Vocabulary of Music (EnglishClub)

EnglishClub Wordchecker

acoustic (adjective): without inbuilt electrical equipment to amplify the sound -

I can play acoustic guitar, but I can't play electric guitar.

album (noun): a collection of songs released as a digital download or a 12-inch

LP record - Do you have Michael Jackson's album Thriller?

alternative hip hop (noun): any style that isn't mainstream commercial hip
hop - Have you heard much alternative hip hop?

alternative rock (noun): non-mainstream rock music inspired by punk and

post-punk - My sister likes pop music, but I like alternative rock.

ambient music (noun): calming, atmospheric background music - Have you

heard Brian Eno's ambient music?

amplify (verb): to make sounds louder, esp. by using electrical equipment - If

we don't amplify the drums, they'll be hard to hear.

artist (noun): a professional singer, musician or songwriter - Taylor Swift has

become one of music's best-selling artists.

art music (noun): music written and performed by professional musicians

mostly for the upper classes, like classical Indian music and European opera -
Wealthy Chinese lords paid musicians to play relaxing art music, while poor
people played lively folk music for fun.

audio editing software (noun): software used to produce music, movie

soundtracks, etc. - Before we had audio editing software, we used tape loops.

authentic (adjective): real or genuine - You can still see an authentic Chinese
opera in Beijing.

autoharp (noun): a small harp with buttons to press for playing chords - Is the
autoharp used much in bluegrass music?

avant-garde (adjective): new, unusual and experimental - Harry makes avant-

garde electronic music in his spare time.

backbeat (noun): a beat counted as "two" or "four" in 4/4 rhythm - Can you
hear the snare drum playing on the backbeats?

backing singer (also "backing vocalist") (noun): a singer who gives vocal
support to a lead singer - Tessa was one of Joe Cocker's backing singers.

ballad (noun): a slow song usually about love - Janis sings up-tempo rock
songs as well as slow ballads.
banjo (noun): an African American stringed instrument based on the African
kora - Do you play four-string or five-string banjo?

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?

bluegrass (noun): a style of country music based on old-time Appalachian

music - We're going to a bluegrass concert tonight.

(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.

breakbeat (noun): a syncopated jazz or funk rhythm of the sort sampled in hip
hop music - Hip hop and dubstep use breakbeats, not disco beats.

breakdancing (noun): a style of street-dancing in hip hop culture - The

breakdancing in this Turf Feinz video is incredible.

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.

classical music (noun): European orchestral and keyboard music that's written
by composers - Sayoko loves classical music, especially Chopin's piano pieces.

collaborate (verb): to work together with someone to produce something - Has

Kanye collaborated with Drake yet?

commercial (adjective): made in order to be popular and make money -

Garth's country music is much too commercial for me.

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.

deejay (verb): to perform the skills of a club or hip hop DJ - Who's deejaying
for Nas these days?

disco (also "discotheque") (noun): a 70s nightclub in which DJs played

dance records - The gay discos in New York were fabulous.
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?

drum machine (noun): an electronic instrument that makes sequenced drum

sounds - Our drummer quit, so we're using a drum machine now.

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?

explicit (adjective): offensive, obscene or "rude" language - Has the album got
an explicit language warning?

fan (noun): someone who likes a particular artist or band very much - Our
teacher's a really big fan of Eminem.

feedback (noun): a high-pitched noise made when a microphone is close to a

loudspeaker - How do you control feedback so it fits the music?

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 music (noun): traditional music from a particular region or country - Did
you hear any folk music while you were in Chile?

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.

formula (noun): a method or plan that's believed to succeed - What's your

formula for success in business?

four-on-the-floor (noun): a 4/4 rhythm with bass drum on the beat and hi-hat
on the offbeats - Terry's sick of playing those four-on-the-floor disco beats.

funk (or "funk music") (noun): rhythmic groove-based music that developed
from soul in the 60s - Bootsy Collins was the best funk bass player ever.

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!

genre (noun): a kind or style of music, movie, TV show, painting, etc. - In

music classes at school, the only genres we studied were classical music and
jazz.

G-Funk (noun): funk-based subgenre of gangsta rap - What's your favourite G-

Funk track?

glam rock (noun): a rock style in which male artists wore make-up and
glamorous clothes - David Bowie had many styles besides glam rock.

gospel music (noun): rhythmic church music of African American Christians -

They sang great gospel music in those old churches.

graffiti art (noun): street art that's drawn, painted or sprayed in public places -
What do you think of Banksy's graffiti art?

groove (noun): a highly-rhythmic pattern repeated for a long time, esp. in funk
music - Hip hop artists still sample James Brown's funk grooves.

grunge (noun): punk-based alternative rock that developed in the USA in the
90s - Wasn't Nirvana the first grunge band?

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.

hillbilly (noun): an impolite word meaning a poor mountain farmer in the

U.S.A. - In Nashville, old-time music was called hillbilly music.

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!

horn section (noun): a group of musicians playing brass instruments and

saxophones - How many songs does the horn section play on?

