101 music theory terms you should know

Get 20% off of my music theory for beginners course with code DAVID20 over at Artmaster: www.artmaster.com/course/musi... 🎼🎶
Music theory is like a language, so a great way to get better at music theory is to learn more vocab! Here is 101 music theory terms explained.
The outro music to this video is my track "The Longest March" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ... 🎶
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Yu Kyung Chung, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Conjunct
0:36 Disjunct
0:53 Scale
1:07 Tones & Semitones
1:40 Intervals
1:58 Consonance & Dissonance
2:31 Chords
3:10 Tertiary harmony
3:23 Quartal harmony
3:37 Arpeggios
3:56 Riff
4:05 Melody
4:18 Ostinato
4:42 Motif
5:01 Sequence
5:18 Diminish
6:08 Augment
6:38 Inversion
7:13 Modulation & Cadence
8:28 Tonicization
9:46 MY NEW MUSIC THEORY COURSE
10:23 Transposition
10:44 Key
11:06 Diatonic & Chromatic
11:22 Accidentals
11:50 Enharmonic
12:10 Blue note
12:31 Lick
12:42 Jazz terminology
13:47 Reharmonization
14:05 Tritone substitution
14:40 Swing, Straight & Shuffle
15:11 Tuplets
15:47 Compound time
16:12 Time signatures
17:05 Stave & Clef
17:36 Simile
17:50 Fermata
17:57 Tempo
18:32 Ritardando & Rallentando
18:56 Articulation
19:38 Grace notes
20:40 Ornamentation
21:57 Rhythmic terminology
24:01 Anacrusis
24:28 Dynamics
25:20 Timbre
25:45 Texture
26:49 Glissando & Portamento
27:41 Tremolo & Vibrato
28:14 A cappella
28:43 Outro/Patreon

[@buchel3364]

I got an ad before the video and you already started talking, I was confused until I noticed you did an ad for KZbin xD

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😂❤

[@lumpstergash2380]

The weirdest thing is that this is the second time I've seen a content creator put their own ads on their KZbin channel. I wonder if they get money from this.

[@rebelli65]

@@lumpstergash2380 Keep making ads and it’s a real infinite money glitch!

[@yt.lilsantee]

Same 😂

[@nonvertical9639]

Same

[@rome8180]

Even though I knew the vast majority of these, I watched the whole video. I really admired how smoothly you put it together, and how clear and concise your explanations were. And I did end up learning a few new terms like "simile," "anacrusis," and "rallentando." Amazing video.

[@majorse203]

Out of these three, I did know only the rallentando.

[@justanundertalefan1607]

@@majorse203 i’m the opposite of you lol i knew simile and anacrusis

[@markchapman6800]

I suppose given that David didn't differentiate between them, that "rallentando" and "ritardando" are only subtly different and not in a hard and fast way.

[@Jivvi]

​@@markchapman6800there's also "ritenuto" and the abbreviation "rit.", which may mean ritadando or ritenuto, depending on who wrote it.

[@decentsingersclub]

surprised someone who knows about tritone substitution doesnt even know simile, anacrusis or rallentando

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

A mazing. In two words. I'm trying to build up my music knowledge especially since I started piano when I turned 65. I was the kid that the choir teachers told to move my lips and not make a sound. I joked that I had two left ears. There is another famous music channel that talks music theory, but he has a difficult time explaining things simply, without assuming that you have intimate knowledge of advanced ideas. To talk at a basic level is a gift, and you are a gifted person. Merci beaucoup.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

😊😊😊😊

[@embryonicsuperfemme]

The biggest thing I can see that you missed was key signature. I could also see adding some structural components (e.g. verse, chorus, bridge, coda). I know you have primarily rock and jazz audience so I wouldn't expect too many classical terms per se, but defining the tempo marks (allegro, largo, etc) could be useful. Maybe mention modes?

[@bmac4]

Modes are definitely a big one missing, especially as he mentioned major and minor, which are common names for versions of the Ionian and Aeolian mode...but at the same time I can understand not wanting to talk about modes too intently lest you have to explain how each of the 7 main modes work let alone harmonic vs natural or any of that

[@rominac1389]

I'm not very keen of classical but I've seen "dal segno to coda" on music sheets more than once.

