Whole rest:
Half rest:
Quarter rest:
Eighth rest:
Sixteenth rest:
accent
To play a beat or note more loudly than the beats or notes surrounding it, thereby emphasizing it.
arpeggio
A chord that is played one note at a time in sequential order, either ascending or descending.
articulation syllables
Letter sounds like “D” and “T” that you make with your mouth at the beginning of each note to release a concentrated amount of air that produces the hard attack.
attack
The way a note begins, from softly to loudly and from smoothly to sharply.
balance
The relationship between the volumes of the different instruments playing together.
bar lines
The vertical lines that divide measures, also known as “bars,” in musical notation.
bass clef
Signified by this symbol ?. The lines of the staff, from bottom to top, represent G B D F A.
beat
The pulse of a piece of music, usually the note that gets one beat in the time signature.
bending
Shifting the pitch of a note either higher or lower.
blow bend
An exhale bend that vibrates both reeds simultaneously to produce a bend effect that pulls the note down.
blue notes
Changes made to the major scale, specifically a flatted third and a flatted seventh note, that create harmonic tension between sounds usually identified with a major scale and a minor scale. A flatted fifth is also frequently used as an additional blue note.
A variation of the pentatonic scale that adds a passing tone between the third and fourth notes, creating a six-note scale. In the key of C, the scale would be C E♭ F F♯ G B♭.
bump bend up
A blow bend that begins with the original note, bends it up, and then returns to the original note.
chart
This notation has the melody written out on the staff and chord symbols written above the staff, but no lyrics.
chord
Three or more notes played at the same time.
chord chart
Notation that has only the chord changes of the progression, written as chord symbols, with no melody shown.
chord melodies
Created by playing the notes above and below the main melody note to create the chords, forming a sound like a three-part harmony.
chord progression
A series of chords that are played to accompany the melody of a song.
chord symbol
A way of writing a chord in letter form, rather than as a stack of notes on the staff, such as “Gm7” for a G minor seventh chord.
chorus
One time through a chord progression, generally used to define the length, or number of choruses, of a solo.
chromatic
A scale with thirteen notes from octave to octave, which includes every possible note in the scale that exists between the two octaves.
circular breathing
A breathing technique that allows a musician to play a continuous stream of notes indefinitely.
clef symbol
The symbol tells you what notes the lines and spaces of the staff stand for.
comping
Short for complementing—playing in a way that supports and encourages a soloist.
consonance
A sound where all the notes are in tune with each other and form a stable, pleasant sound.
country scale
A variation of the major scale that’s often used in country and folk music for its natural bouncy rhythm. It’s played by selecting the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth (octave) notes of the major scale. The scale is also known as a major pentatonic scale.
cross harp
Selecting a harp tuned to the key three notes above the key of the song you want to play, and then playing in second position.
delay
Making a copy of your original sound and then repeating it after a short delay, hence the name.
diatonic
A scale with eight notes from octave to octave, which contains only the notes in the scale of the key being played.
dip bend down
A draw bend that begins with the original note, bends it down, and then returns to the original note.
direct box
A box that accepts your mic’s 1/4-inch plug and comes out with a three-pin balanced output jack, used to plug an instrument or microphone directly into a PA system.
An unstable tonal quality where the combination of notes being played clash with each other and make the listener wish for resolution.
distortion
An effect created naturally by overdriving an amplifier to produce a long sustain, or created artificially by using an effects box.
dominant
The fifth degree of the scale.
Dorian mode
A minor scale that has a flatted third and a flatted seventh (but no flatted sixth as in the natural minor).
dotted note
When a dot appears after a note it means that the note is to be played for half again its usual time value. For example, a dot written after a half note, which normally gets two beats in 4/4 time, would now be played for three beats instead.
dotted rest
When a dot appears after a rest it means that the rest is to be held for half again its usual time value. For example, a dot written after a half rest, which normally gets held for two beats in 4/4 time, would now be held for three beats instead.
double bend down
A draw bend executed twice in rapid succession.
doubling
Using two voices to play the same note, phrase, or part.
draw bend
An inhale bend that pulls both the draw reed and the blow reed simultaneously, creating a new note that is neither of the reeds’ natural tunings. The overall effect of a draw bend is always to pull the pitch of the note down.
draw harp
Selecting a harp tuned one note below the key of the song you want to play and then playing in third position.
