Questions tagged [terminology]

For questions about particular terms used in a subject of study, theory, profession, etc.

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10 votes
6 answers
1k views

Term for instrumental music where the singer has been replaced by instrument

Is there a term for instrumental music where the song is typically sung vocally, but the singer's part has been replaced by an instrument? I want to tell my Google Home to play instrumental music of ...
13 votes
2 answers
465 views

Looking for a term : end of song n is the beginning of song n+1

I'm looking for a term describing the fact that, on a music album, the end of a song is the beginning of the next one, which gives the impression that there is no cut between the two songs. I'm ...
3 votes
4 answers
406 views

Measure numbers proper name

What are these measure numbers called. I could have just answered my own question there. See highlighted below. Who decides these? Is it the composer? You see I have noticed sometimes they are in ...
2 votes
2 answers
761 views

Difference between Song and Qawwali?

Yesterday in lecture my teacher asked me to tell me the difference between Song and Qawwali and don't have any answer and he said me to tell me the difference b/w them tomorrow.Please tell me the real ...
2 votes
1 answer
179 views

What does "mad fish" mean in Bring The Pain by Method Man?

In the song "Bring The Pain" by Method Man, he says: Check it, just how deep can shit get/ Deep as the abyss/ and brothers is mad fish accept it What does "mad fish" mean in this ...
8 votes
2 answers
655 views

What is Freebop?

In several liner notes the word "Freebop" is used to describe the music of Miles Davis' second quintet in the mid-60's. The writers usually use the term seemingly expecting the reader to know what it ...
2 votes
1 answer
240 views

How to name the typical oriental/greek melody?

I'm from middle Europe, and to me, oriental music (also the Turkish Arabesk music) has a typical oblique/ skewed melody. In Greek music, despite other culture, there is in my opinion the same oriental ...
6 votes
3 answers
446 views

Is there a term for two songs that are usually played consecutively?

Examples: "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" by Queen "Load Out" and "Stay" by Jackson Browne
1 vote
1 answer
55 views

Definition of "novelty song"

The problem isn't the definition of "novelty song" (which I can look up on Wiki anytime) but the inherent opinionatedness of it (which makes "Is X an example?" unsuited for SE - ...
33 votes
6 answers
99k views

What is the difference between a "cover" and a "remake" of a song?

Is there a difference between a cover and a remake of a song? Or do both terms mean the same thing?
1 vote
0 answers
25 views

Is there a name for this percussive beat in the beginning of Jon Batiste's Freedom video and Pogo's Do You?

After 00:06 in Jon Batiste's video Freedom there is a drum beat with six "notes" (I don't know the proper term) per measure, and Pogo's video Do You begins with almost exactly the same ...
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

What is the name of a song that is overall soft, slow and/or sentimental?

If I want to distinguish between a musician's songs that are overall slower, softer and/or more sentimental, what would I call these songs? I am specifically focusing on heavier music such as rock or ...
8 votes
3 answers
36k views

What makes an album "deluxe"?

right to the point: What makes an album as a "deluxe version"? People may notice that they usually have some bonus tracks. But, what makes them deluxe other than that?
1 vote
1 answer
351 views

What's the difference between "Artist Name" and "Album Artist" in (foobar2000's) metadata fields in music digital file's metadata?

I think the answer is this: "Album Artist" is (are) main person(s) behind album creation, but if there's the particular track with the guest performer(s) named Album Artist feat. Jane The ...
9 votes
3 answers
10k views

What is a typical reggaeton beat called?

While listening to this reggaeton song, I was wondering if there is a specific name for such a beat, like western techno songs typical have a 4/4 beat.
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the basic difference between artist and composer tag used in audio file?

Let me take an example to specify my question. Below mentioned details are from a Bollywood album "Rockstar" by A. R. Rahman. Title : Kun Faya Kun Track : 04/14 Contributing Artist : A. R. ...
0 votes
1 answer
114 views

What is the genre of French popular songs of the 1960s?

