by Mike Overly
A glossary is an alphabetical list of words and terms about a specific subject, followed by their definition. A glossary is like a brief dictionary. A words definition can change over time!
In ancient Greece, glossa meant: a word or term which needed to be defined or explained. Then, around 1550, glossa's meaning change to: the definition or explanation of a difficult word or term. And, as we all know, if it’s difficult ~ it’s probably important. Over time, glossa was shortened to gloss, and today gloss means: to define, explain, interpret, translate, or paraphrase a word or term.
Ary derives from the Medieval Latin, aris meaning: belonging to, and arius meaning: connected with. So, gloss (words and terms) + ary (belonging to music and connected with the bass) = glossary.
Abridged means: not complete, and since every word and term used to communicate music, bass and musician can’t be listed… here are a few words and terms, taken from the Tone Note® Music Method for Bass to get you started.
1st Dimension - width, 1D, how wide something is, interval
2nd Dimension - height, 2D, how high something is, treble
3rd Dimension - depth, 3D, how deep something is, bass
4th Dimension - time, 4D, how much space is between two sounds, motion, rhythm
Able (Ability) - capable of technique, skillAccidentals - natural, flat and sharp signs
Again - more than one time, repeat
Analog - does not stop, continuous, connected from the beginning to the end
Anchor Finger - the left hand finger that is connected to the key letter; form
Arpeggio - harmony of three or more different letters sounded one at a time
Attention - conscious of perceiving only one
Audition - hearing, listening, or, a music competition
Aware(ness) - conscious of perceiving more than one
Bass - instrument of 4, 5 or 6 strings and 12 frets in one octave, low frequency
Beat - a steady counted pulse, tempo, rhythm
Beginning - where you should start
B.P.M. - beats per minute, steady and even tempo, metronome mark
Bridge - bass part opposite the nut, or, a song part that connects the verse to the chorus
Change - to become something different, variable
Chorus - song part that usually states the title
Chromatic - flat and sharp, not natural
Clock - steady and regular 60 beats per minute, does not change
Choice, Choose - using reason to decide “which one”; logic, philosophy, mind
Chord - harmony of three or more different letters sounded at the same time
Coda - ending, stop
Combine - to add, join or link together
Count - give beat numbers to a steady pulse, meter, time signature
Diagonal - 45 degree angle, slanted line
Different - not the same, variation, enharmonic
Digital - not connected, discrete, separated, fraction, fragment
Down - right hand strum, low to high pitch, thick string to thin string, stroke or ghost Duration - the length of time a sound or silence lasts, rhythm
End - the opposite of start at the beginning, coda, stop
Enharmonic - same sound, different symbol
Even - regular, equal, same, no variation
Exponential - two or more thoughts or ideas multiplied by each other
Flat Sign - not natural or sharp, one fret lower from any letter or tone number
Fine - the place between the beginning and the end of a song that the music is finished
Form - pattern created by the placement the musician’s anchor finger on a bass string, fraction
Fraction - a part or a piece, the disconnected and separated form, not the whole
Fragment - fraction of a fraction, a part or a piece of a form
Fret - vertical metal strip on the bass fretboard
Fret Zero - the sound at the nut played by using a left hand finger
Frequency - the number of vibrations per second, oscillation, pitch
Fundamental - tone 1, scale degree 1, root, tonic
Genre - categories such as: rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc.
Ghost Strum - a right hand motion, down or up, which does not make sound
Half-Step - interval of one fret
Harmony - interval, arpeggio or chord, letter or numeral symbol
Hearing - touching at a distance, listening, audition
Holistic - connected fragments and form fractions, not the whole
Horizontal - east and west, sideways, bass strings
Idea - the knowledge that thought carries, theory, mind
Improvise - free to choose,”variable, reason, mind
Interlude - play in the middle, usually between the chorus and the verse
Interval - distance or difference between two sounds or symbols
Isotonic - one sound with one location on the fretboard
Isotonic Thinking - one thought with one idea, theory, mind
Key - the letter of tone 1Key Letter - the letter of tone 1, scale degree 1, root, fundamental or tonic
Key Signature - the letters of tones 1 through 7; key plus signature
Key Tone - tone 1, scale degree 1, root, fundamental or tonic
Knowledge - that which is learned as an idea, carried back to the thinker as thought, mind
Layer - one in front of the other, music symbols seen on the bass fretboard
Learn - understand, comprehend, memorize and remember, mind
Left Hand - finger numbers 1 2 3 4, which fret the strings
Letter - first music symbol of pitch
Lick - a tone row of high sounds, 2D
Listening - awareness and attention to sound, more than just hearing
Location - the string and fret “place” of a pitch on the bass fretboard, position
Logic - thoughts and ideas “in-order,” using reasoning to “choose,” philosophy, mind
Mark - written symbol or sign; rhythm symbol of harmony
Measure - group of beats set by the meter, time signature
Meter - to measure, number of beats per bar or measure, top number of the time signatureMetronome - variable clock, steady and even pulse, tempo, bpm
Metronome Mark - beats per minute number, tempo, time
Melody - in-order scale played out of order, sounds one at a time that can’t be changed Mind - musician, location of the “thought carries idea” process, theory, thinking, philosophy
Modulate - change the key for only a part of the song
Music - Art: sound of Nature, artificial: sound of man, artifact: recording of man’s sound
Musician - the one who thinks music symbols to play music’s sound, mind
Natural Sign- not flat or sharp, the original 7 letters and tone numbers
Note - rhythm symbol of duration, connected to a tone number or placed on the staff
Number - numeric symbol for place and order
Numeral - third symbol of pitch, numeric symbol of harmony which indicates type
Numeric - the word, number and numeral for place or order: one, 1, I
Nut - bass part opposite the bridge, turned into fret zero or open by the musician
Octave - the same letter 12 frets apart, a first octave tone number plus 7 (1+7=8, 2+7=9, etc.)
