Index Page

T

Tie - A curved line over or below two or more notes of the same pitch. The first pitch is sung or played and held for the duration of the notes affected by the tie.

Third - The interval of three diatonic degrees.

Time Signature - The numbers written on staff of any piece, indicating which type of note gets a single beat, and also how many beats are in each measure.

Tonic - The first note of a key. Also, the name of the chord built on the first degree of the scale, indicated by I in a major key or i in a minor key.

Tonal Music - with a center, or tonic, which employs tones which relate to that tonic in a predictable and measurable manner.

Tonic  - The key center, or foundation of, a scale or melody.

tranqudlo -calmness, quietness

tre - three

Treble - The highest voice, instrument, or part.

Treble Clef -  The G clef falling on the second line of the staff. Used with the bass clef to form the grand staff.

tre corde - three strings, an indication to stop using the soft pedal

tremolo - rapid repetition of a note

Triad - A chord consisting of a root, and two other members, usually a third and a fifth.

Trill -   An ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two pitches, the main pitch, and the pitch a whole or half step above it.

Turn - An ornament consisting of four or five notes that move up and down 'around' a given pitch, using that pitch as a tonal center.

troppo - too much; non troppo not too much

tutta - all, the whole

tutti - as indicated above

Twelve-Tone Music - Music in which no pitch class (or note) is repeated until all other chromatic pitches have been used. Any group of twelve pitches arranged this way is called a row.

 Glenn Bonney's Music School © 2000