Music Glossary: color

Use staccato, marcato, legato, pizzicato, mutes, harmonics for contrast. more

Simultaneous use of two tonal centers; extreme coloristic harmony. more

Drop in bVII, iv, bVI from parallel minor/major for instant color moments. more

Twelve-note collection moving exclusively by semitones; spans the octave. more

Striking strings with the wood of the bow for percussive timbre (battuto) or bowing with wood (tratto). more

Blend timbres (e.g., flute+violin, clarinet+viola) to create hybrid colors. more

Assigning the same line to multiple instruments for strength, blend, or color fusion. more

Seventh chords with added tensions 9, 11, 13; color tones requiring careful voice-leading. more

Wind articulation using rolled R or throat flutter; produces growling, buzzy color. more

Overtone tones produced by lightly touching nodes (strings/winds); ethereal color and reduced volume. more

Minor scale with raised 6th and 7th ascending; in jazz used the same both up and down. more

Focus on color tones and drone centers; fewer changes, deeper development. more

Borrowing chords from parallel modes/keys (e.g., bVII, iv). more

Combine timbres that fuse (clarinet+viola, horn+cellos) for new composite colors. more

The craft of assigning musical material to instruments/sections for color, balance, and clarity. more

Move chord shapes in parallel for coloristic effect; watch voice-leading clashes. more

Stacked fourths for modern color; rotate shapes through scale. more

A pitch region of an instrument/voice with characteristic timbre, projection, and technical limits. more

Assign parts within playable/comfortable ranges; extreme registers change color and power. more

Without/with mute indications; alters color and dynamics especially on strings/brass. more

Triad plus a seventh: major7, dominant7, minor7, half-diminished, fully diminished. more

String bowing near bridge (bright, glassy) or fingerboard (soft, fluty) for color contrast. more

Tone color or quality that distinguishes instruments/voices even at the same pitch and loudness. more

Identifying instruments and articulation by sound; aids orchestration and mixing. more

Assign consistent colors by type (drums=red, vocals=blue, keys=green) to speed navigation. more

Improvisation device alternating two triads a step apart for modern linear color. more

Map major/minor triad pairs to chord functions (tonic, predominant, dominant) for predictable color. more