Open - the sound at the nut not played by a left hand finger
Order - in or out of place, numeric
Oscillation - a single swing in one direction of a bass string, vibration, frequency, pitch
Pattern - a group of things; letter pattern, tone pattern, rhythm pattern
Perform(ance) - the result of practice, playing for others, technique, skill
Philosophy - thinking about thinking, choice, logic, reason, mind
Pick - a plectrum held by the right hand to strum the strings
Pitch - frequency, vibration, oscillation, letter, number, numeral and staff
Place - string and fret location on the bass fretboard, position
Play - will, ability, technique, skill
Position - a four-fret and 4, 5 or 6 string area on the bass fretboard; location, placePractice - repetition which leads to performance, technique, skill
Process - the analog flow of thought and idea, theory, mind
Pulse - a “sound in time” that is not a beat because it is not counted
Reason(ing) - method used to decide what to choose,”logic, philosophy, mind
Re - again, one more time
Refer - to bring the answer back to the question
Regular - equal distant, steady and even like a clock, metronome, tempo, rhythm, bpm
Repeat - more than one time, a music sign meaning to do again
Represent - present the sound again as symbol; letter, tone number, numeral, staff-note Result - a consequence or outcome
ReWrite® - to convert staff-note into tone number to create Tone
Note®Rhythm - beat plus notes or marks, two or more analog patterns at the same time
Riff - a tone row of low sounds, 3D
Right Hand - finger letters: T i m a c, which strum the strings
Root - tone 1, scale degree 1, fundamental, tonic, key tone or key letter
Same - not different, no variation
Separated - digital, fragment, form fraction
Scale - in-order sounds connect by steps; half-step (one fret) and whole-step (two frets)
Scale Degree - numeric tone number; also used to locate harmony numeral
Sharp Sign - not natural or flat, one fret higher from any letter or tone number
Sign - a call to action, tells you to do something, direction
Signature - what something is, key signature, time signature
Skill - ability and technique, practice, perform
Stack - one above the other, time signature
Staff - 5 horizontal parallel lines, pitch as letters, not TAB
Staff-Note - a connection of a rhythm note with a staff letter
Start - the best place to begin, there are many places to start but only one beginning
Steady - regular and even like a clock, tempo, beat, metronome
Steps - half step (one fret) and whole step (two frets), interval
Stop - at the end, coda
Strings - Bass has 4, 5 or 6
Stroke - a right hand strum down or up which makes sound
Strum - a right hand motion down or up; stroke or ghost
Style - a sub-category of a genre, such as: classic rock, smooth jazz, heavy metal, etc.
Symbol - represents sound as: letter, number, numeral, note, etc.
TAB - 4, 5 or 6 horizontal parallel lines (bass strings) with “layered” fret numbers, not staff
Technique - skill and ability, gets better over time; repeat, practice, perform
Tempo - rate of speed (slow or fast) of the steady beat, bpm, metronome mark
Theme - the original melody or “tone row”
Theory - to think, thought connected to idea, mind
Think(ing) - process of connecting thought with idea, awareness and attention
Thought - carries an idea (knowledge) back to the thinker; refer, theory, mind
Tie - a “curved line” that “connects” sound (tones and notes); silence (rests) do not get tied
Time - rhythm, 4D, motion, when a sound or silence occurs, pulse, beat, tempo, count
Time signature - meter and value numbers “stacked” one above the other
Tonic - tone 1, scale degree, fundamental, root
Tone Note® - the connection of a rhythm note with a tone number
Tone Number - second music symbol of pitch, scale degree
Tone Row - series of connected pitches as tone numbers; melody, lick, riff, etc.
