun): a point in EDM when the rhythm and sounds suddenly change
- If it's a really great drop, everyone goes crazy.
drum and bass (or "DnB") (noun): an EDM genre with breakbeats, heavy
bass and a fast tempo - Let's make a drum and bass track.
drum kit (noun): a set of drums with a bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms,
hit-hat and cymbals - How much did your drum kit cost?
dubstep (noun): an EDM genre with breakbeat rhythms, very heavy bass
and a slow tempo - My parents don't even know what dubstep is!
duo (noun): two people who make music or perform together - Who's on
your list of best hip hop duos?
dynamic (adjective): lively and having a lot of energy - She's one of the
most dynamic singers I've seen perform.
EDM (noun): electronic dance music - That band didn't start out playing
EDM, did they?
fan (noun): someone who likes a particular artist or band very much - Our
teacher's a really big fan of Eminem.
fiddle (noun): another word for "violin", esp. in country and folk music -
Who's playing fiddle on that record?
flow (noun): the ability to rap rhythmically and stylishly - He's been
practising, so his flow's getting better.
folk rock (noun): a style that mixes folk and rock music - We heard lots of
folk rock bands in San Francisco in the early 60s.
funky (adjective): having the feel of funk music, esp. rhythmically - That
track Superstition by Stevie Wonder is incredibly funky.
gangsta rap (noun): hardcore-style rap from Los Angeles - My cousin still
buys gangsta rap records!
glam rock (noun): a rock style in which male artists wore make-up and
glamorous clothes - David Bowie had many styles besides glam rock.
graffiti art (noun): street art that's drawn, painted or sprayed in public
places - What do you think of Banksy's graffiti art?
hardcore rap (noun): a tough style of New York hip hop music - Hardcore
rap's like those old gangster movies.
harmony (noun): the combining of musical notes that sound good when
played or sung together - If we don't sing in harmony, it'll sound terrible.
heavy metal (noun): hard rock with heavy bass, complex drumming and
singers who scream - My dad used to be in a heavy metal band.
hi-hat (noun): a pair of foot-operated cymbals that's part of a drum kit -
Drummers play bass drum with one foot and hi-hat with the other.
hip hop (also "hip hop") (noun): a musical genre in which artists rap over
beats and sampled sounds - I love Kanye West's hip hop albums.
hit (noun): a best-selling song on the pop-music charts - It's a great song.
It'll be a hit for sure.
honky tonk (noun): a country music style known for its powerful, emotional
songs - Who's your favourite honky tonk singer?
hook (noun): part of a song that's easily remembered, often a chorus -The
Knack's My Sharona has one of greatest hooks ever!
house (or "house music") (noun): 80s dance music similar to disco but
with more electronic sounds - Those old house tracks still sound great.
house band (noun): a group of session musicians who work for a music
company - House bands don't become famous, but singers do.
jazz rap (noun): rap music made with jazz samples or instruments - Molly
doesn't like jazz rap much.
Latin music (noun): a genre of popular music in Latin America and Spain
that has complex rhythms - Latin music makes me want to dance.
lead guitar (noun): a guitar on which melodic lines and solos are played -
Who's playing lead guitar in your new band?
lyrics (noun): the words of a song - If you don't listen to the lyrics, you
won't know what a song is about.
melody (noun): a tune, or the notes of a song - Can you whistle the song's
melody?
modal jazz (noun): jazz that uses Arabic or Indian modes instead of
European scales - McCoy Tyner played modal jazz with John Coltrane.
neo soul (noun): a style that mixes contemporary R&B and 60s or 70s soul
- Angelina played some great neo soul tracks at our party.
offbeat (noun): a beat between the main beats, often counted as "and" by
musicians - Disco has hi-hats playing on all the offbeats.
pop music (noun): a popular music genre with catchy songs that are easy
to remember - I love listening to pop music.
pop song (noun): any song that follows the pop music formula - Paul's
favourite pop song is God Only Knows by The Beach Boys.
pop soul (noun): a style of soul music with a pop-music sound - Mum's
listening to pop soul again.
