The Austin Guitar School Online Music Dictionary
From the Live Music Capital of the World!
A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z
- The first note in the Chromatic scale.
A string
Amplifier
- An electrical device consisting of circuitry and one or more speakers, which amplifies
the sound of a Guitar.
Bass
- A musical instrument invented by Leo Fender in 1952, also modern variants of same. Also, a traditional instrument more formally known as 'double' or 'contra' bass, which is the largest and lowest pitched member of the viol family, upon which Fender based his invention.
Blues
- A style of music originating in the southern United States; the complete description of which would require several full length books; also a chord progression, usually 12 bars in length, common to this and other types of music.
Blues Scale
- A scale consisting of the Pentonic Minor with a tritone added, e.g. A-C-D-D#-E-G-A
Bridge
- A structure on the Guitar body, holding the strings at the correct height.
B string
- On guitar, the second smallest string, tuned to 252 Hz; On 5 and 6 string Basses , the largest string, tuned to 31.5 Hz.
Chord
- A group of three or more notes, usually played simultaneously.(for chord construction info, click here.)
Chord Progression
- A sequence of chords, used as a basic structure for a song.
Chromatic
- Consisting of Half steps.
C string
D string
Diatonic
- Music making use of the Major or Harmonic Minor scales, or their associated harmonies.
E string
- On guitar, both outside strings are usually tuned to E, the larger one at 80 Hz, the smaller at 320 Hz; on 4 string Bass , the largest string, tuned to 40 Hz; on 5 and 6 strings, the E string is usually the second largest string.
Fret
- Metal strips set into the necks of Guitars, and most Bass es, generally referred to by number, beginning at the peghead end of the neck.
Fretless Bass
- A Bass without frets, the fingerboard is smooth like that of a violin.
G string
- On Guitar , the third smallest string, tuned to 196 Hz. On Bass the G string is tuned to 98 Hz, and is usually the smallest string. ( On 6 string basses G is the second smallest string).
Guitar
Half Step
Hammer-on
- A note played by 'hammering' with the fretting hand, rather than picking with the picking hand. Hammered notes usually sound more legato than picked ones.
Harmonic Minor
- A scale identical to the Natural Minor , but with a raised 7th, e.g. A-B-C-D-E-F-G#-A.
Harmony
Hz
- Abbreviation for 'Hertz', the scientific unit for pitch, in cycles per second. All notes have a specific pitch, the higher the number, the higher the note; the lower the number, the lower the note.
Interval
- The distance, or more accurately the relationship, between two notes. Intervals can be refered to by number, i.e. 5ths, 3rds, etc., or by quality and number, i.e. major 7th, minor 3rd, etc.
Intonation
- The overall tuning of a Guitar. Bad intonation will cause notes on the upper Frets to be out of tune, even if the open strings are in tune. Intonation is usually fixed by adjusting the Bridge.
Jazz
- A style of music, generally characterized by harmonic sophistication and swing rhythm.
Jazz Bass
- A Bass manufactured by the Fender Guitar company. Jazzes usually have 2 single coil pickups, and slimmer than average necks. They are used in all styles of music.
Legato
- An expression indicating that no space or silence whatsoever should be audible between the designated notes. Compare to Stacatto.
Major
- A name for a harmonic quality, e.g. a major 3rd, or a major key. Major intervals are generally one half step larger than corresponding minor intervals.
Major Scale
- A scale consisting of a whole step. , a whole step, a half step, a whole step, a whole step, a whole step, and a half step, e.g. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
Melody
Minor
- A name for a harmonic quality, e.g. a minor 3rd, or a minor key.
Minor Scale
- One of a number of scales related to the major, for example, the Harmonic Minor, Natural Minor, or Pentonic Minor.
Natural Minor
- The sixth mode of the major scale, e.g. A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A.
Octave
- An interval consisting of 2 notes whose frequencies in Hz are even multiples of each other, e.g. the 40hz E string on the bass, and the 80 hz low E string on the guitar, are said to be 1 octave apart.
Open String
- A string played without being held down at any fret.
Open Voicing
Pentatonic Major
- A scale consisting of the Major Scale, with the 4th and 7th notes removed. e.g. A-B-C#-E-F#-A.
Pentatonic Minor
- A scale consisting of the Natural Minor scale with the second and sixth notes removed. e.g. A-C-D-E-G-A.
Queen
- English rock group, now disbanded.
Rhythm
Rubato
- played without strict tempo, i.e. the performer may speed up or slow down at will.
Stacatto
Tempo
Tritone
Tube amp
- An amplifier amplifier using vacuum tube in place of transistors; in most cases, tube amps are heavier, more expensive, more delicate, run hotter, and sound much better, than solid state amps.
Unplugged
- Popular marketing scheme.
Valve
- British term for tube.
Voice
- A single note within a chord.
Whole step
- An interval equal to 2 Half steps.
Zap
- Instrumental by Eric Johnston.
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