Transpose - change the key of the entire song
Treble - high frequency, 2D
Type - what kind of scale, arpeggio or chord; major, minor, whole tone, etc.
Unison - the same sound in more than one location on the bass fretboard
Unison Thinking - one thought with two or more ideas
Up - right hand strum, high to low pitch, thin string to thick string; stroke or ghost
Value - one beat, bottom number of the time signature, note that gets one beat changes Variation - to change the original, different, not the same
Variable - able to change; metronome, improvise
Verse - song part that tells the story
Vertical - north and south, up and down; nut, bridge and frets
Vibration - repeated back and forth motion, oscillation, frequency, pitch
Whole - all, complete, undifferentiated fragments, forms fractions; not separated
Whole Step - interval of two frets, 1D
Will - self directed action behind thought and idea, play
Zero - the number 0 before 1, as in fret zero, not the letter O as in open
Congratulations! You now have the necessary vocabulary to begin playing music on your Bass!
So, 'till next time, begin having some grammar fun with your new found glossary ~ I'll be listening.
2013 GRAMMY®-Nominated Music Educator, Mike Overly easily combines the worlds of deeply-rooted academic study with a well-textured performance resume. His pathbreaking 12 Tone Music Publishing products, including the newly released Tone Note® Music Method for Bass, provide valuable illuminating insights while simplifying the learning process.
Join Mike at www.12tonemusic.com to explore and expand your knowledge of these two iconic instruments through a variety of reviews and interviews, tips and tricks and free lessons of remarkable originality, all presented in a family-friendly forum. Plus, as an added bonus, you get to follow Mr. Pick as he introduces you to fun fretboard games, jokes, riddles, quotes and more. Be sure to read the 12 Tone Music Blog where Mike offers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of his unique approach to solving the problems of modern musical notation and traditional guitar and bass methods. Mike Overly's unmatched perspective on fretboard education has something for everyone ~ from the amateur hobbyist to the serious professional player ~ as well as any music enthusiast who wants to come along for the ride.
Copyright ©2013, 12 Tone Music Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
A glossary is an alphabetical list of words and terms about a specific subject, followed by their definition. A glossary is like a brief dictionary. A words definition can change over time!
In ancient Greece, glossa meant: a word or term which needed to be defined or explained. Then, around 1550, glossa's meaning change to: the definition or explanation of a difficult word or term. And, as we all know, if it’s difficult ~ it’s probably important. Over time, glossa was shortened to gloss, and today gloss means: to define, explain, interpret, translate, or paraphrase a word or term.
Ary derives from the Medieval Latin, aris meaning: belonging to, and arius meaning: connected with. So, gloss (words and terms) + ary (belonging to music and connected with the bass) = glossary.
Abridged means: not complete, and since every word and term used to communicate music, bass and musician can’t be listed… here are a few words and terms, taken from the Tone Note® Music Method for Bass to get you started.
1st Dimension - width, 1D, how wide something is, interval
2nd Dimension - height, 2D, how high something is, treble
3rd Dimension - depth, 3D, how deep something is, bass
4th Dimension - time, 4D, how much space is between two sounds, motion, rhythm
Able (Ability) - capable of technique, skillAccidentals - natural, flat and sharp signs
Again - more than one time, repeat
Analog - does not stop, continuous, connected from the beginning to the end
Anchor Finger - the left hand finger that is connected to the key letter; form
Arpeggio - harmony of three or more different letters sounded one at a time
Attention - conscious of perceiving only one
Audition - hearing, listening, or, a music competition
Aware(ness) - conscious of perceiving more than one
Bass - instrument of 4, 5 or 6 strings and 12 frets in one octave, low frequency
Beat - a steady counted pulse, tempo, rhythm
Beginning - where you should start
B.P.M. - beats per minute, steady and even tempo, metronome mark
Bridge - bass part opposite the nut, or, a song part that connects the verse to the chorus
Change - to become something different, variable
Chorus - song part that usually states the title
Chromatic - flat and sharp, not natural
Clock - steady and regular 60 beats per minute, does not change
Choice, Choose - using reason to decide “which one”; logic, philosophy, mind
Chord - harmony of three or more different letters sounded at the same time
Coda - ending, stop
Combine - to add, join or link together
Count - give beat numbers to a steady pulse, meter, time signature
Diagonal - 45 degree angle, slanted line
Different - not the same, variation, enharmonic
Digital - not connected, discrete, separated, fraction, fragment
Down - right hand strum, low to high pitch, thick string to thin string, stroke or ghost Duration - the length of time a sound or silence lasts, rhythm
End - the opposite of start at the beginning, coda, stop
Enharmonic - same sound, different symbol
Even - regular, equal, same, no variation
Exponential - two or more thoughts or ideas multiplied by each other
Flat Sign - not natural or sharp, one fret lower from any letter or tone number
Fine - the place between the beginning and the end of a song that the music is finished
Form - pattern created by the placement the musician’s anchor finger on a bass string, fraction
Fraction - a part or a piece, the disconnected and separated form, not the whole
Fragment - fraction of a fraction, a part or a piece of a form
Fret - vertical metal strip on the bass fretboard
Fret Zero - the sound at the nut played by using a left hand finger
Frequency - the number of vibrations per second, oscillation, pitch
Fundamental - tone 1, scale degree 1, root, tonic
Genre - categories such as: rock, blues, jazz, classical, etc.