popular music (noun): music that many people like and buy, like rock
music and heavy metal, hip hop and rap, pop songs, etc. - Our music
teacher knows lots about classical music, but nothing about popular music.
pounding (adjective): having a very strong, loud and steady beat - Those
pounding disco tracks are still great to dance to.
power chord (noun): a basic chord that can add power to music - The
Kinks used lots of power chords in their song You Really Got Me.
producer (noun): someone who oversees the recording of music - Who was
the producer on Nirvana's first album?
protest song (noun): a song with lyrics that protest against war, injustice,
etc. - Why don't people write protest songs anymore?
punk (rock) (noun): 70s and 80s rock music with short, fast, noisy songs -
The first punk band I saw was The Sex Pistols.
rap (1) (noun): a set of lyrics rapped to a hip hop beat - He's never done a
rap about getting a job, has he?
rap (2) (verb): to speak rhythmically in rhymes over a hip hop beat - You
want me to rap? I've never rapped in my life!
rapper (noun): an artist who performs raps over a hip hop beat - My
daughter wants to be a rapper when she grows up.
rave (noun): a large dance party held outdoors or in an empty building - Did
you go to any of those raves in the 90s?
remix (verb): to change a track's sound-level mix and add effects - When
he remixed our song, he made the bass drum much louder.
revival (noun): the return to popularity of an old style or form - There was
a rockabilly revival during the punk music years.
rhyme (noun): a word that ends with the same sound as another word - If
you don't use rhymes, you can't call it rapping.
rhythm (noun): a pattern of beats and sounds that musicians play in time
to and dancers move to - The rhythms of African music are really complex.
rockabilly (noun): a style that mixes Western swing and R&B - Sam
recorded lots of rockabilly songs at Sun Studio in Memphis.
scale (noun): a series of notes in a fixed order from lowest to highest - The
major and minor scales each have seven notes.
set (noun): a group of songs performed one after the other - How many
songs were in the band's first set?
standard (noun): a song that is often recorded and performed - Lots of Roy
Orbison's songs have become pop standards.
stand-up bass (or "string bass") (noun): another word for "double bass",
esp. in country music - Rockabilly bands had stand-up bass instead of bass
guitar.
soul (or "soul music") (noun): a genre that combines elements of gospel
music, R&B and pop - My favourite soul singer is Al Green.
strings (noun): an orchestral string section with violins, violas, cellos and
double bass - Only the biggest jazz orchestras had strings.
swing (noun): up-tempo jazz for dancing played by big bands or jazz
orchestras - Benny Goodman wrote lots of swing tunes.
tambourine (noun): an instrument with metal discs that rattles when hit or
shaken - Mick Jagger often plays tambourine when he sings.
techno (noun): an EDM genre from Detroit that led to many subgenres -
Which style of techno do you like the most?
texture (noun): the musical pattern created when sounds are combined -
The textures on this track are amazing.
the South (noun): the southeastern part of the USA - Some of the best soul
and hip hop artists are from the South.
track (noun): a recording of a song or piece of music - Their new album has
some really great tracks.
traditional music (noun): music that developed over a very long time, like
traditional African drumming and Chinese folk songs - People still play
traditional music in Peru's mountain villages.
tune (noun): a song or melody - I know the tune, but I can't remember
what it's called.
turntable (noun): a rotating plate that records sit on while being played -
Dad said he'd get me a turntable for my birthday!
underground rap (noun): rap music by artists outside the music industry -
I never hear underground rap on the radio.
up-tempo (or "uptempo") (adjective): having a fast beat - If you want to
write a happy song, it should be up-tempo.
verse (noun): the part of a song with the same melody but different words
each time it's heard - The song has a chorus and three verses.
Western swing (noun): a style that mixes Western music and big-band
swing jazz - Those Western swing records are great to dance to.
yearn (verb): to want something very much - His yearning for a better
world is expressed in his songs.
yodel (verb): to sing in a way that quickly changes from a very high voice
to a normal voice - When I tried to yodel, everyone laughed.