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Accidental – a symbol placed in front of a note that modifies the pitch.

Alto clef – a C clef that defines the third line as C4.

Bass clef – an F clef that defines the fourth line as F3.

Centric – music that emphasizes specific pitches over others.

Clef – a symbol when placed in a staff, determines the specific pitches for each line and space.

Common Practice – the period of time in classical music when tonality was the main musical organizing principle. Approximately 1600-1900.

Double flat – an accidental that lowers the following pitch by a whole step.

Double sharp – an accidental that raises the following pitch by a whole step.

Flat – an accidental that lowers the following pitch by a half step.

Half step – the distance between adjacent keys on a musical keyboard.

Key – A specific pitch collection and scale that organizes a section or whole piece of music.

Key Signature – A set of accidental placed at the beginning of a staff to show which accidentals should be applied.

Natural – an accidental that cancels the previous accidental.

Note – a symbol we use to notate pitch

Octave designation – the number added to a pitch name that determines the specific octave.

Pitch – highness or lowness of a musical sound.

Pitch collection – a group of unordered pitches.

Scale – an ordered pitch collection that goes from lowest to highest pitch and vice versa.

Sharp – an accidental that raises the following pitch by a half step.

Tenor clef – a C clef that defines the fourth line as C4.

Tonality – a way of organizing music where a single pitch is more important than the others. A narrow definition would mean Major-Minor Tonality, which includes the harmonic principles of common practice music. A broad definition would include centric music where any way of organizing harmony is possible.

Treble clef – a G clef that defines the second line as G4.

Whole step – the distance between two keys on a musical keyboard where you skip the single key in between.