Ghost Strum - a right hand motion, down or up, which does not make sound
Half-Step - interval of one fret
Harmony - interval, arpeggio or chord, letter or numeral symbol
Hearing - touching at a distance, listening, audition
Holistic - connected fragments and form fractions, not the whole
Horizontal - east and west, sideways, bass strings
Idea - the knowledge that thought carries, theory, mind
Improvise - free to choose,”variable, reason, mind
Interlude - play in the middle, usually between the chorus and the verse
Interval - distance or difference between two sounds or symbols
Isotonic - one sound with one location on the fretboard
Isotonic Thinking - one thought with one idea, theory, mind
Key - the letter of tone 1Key Letter - the letter of tone 1, scale degree 1, root, fundamental or tonic
Key Signature - the letters of tones 1 through 7; key plus signature
Key Tone - tone 1, scale degree 1, root, fundamental or tonic
Knowledge - that which is learned as an idea, carried back to the thinker as thought, mind
Layer - one in front of the other, music symbols seen on the bass fretboard
Learn - understand, comprehend, memorize and remember, mind
Left Hand - finger numbers 1 2 3 4, which fret the strings
Letter - first music symbol of pitch
Lick - a tone row of high sounds, 2D
Listening - awareness and attention to sound, more than just hearing
Location - the string and fret “place” of a pitch on the bass fretboard, position
Logic - thoughts and ideas “in-order,” using reasoning to “choose,” philosophy, mind
Mark - written symbol or sign; rhythm symbol of harmony
Measure - group of beats set by the meter, time signature
Meter - to measure, number of beats per bar or measure, top number of the time signatureMetronome - variable clock, steady and even pulse, tempo, bpm
Metronome Mark - beats per minute number, tempo, time
Melody - in-order scale played out of order, sounds one at a time that can’t be changed Mind - musician, location of the “thought carries idea” process, theory, thinking, philosophy
Modulate - change the key for only a part of the song
Music - Art: sound of Nature, artificial: sound of man, artifact: recording of man’s sound
Musician - the one who thinks music symbols to play music’s sound, mind
Natural Sign- not flat or sharp, the original 7 letters and tone numbers
Note - rhythm symbol of duration, connected to a tone number or placed on the staff
Number - numeric symbol for place and order
Numeral - third symbol of pitch, numeric symbol of harmony which indicates type
Numeric - the word, number and numeral for place or order: one, 1, I
Nut - bass part opposite the bridge, turned into fret zero or open by the musician
Octave - the same letter 12 frets apart, a first octave tone number plus 7 (1+7=8, 2+7=9, etc.)