Many songs that are still popular in France today date from the 1960s with for example Joe Dassin, Charles Aznavour, Boris Vian, etc. To which genre can we associate these artists? The Wikipedia page ...
5 votes
2 answers
24k views

What is the difference between R&B and Hip Hop, and what are some (most famous) examples of these and areas of overlap?

I'm a bit shy to post here... I listen to a lot of music, many times I might know the name of the singer, our band, but most of the time I don't even know what style I am listening to. It may even ...
10 votes
1 answer
355 views

What is a "bubble mix"?

A coworker of mine described Girl Talk's All Day as "a bubble mix" when I introduced it to him. It sounded a bit derisive, actually. I've never heard that term before, and all Google was no ...
1 vote
2 answers
6k views

What's the difference between the "main" and "lead" roles in KPop?

Each member of a KPop group is often given several roles by fans (or possibly by the labels). These roles may be something like the "main vocalist" or "lead dancer". Normally I'd ...
1 vote
2 answers
838 views

Is a song with new lyrics a cover, remix, or freestyle?

If I used the instrumental of a song and the hook but wrote new lyrics for the verse using a completely different cadence what terminology would I use in the song title?
3 votes
2 answers
85 views

Is there a term that describes such songs?

I've recently listened to a couple of songs and found a common beat. A quick google search for their genre shows that they fall under the umbrella of Hip-Hop/Rap. However, searching for 'Hip-Hop/Rap' ...
1 vote
0 answers
51 views

Unsure about instrument abbreviations used in CD booklets

I'm not a musician and my first language isn't English, so I hope I'm not asking a stupid or inaproppriate thing: Reading a CD booklet (Verve), I see the instruments are all abbreviated, and I'm ...
79 votes
3 answers
78k views

What does it mean for an album to be remastered?

There are times when older albums get re-released as a remastered version. What is the difference between the original version and the remastered version?
1 vote
1 answer
52 views

Phrase or word for how music is descriptive

I find myself almost immediately conjuring up images of the rising sun on a beautiful day whenever I hear Edvard Grieg's Morning Mood, as do I think most people I know if they were to hear it (...
1 vote
2 answers
63 views

What is meant by ‘Period’ in music?

See this documentary here with Stravinsky. Halting the rehearsal, he remarks (at 0:13) So give me once more the whole period. 39. According to Wiki a period ...
4 votes
1 answer
238 views

What are all the standard parts of a pop song and their definitions?

I've heard terms like "hook", "bridge", and "chorus", but I'm fuzzy on exactly what they mean and if there are other parts.
44 votes
4 answers
283k views

What is the difference between a LP and an EP?

Many bands/artists release EPs and LPs. I have noticed that many artists that are still on the beginning of their career release EPs. What does EP and LP mean?
0 votes
1 answer
50 views

What are these techniques or common singing styles called?

I am looking to know if there is a name for two "techniques" or "singing styles" that I have found commonly in many songs. The first, is a sudden change in the the voice of the ...
1 vote
2 answers
146 views

Recognising genre and sub-genre

Is it possible to recognise a genre/sub-genre by listening a song? Is there any authority to approve a music genre? On what basis are they defined?
3 votes
1 answer
66 views

Name for commercial song which becomes accepted as folk song?

Is there a term for a commercial song, in a folk/roots style, which gets accepted as an authentic folk original ? I'm thinking of a song like The Wheel of the Wagon is Broken. Country/Western Swing ...
8 votes
4 answers
15k views

What makes a song an anthem?

I have heard the term thrown around, usually about songs I might not think would qualify as anthems. Tonight I was listening to Tool's Eulogy. I had a sense it might be so I looked it up on ...
6 votes
1 answer
56 views

Tour not supporting a new album

What would the term be for an artist's tour where they are playing music they have not recorded, nor will they plan to? An example, Zakk Wylde is (or just finished) a tour where he is playing an all-...
2 votes
1 answer
291 views

Is there a specific term for when an artist covers a song in a different musical style?

