Explore Music Theory with clear music dictionary guides to notes, scales, chords, rhythm, harmony, melody, and musical structure.
The minor sixth is a musical interval spanning eight semitones, equivalent to a distance of 800 cents in equal temperament. It can be heard in melody and harmony across many musical styles and has distinct acoustic properties in just intonation.
A major second is a musical interval spanning two semitones, also known as a whole tone. It is one of the basic building blocks of Western tonal music, appearing in scales, melodies, and harmonies.
A minor seventh is an interval spanning ten semitones, commonly used in chords, melodies, and harmonic progressions across many musical styles.
In music, an upbeat (also called a pickup or anacrusis) is the unaccented portion of a phrase that precedes the first strong beat of a measure. It appears in notation as notes before the bar line and serves as a preparatory cue for performers.
A triad is a three‑note chord built from stacked thirds, forming the basic harmonic unit in Western music. Its quality—major, minor, diminished, or augmented—determines its emotional character and functional role within a key.
A deceptive cadence is a harmonic progression that subverts the expected resolution from the dominant chord to the tonic, typically moving to the vi chord instead. It creates surprise and prolongs tension, and is a staple of tonal music from the Baroque era to contemporary pop.
A compound interval is a musical interval that spans more than an octave, such as a ninth or thirteenth. It is measured by counting the number of scale degrees and quality, extending the principles used for simple intervals.
Atonality is a compositional approach that deliberately avoids establishing a key centre, emerging in the early twentieth century and reshaping modern music theory and practice.
The Lydian mode is a diatonic musical scale that can be thought of as a major scale with a raised fourth degree, giving it a bright, floating quality.
Subdivision in music refers to the practice of breaking a beat or a larger rhythmic value into smaller, regular units, enabling precise timing and complex rhythmic patterns.