[@reineh3477]

He didn't miss a lot of things, maybe he didn't want the video to be 2 hours long. If you ask kindly he might do a part 2. By the way even if the video was 2 hours long, some people would still find things he missed.

[@KreamedKARN25]

I’m 2 minutes in and I’m learning so much. I thought I would have known most of the stuff in the first half and I was wrong… thanks for making me learn more!

[@philpayton8965]

Little kids guitar teacher here. I always stress the importance to them of learning the fundamentals of music theory, even if just to make my life easier explaining things to them as a teacher. Most of them are probably a little bit too young to grasp everything in this video but I'm going to show it to one of my students tomorrow. This is fantastic information, very well presented. Great video. Thank you.

[@chameleon-dream-band-official]

Now Rick Beato is off interviewing all the big music stars, David is becoming genuinely one of the best music educators on KZbin. Congrats on your growth, David. Well-deserved.

[@musicappreciate]

Beato is more difficult to figure out than David, and David is the better teacher.

[@GianniBosio]

Incredibly formative, as always! Little Italian tip: "Acciaccatura" should be pronounced as "ah-tchak-atoora" 😉

[@emeraldreefnriver6205]

I believe the second word you are looking for is "informative. "😁

[@Jivvi]

It could be both.

[@AlexDogwalker1234]

@@emeraldreefnriver6205 Why? Formative means educational.

[@Blockoumi]

Thank you so much for explaining some of the strange symbols i’ve seen in sheet music. It’s sometimes hard to google them

[@lxathu]

Back in the pre-internet stone age, it took me years and a couple of books and sheet music explanations to get to know most of these, and still there were a couple that I've heard of for the first time time. It's a must see for all music lovers/amateur musicians to save valuable time. Hats off, David, for this gem!

[@AimeeNolte]

Tons of work. So well-presented, my man!

[@carlybun231]

the way I've heard so many of these terms before but never understood the technical reasoning behind their names - like diminished chords - is wild. I'm so appreciative of your videos, they really are absolutely brilliant. you explain things in such a simple, concise way without ever making me feel silly for not knowing those things. I've been watching your videos for maybe a year now and I've learned more from them about music theory than I ever did in high school choir or band. thank you

[@spacevikingcowboy5784]

Thank you for posting this after I failed my music theory class it really helps 😢👍

[@macdietz]

The flow of this video is very impressive. This is a real gem.

[@davidhalldurham]

Bravo, David. I have so much respect for the work you put into all your excellent videos!

[@katiukulele]

Friggin love the way you deliver this! I will likely watch this 3, 4, or 5 times! Very useful! Thank you!

[@JulesCalella]

So much information packed into one video, thank you for taking the time to make it! I'm bookmarking it to review later too

[@AlexandreBriaud]

These were the best 30 minutes I have ever spent learning music theory. That video is so informative and so well explained, but what makes it special are the transitions that are so smooth that it all feels genuinely connected and logical - so much that I have watch it all at once. THANK YOU!

[@william2496]

Love this video, particularly the bits about articulation and ornamentation, thankyou! One thing I’d add to A Capella though is the concept of Organum

[@UnbornIdeas]

Seriously impressed with the time and effort put into it! 👍

[@lilysingss9937]

I have always loved music my whole life and I have always wondered about this stuff. This video helped me so much! Thank you!!

[@thegothaunt]

This was such a good review and showed me how much I've forgotten but still have locked away inside 💜

[@adelitarego3996]

When you talked about Dynamics, it wasn't enough developped: You only mentionned piano and forte, but there's also: ppp: pianississimo = extremely soft pp: pianissimo = very soft mp: mezzopiano = moderatively soft mf: mezzoforte = moderatively loud ff: fortissimo = very loud fff: fortississimo = extremely loud cresc. ( or >): crescendo = louder and louder dim. (or

[@AlexandreResende]

I agree. Also something else ( nothing to do with dynamics or tempo) is pizzicato , a violin technique where you pinch (I thnik it's like that in English) the string as you would do on a guitar, giving a particular sound

[@WynnicWither]

You forgot ffff, fffff, ffffff, pppp, ppppp, pppppp, sf, sff, sfz, sffz, sfp, spf, fp, and pf

[@adriankolsters]

Very nicely put together, and was a good rehearsal of a few that I forgot about.... Your explanations are always very good, using the correct terminology and words to clarify.

