Music word list

A very short ornamental grace note played just before a main note.

“The music round group recognized acciaccatura, then started arguing about which letters came next.”

A portable instrument with keys or buttons and bellows that push air through reeds.

“By the end of the music round, accordion was still the word people were debating.”

Describing music or instruments that produce sound naturally rather than mainly through electronic amplification.

“The music round paused for a second when acoustic showed up.”

A collection of recorded songs.

“She played the album in order, no skips.”

A song associated with a group, cause, celebration, or national identity.

“The music round group recognized anthem, then started arguing about which letters came next.”

An ornamental non-chord note that leans into and resolves to a main note.

“Appoggiatura sounded easy in the music round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

The notes of a chord played one after another rather than simultaneously.

“Someone used arpeggio correctly during the music round, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”

A group of musicians who perform together.

“Someone used band correctly during the music round, then immediately second-guessed the spelling.”

The lowest musical range or a low-pitched instrument such as a bass guitar.

“The music round somehow ended with everyone talking about bass.”

The regular pulse that organizes rhythm in music.

“The music round moved on, but people were still whispering the letters in beat.”

The magazine behind the music charts.

“His shower song would top Billboard.”

A rhythmic or harmonic pattern that gives a musical phrase a sense of pause or ending.

“The group had heard cadence before the music round, but nobody trusted the spelling.”

A showy solo passage, often allowing a performer to display technical skill.

“Everyone in the music round knew cadenza, but spelling it aloud was another story.”

A group of singers who perform together.

“By the end of the music round, choir was still the word people were debating.”

Three or more notes sounded together as a harmonic unit.

“The music round moved on, but people were still whispering the letters in chord.”

A repeated section of a song, often containing its main hook or message.

“Chorus was the one word everyone remembered after the music round.”

A single-reed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical body.

“Everyone in the music round knew clarinet, but spelling it aloud was another story.”

Elaborate, agile vocal ornamentation involving rapid notes, runs, and leaps.

“The host repeated coloratura twice in the music round before anyone wanted to go first.”

A live music performance.

“She saw the concert through her phone.”

The person who directs an orchestra, choir, or other ensemble during performance.

“Conductor was the one word everyone remembered after the music round.”

Using or relating to counterpoint, where independent melodic lines are combined.

“The group had heard contrapuntal before the music round, but nobody trusted the spelling.”

A gradual increase in musical loudness or intensity.

“Someone confidently said crescendo in the music round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A thin metal percussion disc struck to produce a bright crashing or ringing sound.

“Someone confidently said cymbal in the music round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A musician who plays drums.

“The word drummer sparked the longest debate of the music round.”

Percussion instruments played by striking stretched surfaces with hands or sticks.

“The host read out drums during the music round, and half the room asked to hear it again.”

A musical performance written or performed for two people.

“Duet turned the music round into an unexpectedly competitive spelling moment.”

Describing an instrument whose sound is produced or amplified using electrical equipment.

“Electric sounded easy in the music round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

The way a wind-instrument player shapes the lips and mouth around the mouthpiece.

“The music round somehow ended with everyone talking about embouchure.”

An extra performance after the show ends.

“The band planned the encore, act surprised.”

A high vocal register produced with a lighter mechanism than the normal speaking voice.

“The music round paused for a second when falsetto showed up.”

A continuous slide or rapid sweep through a sequence of pitches.

“The music round table recognized glissando instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A percussion instrument with tuned metal bars struck by small mallets.

“The music round table recognized glockenspiel instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

An award for musical achievement.

“She thanked her cat at the Grammy.”

A fretted string instrument usually played by strumming or plucking.

“The music round group recognized guitar, then started arguing about which letters came next.”

A musician who plays the guitar.

“The room knew exactly what guitarist meant during the music round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

A small free-reed instrument played by blowing or drawing air through holes.

“Harmonica was the one word everyone remembered after the music round.”

The combination of different musical notes sounded together in a pleasing or structured way.

“The word harmony sparked the longest debate of the music round.”

A coin-operated machine that plays music.

“The jukebox played a sad song right as he misspelled it.”

Singing along to backing tracks in public.

“Her karaoke was brave and her spelling was braver.”

A recurring musical theme associated with a character, idea, place, or situation.

“As soon as leitmotif appeared in the music round, everyone started silently counting letters.”

The words of a song.

“The host repeated lyrics twice in the music round before anyone wanted to go first.”

Singing several notes on a single syllable of a word.