Lately I've had a lot of fun listening to instrumental covers of modern songs created with medieval music instruments (example: ). This also lead me down the rabbit ...
2 votes
2 answers
786 views

What does it mean to go/be "on top of the beat"?

I was watching this old video of Pentatonix performing a cover of Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles on the talent show The Sing-Off. Ben Folds, one of the judges on the show, offers some ...
5 votes
1 answer
66 views

A recording session with Igor Stravinsky

At 32:47, Stravinsky, whilst recording his Symphony of Psalms, just before another take, says to the orchestra “I give you one bar for nothing in four and the bar before nine is in three, six.” ...
1 vote
2 answers
227 views

Which thing describe the song more than melody?

A melody (also tune, voice, or line) is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. Is there any thing better than melody? I mean in the sense of sweet tune, ...
5 votes
3 answers
166 views

How does 'meter' differ from 'rhythm', in music?

Source: The Complete Classical Music Guide (2012). General Editor: John Burrows OBE HonRCM, edited with Charles Wiffen MMus DMus RCM. pp. 14-16. Many human activities, such as running, walking, ...
1 vote
1 answer
112 views

What is it called when a part of the music sounds away from the tune?

Sometimes in a piece of music there is a portion that sounds totally away from the main tune of the song. Is there a name for that part of the music, or that transition?
5 votes
2 answers
626 views

What does "classical" mean? Is Dvořák classical?

Would Antonín Dvořák be considered a 'classical composer', specifically thinking about the very American "New World Symphony". I have never studied music, so not sure of the different categories. E.g....
10 votes
4 answers
47k views

What is Bass and Treble?

Can someone please explain the difference of bass and treble as if to someone with no background knowledge in music? Every time I ask I someone, they always answer as if I'm already an expert on music....
5 votes
2 answers
486 views

When did musicians started to call each other motherfucker in a friendly meaning?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word motherfucker is a very offensive way to insult someone. an extremely insulting name for someone you hate or for someone who has made you angry. But ...
20 votes
2 answers
2k views

What defines a trap-beat?

I'm actually more the boom bap Hip-Hop, 90's style beat guy. But I find myself enjoying trap music more and more, since it's getting more and more popular and also because my friend is making more ...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the origin of the term 'toasting'?

What is the origin of the term 'toasting', in the Jamaican sense of delivering vocals over an instrumental B-side or riddim ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deejay_(Jamaican)#Toasting There is use of ...
4 votes
2 answers
7k views

Whats the diffrence between unplugged and acoustic

According to "German Wiki" etc unplugged is another word for acoustic and says a song normaly made with electronics is now played with "normal" insturments instead But on the other hand acoustic is ...
3 votes
1 answer
559 views

Songs which have relations or parts of other songs [closed]

I'm currently searching for songs which have older songs in it part-wise. I don't even know what this term is called. I'm thinking of something like Eminem's Sing for the Moment which contains parts ...
3 votes
1 answer
81 views

How does Steve Reich's music have more 'modernist rigor' than Philip Glass's?

Source: The Complete Classical Music Guide (2012). General Editor: John Burrows OBE HonRCM, edited with Charles Wiffen. p. 297 Bottom Right. INFLUENCES Reich’s effect on musical culture is perhaps ...
1 vote
1 answer
47 views

What does "language is gestural and splintered" mean in music? How can it arouse "the overall impression of highly coloured abstraction"?

I'm reading The Rough Guide to Classical Music (2010 5th ed.) by Joe Staines. On p. 563 bottom, left column, he writes: Takemitsu’s orchestral works vary considerably, but his overriding ...
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

What's a head banging rock song?

What makes a rock song "head banging"? When is a rock called head banging? Could you also list a few popular head banging rock songs?
2 votes
0 answers
65 views

What do you call a song that starts with its chorus instead of its verse?

I am listening to the bollywood song "Challa" from the movie: "Jab Tak Hai Jaan 2012". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a4izd3Rvdw At 00:28, I feel the song suddenly starts with its chorus instead ...