[@skorp5677]

A few that could be added: Polyrhythm, Cadence, Voice, Retrograde, Chord stacking, Tension, Tuning, Interval function

[@stitchgroover]

A good list, but I think David did include cadence here.

[@curtpiazza1688]

Wow! Great stuff! Great review! I love the illustrations and musical examples...very well done!

[@saisankunpower3977]

This is one of the most useful videos I've ever stumbled upon. I love knowing more about music so I really need this. Thank you for this video.

[@Jimplaysdrums]

I’m a bit of a music theory geek, and I still learned stuff from this video. Thanks David

[@brain-thomas]

Even though I know most of this already, kudos from my side for the work you put into this video. Just adding the list of 50+ chapters to make things easier to find is already a lot of work.

[@stipeur]

Brilliant video David, thank you very much for this!

[@conradsmith9441]

It’s really good. I feel like there was a more missing in dynamics. What about mezo piano/forte? What about pianissimo/fortissimo? What about crescendos and decrescendos? What about sforzando?

[@peanutbutnovember1237]

well that would make it more than 101 now wouldnt it

[@Fr0stKnight0k]

i forgot the name of it, but there's also a symbol that makes a note higher in octave.

[@unstabilizer]

Absolutely superb stuff! The flow of this video was amazing!

[@hanabi235]

I've never felt as invested in a music theory video and I'm really trying to learn. Your video really got me hooked. That was so well-presented thank you so much !!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

That’s great to hear!! 😊

[@mvrabreu]

Oh, man!! You are the best! What a great video, as always!

[@user-a2000]

22:32 : i've been looking for this words for so long *cries in relief*

[@Jgreen2794]

Excellent! Now, if I could only remember all of these. Thanks to you David, I am slowly improving.

[@haikovd8371]

Glad to see the Push in it, I have seen many terms used for this but this one seems the most agreed upon , happy to finally know it

[@anna_young]

This is a FANTASTIC video, holy shit. Well done David!!! Defo gonna be referencing video for a while.

[@TFPrimeX_0806]

thanks for this video! It helped me a lot plus congratsfor almost 1 million subs!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thanks!

[@jacobevanoski1221]

Absolutely wonderful. I can now understand my classical music friends!

[@jacobevanoski1221]

Fake and reported

[@user-tf6io9ww9z]

hmm

[@poliziagrammaticale9430]

As an Italian, I am glad to see so many Italian words. It makes it a bit easier for me.

[@ftumschk]

...or "più semplice", as we might see on a music score :)

[@mdg_bear79]

The pronunciation of "acciaccatura" made me smile 😁

[@larrygraham3377]

Thank you for this great video. Really, Really enjoyed this !!! 😉😉😉

[@maxlou5448]

Always a pleasure to learn Piano (music theory) and English with your videos!

[@jaydenli8089]

i come from a classical background and ended up learning a lot of jazz terms, very well put together!

[@anthonyclark8564]

Very useful little video...has cleared up a few misconceptions I had, thank you David ☺️

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Thank you 😊😊😊

[@majorse203]

As soon as you played the tritone, I instantly thought of the Vsauce theme.

[@rosalinddavies8466]

Love this video. Really helped refresh what I learnt as a teenager

[@DEL_TEEVEE]

Very comprehensive music theory. So grateful Sir. Ben.

[@everestjarvik5502]

I watched the video even though I fully expected to already know all these terms (I have a music degree), but surprisingly I had never heard the terms “conjunct” or “disjunct” before for some reason. Good video as usual! I wish it had existed when I was starting to learn theory, I bet it will be very helpful for people who are new to this

[@musicwizardtom]

Nice and quick review of music stuff. I like it

[@BecomingAPsych]

Fabulous summary! Very impressive to pack so much into a short video yet maintain your usual clarity. How about counterpoint, fugue, chromatic mediant, suspension, register, measure, quantized, unquantized, in the pocket, groove, feel, saturation, waveforms as possible terms for the next 101 terms video?