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.

house producer (noun): one of a record company's full-time music producers -

How many house producers does Sony Music have?

hymn (noun): a religious song that's sung in church - My grandma loves

singing those old hymns.

improvise (verb): to invent music spontaneously while playing - If you want to

be a jazz musician, you have to learn how to improvise.

instrumental (adjective): played on instruments, without vocals - There's a

long instrumental section in the middle of the song.

jazz (noun): a genre in which artists improvise within a rhythmic and harmonic
framework - We've got all John Coltrane's jazz records.

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?

live (adjective): played at a concert in front of an audience - You don't hear live
music in dance clubs anymore, only recorded music.
lyrics (noun): the words of a song - If you don't listen to the lyrics, you won't
know what a song is about.

mainstream (adjective): normal and preferred by most people - Most people

like mainstream hip hop more than alternative hip hop.

mandolin (noun): a stringed instrument like a guitar with a curved back - You
can hear mandolin on those early old-time recordings.

MC (or "Master of Ceremonies") (noun): a DJ's onstage announcer, esp. one

who raps - Does your MC ever forget his raps?

melody (noun): a tune, or the notes of a song - Can you whistle the song's
melody?

mixtape (noun): a collection of free tracks, usually downloadable or on cassette

tape - Let's download some more mixtapes.

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.

old-time music (also "hillbilly music") (noun): country music originating in

the Appalachian mountains of the USA - Do people still play old-time music
much?

outlaw country (noun): a style of country music popular in the 1960s - Johnny
Cash was one of those outlaw country singers.

pedal steel guitar (noun): an electric steel guitar on a stand with foot pedals
for changing the sound - He's teaching us pedal steel guitar.

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.

post-punk (adjective): of a style of experimental rock that developed after

punk - Have you heard of a post-punk band called Joy Division?
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?

progressive EDM (noun): EDM made for listening to as well as dancing to - I

listen to progressive EDM when I'm on the bus.

protest song (noun): a song with lyrics that protest against war, injustice, etc.
- Why don't people write protest songs anymore?

psychedelic (adjective): related to powerful drugs like LSD - Lots of bands

used psychedelic designs on their album covers in the 60s.

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?

record (noun): a thin disc of black plastic on which recorded music is imprinted
and sold - I bought lots of punk records in the 70s.

recording (noun): a piece of music that's recorded in a studio or at a concert -

It's one of the best recordings they've made.

recording session (noun): time spent recording in a music studio - We've got
a recording session on Monday morning.

reggae music (noun): a genre of music that developed in Jamaica in the 1960s
- If you want to hear reggae music, try Bob Marley and the Wailers.

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.

reverb (noun): an electronic sound effect similar to an echo - They used lots of
reverb on those early Beach Boys songs.

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.

riff (noun): a repeated series of chords or notes, esp. on electric guitar - Justin
wants to learn some heavy metal riffs.

rockabilly (noun): a style that mixes Western swing and R&B - Sam recorded
lots of rockabilly songs at Sun Studio in Memphis.

rock music (noun): rhythmic blues-based music played on guitar, bass, drums,
etc. - Let's listen to some rock music for a change.

sample (verb): to copy a sound or section of music from a record or audio file -
We sampled a snare-drum break from an old soul record.

sample-heavy (adjective): having many sampled sounds - If you like sample-

heavy hip hop, you'll love this album.

scale (noun): a series of notes in a fixed order from lowest to highest - The
major and minor scales each have seven notes.

scratching (noun): moving a record quickly on a turntable to create a rhythmic

scratching sound - There's a lot of scratching in his beats.

secular (adjective): not religious, or with no connection to religion - Sam Cooke

recorded secular versions of old gospel songs.

session musician (noun): a musician who can be hired to play on a recording -

Session musicians don't get much work these days.

set (noun): a group of songs performed one after the other - How many songs
were in the band's first set?

singer-songwriter (noun): a musician who writes and performs his or her own
songs - Most singer-songwriters also play guitar or keyboards.

single (noun): a song released as a digital download, or as one of two songs on

a 7-inch record - Have you heard their latest single?

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.

soundtrack album (noun): an album containing music made for a film - Has
the soundtrack album been released yet?

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.

synthesizer (noun): an instrument that makes and combines electronic sounds

- Matt played organ and synthesizer in Use No Hooks.

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.

tour (verb): to perform concerts in a series of cities or countries - The Rolling

Stones are touring Europe later this year.

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.

trance (noun): a subgenre of techno with electronic beats and dreamy textures
- Dad's dancing to his old trance records again!

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!

twelve-inch single (noun): a special single that's longer than usual - Twelve-
inch singles of Sylvester's disco songs are awesome.

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.

wah-wah pedal (noun): a pedal pushed with the foot to electronically change
a guitar sound - Listen to Shaft by Isaac Hayes if you want to hear a wah-wah
pedal.

Western (country) music (noun): a style of country music that developed in

the western states of the USA - My dad likes Western music more than old-time
country music.

Western swing (noun): a style that mixes Western music and big-band swing
jazz - Those Western swing records are great to dance to.

woodwind (noun): instruments played by blowing across a hole (e.g. flute) or

through a reed (e.g. saxophone) - Are you sure the saxophone is a woodwind
instrument?

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.