How loudly or softly you’re playing.
ear training
A series of exercises that teach you the skill of listening to a note or phrase and then reproducing it on your instrument.
echo
The repeated reproduction of the original sound.
embouchure
The manner in which the inside of the mouth is adjusted relative to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument to create various effects.
ensemble playing
Playing music with other musicians in a duet or group setting.
fifth position
Begins on the 5 blow and enables you to play another type of minor scale known as the Phrygian mode.
first position
Playing the major scale that the harmonica is tuned to, usually focusing on holes 4, 5, 6, and 7 blow.
flat sign
Looks like this: ♭. When it’s written directly in front of a note it means the note is to be lowered one half step below normal.
flatted note
A note that’s lowered one half step.
fourth position
Begins on the 6 draw and enables you to play a natural minor scale in A when played on a C diatonic harmonica.
half step
The smallest space between two notes in Western music.
half-step down bend
A draw bend that bends the original note down one half step.
The spontaneous creation of music in the immediate moment, played without any written music or notation for guidance.
interval
Two notes played at the same time.
key signature
This appears after the clef symbol in the first measure, and is expressed by one or more sharp signs or flat signs (one type or the other). Because every key has different notes that are always sharp or flat in its scale, these sharps or flats tell you that those notes will always be sharp or flat throughout the entire piece of music, unless otherwise indicated.
lead sheet
Also known as sheet music, this notation has the melody line written in notes on the staff, with chord symbols above the staff and the lyrics to the song written below the staff.
major pentatonic
A variation of the major scale that’s often used in country and folk music for its natural bouncy rhythm. It’s played by selecting the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, and eighth (octave) notes of the major scale. The scale is also known as a country scale.
melody
A succession of notes assembled to form a purposeful sequence.
metronome
A device, either mechanical or electronic, that establishes a steady, reliable beat.
modes
Classical scales that grew out of ancient Greek music. They are centered around the notes of a C major scale, and each of the seven modes uses the same consecutive notes of that C major scale—but each mode begins on a different note of that scale.
musical notation
Any written system of communicating how to play music.
natural sign
Looks like this: ♮. This sign is placed directly in front of a note when a note that’s always supposed to be sharp or flat because of the key signature is instead to be played at its original pitch.
Two notes with the same letter that are twelve half steps apart.
overblow
An exhale that jams one of the reeds while vibrating the other reed to create an overtone above the original note.
overdrive
Pushing a tube amp into saturation by turning the volume up to the maximum to produce a natural distortion.
overtone
A separate note created by the vibration caused by playing your original note.
phrase
A group of notes that expresses one musical idea.
phrasing
The way notes are articulated and assembled into groups. A phrase is a group of notes that expresses a musical thought or idea.
Phrygian mode
A minor scale that has a flatted second in addition to a flatted sixth and seventh.
playing by ear
The skill of being able to hear a melody, a song, or any piece of music and then being able to play it.
polyrhythm
Two or more rhythms being played at the same time.
position
The location on the harmonica where you begin to play, which is usually where the tonic (first note) of the scale is for the key of the song you’re playing.
prebend
A bend that begins with the bent note and returns to the original note.
range
All of the notes that can be played on an instrument, from the lowest to the highest.
Symbols that tell you how long you’ll be resting (as opposed to playing) within each measure.