[@alonkatz4633]

Great video. I already knew most of these terms, but I still managed to learn new things. That said, I can think of several term that deserve to be in a follow-up video: Counter-melody Modes Letimotif Duet, trio, etc. Pentatonic (You only mentioned heptatonic scales, but pentatonic scales are also important) 7th chords (and 9th, 11th, etc) Alto and tenor clefs (why the viola hate, man? jk) German, English and French 6t chords (These are so underrated in my opinion and deserve more love) Tempo markings, like adagio and allegro.

[@isaacgzgonzalez]

This video was great! I have been playing the piano for 6 years but I did not know even half of these! Thank you! Very helpful!

[@DissonantSynth]

Commenting for the algorithm.

[@DavidBennettPiano]

❤❤❤

[@mr88cet]

Great summary video! The vast majority of these terms I already knew (since I’ve taken Common-Practice Music Theory), but a few of the more jazz-oriented terms I did not know. So, thanks! 7:25 - minor nitpick: Strictly-speaking, a modulation (in that sense of the term) is a change of _tonal-center_ , not necessarily a change of key or of key signature. So, a change from C-major to C-minor _is_ a key change (no sharps nor flats to three flats), but not a modulation, because C is still the tonal center. It’s just a modal exchange from major to minor. C-major to A-minor _is_ a modulation, even though the key (or at least the key signature) does not change.

[@violetchadwell]

I feel proud that i knew the majority of these, but tonicization was fascinating!

[@DavidBennettPiano]

Excellent 😃

[@bettyennin6335]

Awesome! Thanks!

[@TheAdvertisement]

It's always been fascinating to me on just how people manage to describe sounds and music through literally terms. How exactly do you frame a melody with 24 characters? Of course I know the basic sheet music terms, but this video was extremely informative to a deeper understanding, so thanks!

[@grrlpurpleable]

Excellent flow through the terms! Missed most Italian words for tempo, coda, segno, capo, rests, leger lines, double bar lines, dotted bar, brace, crescendo, and diminuendo from the top of my head. Awesome work though - bring on the sequel!

[@deegegaming7911]

This video is golden, the most useful video on KZbin for Music Theory

[@babyzorilla]

Brilliantly structured

[@BenD_Bass]

I think my ears are getting better. When you played the tritone, I heard the little tune from the Vsause channel 😅

[@mustuploadtoo7543]

Do a part 2 David!!

[@mw9942]

As someone taking Music Theory, I appreciate this :)

[@gregpepper6053]

One term which I think was omitted was Modes. But those seven terms could be their own video and lesson. Great stuff as always!

[@MongerOfStrings8222]

He made a whole video on modes including their differences and emotions they evoke

[@frankzelazko]

thank you, my fav music teacher

[@hambster144]

I needed a video like this

[@epiclightning10]

amazing!

[@chynstrap]

Bro where was this video when I had to do the AP test?? I mean got a 3 on the test but still! I knew more terms rn then when I had AP Music Theory last year. Beautifully well done video man 💙

[@garageband5861]

Thank you so much

[@CansteamHeadcannon]

I think it's important that tremolo can also mean the rapid repetition or rapid switching between notes (but notated differently from trills)

[@TheBlueGoldenHawk]

that's what I thought, like when a pianist is twisting their hand to bounce between a note with their thumb and a note with their pinky

[@MichaelSmith-on1ig]

Quality video! You might want to follow up with impoartant notation markings like crescendo, 8va, repetition, da capo al fine etc.