Open - the sound at the nut not played by a left hand finger
Order - in or out of place, numeric
Oscillation - a single swing in one direction of a bass string, vibration, frequency, pitch
Pattern - a group of things; letter pattern, tone pattern, rhythm pattern
Perform(ance) - the result of practice, playing for others, technique, skill
Philosophy - thinking about thinking, choice, logic, reason, mind
Pick - a plectrum held by the right hand to strum the strings
Pitch - frequency, vibration, oscillation, letter, number, numeral and staff
Place - string and fret location on the bass fretboard, position
Play - will, ability, technique, skill
Position - a four-fret and 4, 5 or 6 string area on the bass fretboard; location, placePractice - repetition which leads to performance, technique, skill
Process - the analog flow of thought and idea, theory, mind
Pulse - a “sound in time” that is not a beat because it is not counted
Reason(ing) - method used to decide what to choose,”logic, philosophy, mind
Re - again, one more time
Refer - to bring the answer back to the question
Regular - equal distant, steady and even like a clock, metronome, tempo, rhythm, bpm
Repeat - more than one time, a music sign meaning to do again
Represent - present the sound again as symbol; letter, tone number, numeral, staff-note Result - a consequence or outcome
ReWrite® - to convert staff-note into tone number to create Tone
Note®Rhythm - beat plus notes or marks, two or more analog patterns at the same time
Riff - a tone row of low sounds, 3D
Right Hand - finger letters: T i m a c, which strum the strings
Root - tone 1, scale degree 1, fundamental, tonic, key tone or key letter
Same - not different, no variation
Separated - digital, fragment, form fraction
Scale - in-order sounds connect by steps; half-step (one fret) and whole-step (two frets)
Scale Degree - numeric tone number; also used to locate harmony numeral
Sharp Sign - not natural or flat, one fret higher from any letter or tone number
Sign - a call to action, tells you to do something, direction
Signature - what something is, key signature, time signature
Skill - ability and technique, practice, perform
Stack - one above the other, time signature
Staff - 5 horizontal parallel lines, pitch as letters, not TAB
Staff-Note - a connection of a rhythm note with a staff letter
Start - the best place to begin, there are many places to start but only one beginning
Steady - regular and even like a clock, tempo, beat, metronome
Steps - half step (one fret) and whole step (two frets), interval
Stop - at the end, coda
Strings - Bass has 4, 5 or 6
Stroke - a right hand strum down or up which makes sound
Strum - a right hand motion down or up; stroke or ghost
Style - a sub-category of a genre, such as: classic rock, smooth jazz, heavy metal, etc.
Symbol - represents sound as: letter, number, numeral, note, etc.
TAB - 4, 5 or 6 horizontal parallel lines (bass strings) with “layered” fret numbers, not staff
Technique - skill and ability, gets better over time; repeat, practice, perform
Tempo - rate of speed (slow or fast) of the steady beat, bpm, metronome mark
Theme - the original melody or “tone row”
Theory - to think, thought connected to idea, mind
Think(ing) - process of connecting thought with idea, awareness and attention
Thought - carries an idea (knowledge) back to the thinker; refer, theory, mind
Tie - a “curved line” that “connects” sound (tones and notes); silence (rests) do not get tied
Time - rhythm, 4D, motion, when a sound or silence occurs, pulse, beat, tempo, count
Time signature - meter and value numbers “stacked” one above the other
Tonic - tone 1, scale degree, fundamental, root
Tone Note® - the connection of a rhythm note with a tone number
Tone Number - second music symbol of pitch, scale degree
Tone Row - series of connected pitches as tone numbers; melody, lick, riff, etc.
Transpose - change the key of the entire song
Treble - high frequency, 2D
Type - what kind of scale, arpeggio or chord; major, minor, whole tone, etc.
Unison - the same sound in more than one location on the bass fretboard
Unison Thinking - one thought with two or more ideas
Up - right hand strum, high to low pitch, thin string to thick string; stroke or ghost
Value - one beat, bottom number of the time signature, note that gets one beat changes Variation - to change the original, different, not the same
Variable - able to change; metronome, improvise
Verse - song part that tells the story
Vertical - north and south, up and down; nut, bridge and frets
Vibration - repeated back and forth motion, oscillation, frequency, pitch
Whole - all, complete, undifferentiated fragments, forms fractions; not separated
Whole Step - interval of two frets, 1D
Will - self directed action behind thought and idea, play
Zero - the number 0 before 1, as in fret zero, not the letter O as in open
Congratulations! You now have the necessary vocabulary to begin playing music on your Bass!
So, 'till next time, begin having some grammar fun with your new found glossary ~ I'll be listening.
2013 GRAMMY®-Nominated Music Educator, Mike Overly easily combines the worlds of deeply-rooted academic study with a well-textured performance resume. His pathbreaking 12 Tone Music Publishing products, including the newly released Tone Note® Music Method for Bass, provide valuable illuminating insights while simplifying the learning process.
Join Mike at www.12tonemusic.com to explore and expand your knowledge of these two iconic instruments through a variety of reviews and interviews, tips and tricks and free lessons of remarkable originality, all presented in a family-friendly forum. Plus, as an added bonus, you get to follow Mr. Pick as he introduces you to fun fretboard games, jokes, riddles, quotes and more. Be sure to read the 12 Tone Music Blog where Mike offers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of his unique approach to solving the problems of modern musical notation and traditional guitar and bass methods. Mike Overly's unmatched perspective on fretboard education has something for everyone ~ from the amateur hobbyist to the serious professional player ~ as well as any music enthusiast who wants to come along for the ride.
Copyright ©2013, 12 Tone Music Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