Whole rest: |
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Half rest: |
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Quarter rest: |
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Eighth rest: |
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Sixteenth rest: |
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regeneration
Having more than one echo repeat after your original sound because the output from the delay is being fed back into the input over and over again. This creates the sound of multiple echoes that fade in volume as they repeat.
reverb
Short for reverberation, which is the bouncing of sound waves off of many different surfaces in an enclosed space at one time.
riff
A series of notes that create a musical idea or phrase.
scale degree
The numerical position a note holds in a scale. Every chord has a root, a third, and a fifth.
second position
Playing the blues scale in the key a fifth above the key the harmonica is tuned to, focusing on holes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 draw.
sharp sign
Looks like this: ♯. When it’s written directly in front of a note it means that note is to be raised one half step above normal.
A rhythm in 4/4 time where each of the four beats in the measure is divided into triplets. The rhythm is then further refined by accenting just the first and last beat of each group of triplets. It sounds like “shuffle-shuffle-shuffle-shuffle.”
slapback
The sound of an instrument bouncing once off the back wall of a room, giving your notes a concert-hall quality.
slur
Represented by a curved line over or under a group of notes, a group of notes played together smoothly with one note flowing directly into the next, as opposed to each note having a separate hard attack.
staccato
To hold a note or chord for as short a duration as possible, like a short burst of sound.
staff
The five vertical lines on which standard musical notation is written.
standard notation
The most common form of musical notation where all notes and chords are written on a staff of five vertical lines, and all the information you need to play the music—including what key the music is in, what the time signature is, what speed to play it, how loudly or softly to play it, and exactly how long to play each note—is precisely specified.
straight harp
Selecting a harp that’s in the same key as the song you want to play and then playing the melody in first position.
subdominant
The fourth degree of the scale.
syncopation
The emphasizing of beats that are normally not the strong or accented beats in the rhythm you’re playing.
tablature
A form of musical notation that tells you where on your instrument to put your fingers—or in the case of the harmonica, your lips. Because tablature is based on a representation of the physical instrument itself, it is specific to one instrument, so harmonica tablature is completely different from guitar tablature or bagpipe tablature. Besides telling which holes on the harp to use, harmonica tablature, or tab for short, tells you whether you should blow or draw that hole, and also whether you should bend the note or not.
tempo
The speed at which a piece of music is played.
third
An interval of two notes in a scale separated by one note.
third position
Playing the minor scale one note above the key the harmonica is tuned to, focusing on holes 4, 5, 6, and 7 draw.
tie
Represented by a curved line written between two notes of the same pitch, a tie means you are to hold the note for the total number of beats the two notes are worth together. For example, two half notes (each of which gets two beats) of the same pitch with a tie between them would be played as one note held for four beats.
time signature
The third thing that appears in the first measure after the clef symbol and the key signature. Expressed as two numbers, one above the other, the top number tells you how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number tells you what kind of note gets counted as one beat. For example, in 3/4 time there are three beats per measure and the quarter note gets one beat. In 3/8 time there are three beats per measure and the eighth note gets one beat.
tongue shuffle
A technique that combines the techniques of tongue vamping, tongue slapping, octaves, and single notes to create a repeating shuffle rhythm.
A technique that employs basic tongue blocking and adds the action of moving the tongue on and off of the comb to block and unblock holes in order to change the number of notes being played at one time.
tongue vamping
A technique that combines the techniques of tongue blocking and tongue slapping to create a repeating rhythmic pattern of alternating single notes and chord sounds.
tonic
The first note of a scale, and also the first note of the scale of the key the song is in.
treble clef
Signified by this symbol &, the lines of the staff from bottom to top represent E G B D F.
tremolo
A sound created by running the volume control of an amplifier through a slow wave form that uniformly raises and lowers the volume at an even pace. This subtle wavering of the volume overlays the sound with a pleasant texture.
triad
A three-note chord made up of the first, third, and fifth notes of a scale.
trill
Two notes played in rapidly alternating manner.
triplets
A rhythm where each individual beat in the measure is divided into three equal parts.
voicing
The order in which the notes of a chord are played.
whole-step down bend
A draw bend that bends the original note down one whole step.