| Accidental | A sharp, flat, or natural sign that changes a note’s pitch outside the key signature. Lasts for the rest of that measure only. |
| Arpeggio | The notes of a chord played one at a time instead of together. Like a “broken chord” played in sequence. |
| Bar / Measure | A section of music between two bar lines. Contains a fixed number of beats set by the time signature. |
| Bar Line | A vertical line on the staff that divides music into measures. |
| Beat | The basic unit of time in music. When you tap your foot to a song, each tap is a beat. |
| Chord | Three or more notes played at the same time. The most basic chord is a triad (3 notes). |
| Chromatic | Moving by half steps. A chromatic scale plays every key (black and white) in order. |
| Clef | A symbol at the start of the staff that tells you which notes the lines and spaces represent. |
| Diatonic | Notes that belong to a particular key or scale. The opposite of chromatic. |
| Enharmonic | Two note names for the same key on the keyboard. For example, F# and Gb are enharmonic — same key, different names. |
| Flat | Lowers a note by one half step. Written as “b” (e.g., Bb). On the keyboard, usually the black key to the left. |
| Half Step | The smallest distance between two keys on the keyboard (e.g., E to F, or C to C#). |
| Harmony | Two or more notes sounding at the same time. Chords create harmony. |
| Interval | The distance between two notes. Named by counting letter names: C to E = a 3rd (C, D, E = 3 letters). |
| Inversion | A chord rearranged so a note other than the root is on the bottom. C major root = C-E-G; 1st inversion = E-G-C. |
| Key Signature | The sharps or flats written at the beginning of each line of music. Tells you which key the piece is in. |
| Melody | A sequence of single notes that form a recognizable tune — the part you sing or hum. |
| Natural | Cancels a sharp or flat, returning the note to its unaltered pitch. Written as a symbol before the note. |
| Note | A single musical sound with a specific pitch and duration. Also refers to the written symbol on the staff. |
| Octave | The distance of 8 letter names (e.g., C to the next C). Notes an octave apart sound “the same but higher/lower.” |
| Progression | A sequence of chords that move from one to the next. Written with Roman numerals (e.g., I-IV-V-I). |
| Relative Major / Minor | A major and minor key that share the same key signature. C major and A minor are relatives (both have no sharps or flats). |
| Rest | A symbol indicating silence for a specific duration. There is a rest symbol matching each note value. |
| Rhythm | The pattern of long and short sounds and silences in music. How notes are arranged in time. |
| Roman Numeral | A way to label chords by their position in a key. Uppercase = major (I, IV, V), lowercase = minor (ii, iii, vi). |
| Root Position | A chord with its root (name note) as the lowest note. C major in root position = C-E-G. |
| Scale | A series of notes going up or down in a set pattern of whole and half steps. Like a musical ladder. |
| Sharp | Raises a note by one half step. Written as ”#” (e.g., F#). On the keyboard, usually the black key to the right. |
| Staff / Stave | The 5 horizontal lines on which music is written. Notes sit on lines or in spaces between them. |
| Tempo | The speed of the music. Measured in BPM (beats per minute). Higher BPM = faster music. |
| Time Signature | Two numbers at the start of a piece. Top number = beats per measure. Bottom number = which note gets one beat. |
| Transposition | Moving a piece of music to a different key. All notes shift by the same interval, but the melody sounds the same. |
| Treble | The higher range of notes. The treble clef is used for notes above middle C, typically played by the right hand. |
| Bass | The lower range of notes. The bass clef is used for notes below middle C, typically played by the left hand. |
| Triad | A three-note chord built by stacking two intervals of a 3rd. The most common chord type for beginners. |
| Unison | Two notes at the same pitch. Playing the same note with both hands = playing in unison. |
| Whole Step | A distance of two half steps (e.g., C to D, or E to F#). Skip one key on the keyboard. |