“The music round somehow ended with everyone talking about melisma.”

A sequence of musical notes perceived as a recognizable tune.

“The group had heard melody before the music round, but nobody trusted the spelling.”

A device that produces steady beats to help musicians keep a consistent tempo.

“Metronome turned the music round into an unexpectedly competitive spelling moment.”

A device that converts sound into an electrical or digital signal.

“Someone confidently said microphone in the music round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A prominent instrumental part that is essential to a musical passage rather than optional.

“Obbligato sounded easy in the music round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

The interval between one note and another with twice or half its frequency.

“The music round paused for a second when octave showed up.”

A large ensemble of instrumental musicians, especially strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

“The music round table recognized orchestra instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A short musical pattern or phrase repeated persistently throughout a passage.

“The music round somehow ended with everyone talking about ostinato.”

The family of instruments played by striking, shaking, or scraping, such as drums and cymbals.

“Nobody expected percussion to become the most memorable word of the music round.”

Relating to an orchestra or musical organization devoted to classical music.

“The music round table recognized philharmonic instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A keyboard instrument in which keys trigger hammers that strike strings.

“Everyone in the music round knew piano, but spelling it aloud was another story.”

A technique of plucking the strings of a bowed string instrument with the fingers.

“The host repeated pizzicato twice in the music round before anyone wanted to go first.”

A curated list of songs.

“The party playlist has one veto rule.”

Containing multiple independent melodic lines sounding at the same time.

“The music round paused for a second when polyphonic showed up.”

The simultaneous use of two or more contrasting rhythmic patterns.

“The room knew exactly what polyrhythm meant during the music round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

A smooth glide in pitch from one note to another.

“By the end of the music round, portamento was still the word people were debating.”

A speech-like style of singing used to deliver dialogue or narrative, especially in opera.

“At the music round, recitative came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A repeated line or section in a song or poem.

“Refrain turned the music round into an unexpectedly competitive spelling moment.”

A reworked version of a song.

“The remix goes harder and he knows it.”

A metal woodwind instrument played with a single reed.

“The music round paused for a second when saxophone showed up.”

An alternate tuning of a stringed instrument different from its standard tuning.

“One person at the music round swore they knew scordatura; the spelling attempt said otherwise.”

A musical instruction to play a note or chord with sudden, strong emphasis.

“The word sforzando sparked the longest debate of the music round.”

A person who performs music with the voice.

“The music round paused for a second when singer showed up.”

A musical passage or performance featuring one performer.

“The room knew exactly what solo meant during the music round and still hesitated on the spelling.”

A musical composition intended to be sung, usually with words.

“The song completely changed how the song sounded.”

A vocal technique between speaking and singing, using approximate musical pitches.

“The word sprechstimme sparked the longest debate of the music round.”

A large-scale orchestral composition, usually divided into multiple movements.

“The group had heard symphony before the music round, but nobody trusted the spelling.”

Rhythmic emphasis placed on normally weak beats or unexpected parts of the measure.

“At the music round, syncopation came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A handheld percussion instrument with a frame, drumhead, and small metal jingles.

“At the music round, tambourine came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

The Russian composer of The Nutcracker.

“Tchaikovsky starts with a silent ambush.”

The speed at which a piece of music is performed.

“Everyone in the music round knew tempo, but spelling it aloud was another story.”

The distinctive tone color or sound quality that makes one voice or instrument differ from another.

“The music round table recognized timbre instantly and still could not agree on the spelling.”

A brass instrument that commonly changes pitch using a long movable slide.

“The music round moved on, but people were still whispering the letters in trombone.”

A high-pitched brass instrument played through valves and a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

“When trumpet appeared, the music round got noticeably louder.”

A small four-stringed instrument related to the guitar and strongly associated with Hawaiian music.

“At the music round, ukulele came up and everyone immediately had an opinion.”

A section of a song that usually changes lyrics while keeping a similar musical structure.

“The word verse sparked the longest debate of the music round.”

A controlled slight variation in pitch used to add warmth or expression to a musical tone.

“Vibrato sounded easy in the music round until somebody had to spell it without autocorrect.”

A performer with exceptional technical skill and musical ability.

“The music round somehow ended with everyone talking about virtuoso.”

A singer, especially one performing as part of a musical group.

“Someone confidently said vocalist in the music round and immediately got challenged on the spelling.”

A percussion instrument with tuned wooden bars struck with mallets.

“By the end of the music round, xylophone was still the word people were debating.”