[@shanefernandez5805]

This was exactly the Video I needed Thank you David ♥️

[@DavidBennettPiano]

❤

[@maeramirez8970]

The fact that listening to this video helps me understand theory more is so nice

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Wow! As a beginner I was surprised I knew quite a few! I liked the grace notes though, acciaccatura I heard in music and now I know what it’s called 😊👍

[@practicing40hourseverydayt91]

Hello, amazing video and explanation. Just wanted to say that the term "comp" also is used a lot in folkmusic😊😁

[@jaydenraynor4679]

I don't believe crescendos or decrescendos were mentioned (Edit: There are more specific notations that would make the video significantly longer if they were explained, which is probably why they weren't. For instance; if something like "prestissimo" is written in music, it means to play at a really high tempo. Latin words are commonly used in music notation like this, so if you are good with latin it should be easy to pick apart what they mean. Some pieces use obscure notation in the form of words like this. For instance, at the beginning of Rush E, there is text in the sheet music that says "Lento, poco a poco accel". "Lento" means slow, "poco a poco" means little by little, and "accel" means fast. This would translate to "Slow, little by little fast". In other words, you slowly speed up over time. I'd recommend either looking it up or asking somebody who can translate latin if you see text like that and don't know how to read it.)

[@jagp135]

It's Italian not Latin lol

[@trashaccount5106]

Why how incredibly useful, thanks a lot

[@user-qj4vg9gq5m]

Thank you!

[@jeremiahlyleseditor437]

Great Dave. Pizzicato and Portato.

[@FrancescaBettiMusic]

Loved it❤

[@juicymango8400]

I used this as a little quiz to test my knowledge on music and I still have a lot to learn.

[@leomatarazzo.musica]

This is so usefull for me because I know a lot of the words but in Spanish. Now I know the translation of a lot of terms I didn't hear of.

[@mr88cet]

11:51 - Being a Microtonality nerd, it’s worth pointing out that in other tunings - some older and some (arguably) futuristic - tunings F# and Gb are different pitches.

[@yeoman4850]

Great video! I have music theory up to grade 7 but still earned loads

[@LadyJoolree]

As a (Suzuki Method) violin teacher I'll be sending this to my students, especially those who are taking their GCSE music. I do teach theory in my lessons, but it's great to have a resource of terms I can direct them to. Could you also add some orchestral shorthand - like the different ways of doubling or tremolando? But pretty please with sugar on it can you add harmonics? Both natural and 'forced' with the little diamond noteheads and how to play them - I STILL have my own problems with those!

[@classicalplayalongs6154]

Very well done video, comprehensive insight. Allow a few additions though. To clarify and round up the topic of inversion, it should be mentioned that a triad chord has two inversions. In the example at 7:03, the 1st inversion of the C chord (c-e-g) was C/E (e-g-c) is exemplified. Now, the 2nd inversion would be C/G (g-c-e). -- In the section about chromatic notes, accidentals and enharmonic notes, in particular 11:52-12:10, may I add that by convention, we usually write a flat (b) accidental when the melody goes down, and a sharp (#) when it goes up, which spares a subsequent natural sign which would be needed otherwise. Generally, it might be worth noting that it is not arbitrary which one of enharmonic notes are used. E.g., there is no c# in a Bb minor chord (bb-db-f), and no Eb in a B major chord (b-d#-f#). Btw, the word "chromatic" comes from the greek "chroma" which means "colour", so one could say that a chromatic tone gives colour to a melody, which would be a nice mnemonic clue. - To help remembering which note is where in a stave, one may remember that the treble clef at 17:15 is an ornamentic version of the letter "g", and also encircles the note "g". In a follow-up video, you might consider introducing the bass clef, and how it marks the „f“. - As to grace notes from 19:43, it might be worth mentioning that an appoggiatura (long grace) is always played on the beat of the main note while an acciaccatura (short grace) may be played on the beat or slighly before the beat of the main note, depending on style or epoch. E.g. in the clarinet intro to Rhapsody in Blue which is shown at 27:02, the double grace note is played ahead of the main beat. -- Also worth noting is that an upper mordent (see from 21:30) is known to the language of music only since the 19th century. Before, it was called a pralltriller or schneller (in German, it is still a Pralltriller while a Mordent is still reserved for a lower mordent). -- The part about homophony and polyphony seems to be debatable. Polyphony means that every voice is independent and stands on ist own. This is not the case in the Happy Birthday example at 26:21 which has still a predominant melody while the other voices are purely accompanying. IMHO, some arabesque ornamentation does not qualify for polyphony as it only plays around a harmony note or transits tot he following. The example at 26:32 seems to refer to a subset of homophony, namely melody-dominated homophony. Homophony in its purest form also is also homorhythmic, i.e., each melody note (or almost each) is backed by a harmony note played or sung by the other voices at the same time respectively (vertical harmony). - Please feel free to respond where I may have failed.

[@guadalupefreyre5900]

14:13 14:41 17:40 18:11 18:40 19:02 19:44 20:40 21:30 22:12 22:32 23:35 24:42 25:22 26:54

[@leventkaydu4268]

Very nice...Thanks...

[@clarencecorbeil1061]

Great stuff right there! It's really great to have most of these terms described here. Three terms that are missing is crescendo et decrescendo, since you touched briefly on dynamics, and metric modulation, because that's the only modulation left out. Besides, great video! 👌

[@omicroneridani7456]

The goosebumps when Maiden Voyage sprouts up out of the blue, in the Quartal Harmony section...

[@MusicalRaichu]

I was taught that rubato was something more specific, taking extra time to slow down a beat or two, and then catching up by speeding up following beats so that the overall time is maintained. I wondered what the difference was between tremolo and vibrato. Thanks for clarifying.

[@F.O.H.]

A couple more that came to mind. Alto & Bass Clef, did you say Tonic,supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant and leading note? 22 basic tempo markers + 22 additional western, 9 French and 7 German . I (Ionian) Don't (Dorian) Particularly (Phrygian) Like (Lydian) Modes (Mixolydian) A (Aeolian) Lot (Lorcrian) dbl sharp

[@michaelmeyer2725]

This is a great video. I would only make one addition: When you were going over staccato, accents etc, you should have covered the bar over a note. The opposite of staccato, the tenuto tells the player to make sure he plays the note to its full length, even extending it slightly longer than indicated. You could have added the mercato, which is an even stronger accent than the > symbol, but now I'm picking nits. Otherwise, this was a great piece, and should be required watching for any music player.

[@MisterSpigot95]

Good to hear the words 'tone' and 'semitone', rather than 'step' and 'half-step'.

[@bigsbypt]

Sharp/flat/natural, Major/Minor, sforzando, solo/soli, structure (e.g., AABA, Suite, Movement).

[@RonaldFigura]

I need to play catch-up with the new lexicon of music. A video on that could be interesting. Terms such as riser, drop, ratchet, wobble, hit, etc.

[@sonny.9998]

Hey I'm just know trying to learn the Piano n read music....but this is the first time I heard about the " Blue Note " Now I see why they was called " Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes " also I can see in my head how the BLUES started..the Brothers waaaay deep South..in those cotton fields was stretching the cords to 4 keys.. instead of 3. Bc of the PAIN!!!! n the SUFFERING..that they was accustom to..made every day dark .. dusty.. bluish looking surrounding..hence..I got the blues..so that note is called Blue Note bc the person who kept playing that extra note i.e. Muddy Waters..yeah I'm Black n born n raised in the ghetto of city Boston..60 years old n I had many on many days that was very blueish looking. So now I can see it CLEARLY...ty.

[@fiatluxkph]

How about a video describing the different terms used to denote tempo (andante, lento, etc). For instance, the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is marked as "Adagio sostenuto" and the first movement of Pathetique is "Grave - Allegro di molto e con brio" When learning these pieces I spent a lot of time with a music dictionary. But some examples of these notes from composer to performer would be fun to listen to.

[@scottrumsbymusic]

Enjoy your videos David although it fries my brain I appreciate what you do. Does knowing all these terms for music help or hinder your own creative process? I heard you mention you’re working on an album in a previous video. I’d be up for playing/writing some bass lines and any other bits n pieces for free for future projects if you’re interested. Keep up the good work 👍

[@jeremyskelton8067]

To answer one of your questions, knowing theory hinders the creative process about as much as learning grammar and vocabulary hinders a poet - i.e. not at all. It gives you more resources to draw on, and enables you to share your creations with others.