Vocabulary of Music
This lesson about the vocabulary of music is part of a complete B2 level English course.
Vocabulary of Instruments
There are a lot of different instruments that we can use to make music! Some music is played with just one instrument, like the piano. Other music may be performed with various instruments, like a concerto played by an orchestra or a rock song played by a band. This is a list of useful vocabulary of instruments with descriptions and examples.
| Instrument | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Acoustic guitar | A guitar with a hollow body that produces sound through the vibration of its strings. | “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton |
| Bass guitar | A guitar with a longer neck and thicker strings used to play lower-pitched notes that provide the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of a band. | “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen |
| Cello | A large, bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. | “Suite No. 1 in G Major” by Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Clarinet | A woodwind instrument with a single reed that produces sound when air is blown over it. | “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin |
| Drum kit | A collection of drums and cymbals played with sticks or hands to create rhythms and beats. | “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins |
| Electric guitar | A guitar with a solid body that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its strings into an electrical signal. | “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin |
| Flute | A woodwind instrument with a high-pitched sound produced by blowing air across a mouthpiece. | “The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
| Piano | A keyboard instrument with a row of keys that produce sound by striking strings with hammers inside the instrument. | “Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Saxophone | A woodwind instrument with a curved metal body and a single reed that produces a smooth, mellow tone. | “Careless Whisper” by George Michael |
| Trumpet | A brass instrument with a flared bell and three valves that produce a bright, piercing sound. | “Take the ‘A’ Train” by Duke Ellington |
| Violin | A small, bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths that produces a bright, high-pitched sound. | “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi |
Verbs related to Music
When we talk about music we can use a lot of different verbs. here are some examples of useful verbs related to music with example sentences for each.
| Arrange | To adapt or arrange a musical work for a specific instrumentation or ensemble. | She arranged the song for a cappella group. |
| Compose | To create or write a musical work. | He composed a beautiful piece of music for the piano. |
| Conduct | To direct a musical performance or ensemble. | He conducts the orchestra with great skill. |
| Dance | To move rhythmically to music. | They are dancing to the rhythm of the music. |
| Harmonize | To sing or play musical parts that complement or support the main melody. | The choir harmonized perfectly during the performance. |
| Improvise | To create or perform music spontaneously, without preparation or planning. | The jazz musicians improvised a solo during the performance. |
| Jam | To play or improvise music informally with other musicians. | The musicians got together to jam on some new material. |
| Listen | To give attention with the ear; to pay attention to sounds. | I like to listen to classical music while I study. |
| Perform | To play or present music in front of an audience. | The band is going to perform at the concert tonight. |
| Play | To create music using an instrument. | She can play the guitar very well. |
| Practice | To repeat a musical passage or piece in order to improve or master it. | We need to practice our parts before the next rehearsal. |
| Record | To capture a musical performance or work onto a medium such as a CD, tape, or digital file. | The band is going to record their new album in the studio. |
| Sing | To produce musical sounds with the voice. | He loves to sing along to his favorite songs in the car. |
| Syncopate | To displace the regular accent of a beat to a weak or offbeat. | The drummer syncopated the rhythm during the song. |
| Transpose | To change the key or pitch of a musical work. | The song was transposed into a lower key for the singer. |
Vocabulary of Music
Here is some useful vocabulary that you can use to describe aspects of music in English. Not all of them are relevant to all types of music, but you can use them in combination to explain what music sounds like, how it is structured or how it is played.
| Vocabulary | Definition |
|---|---|
| Arpeggio | A broken chord where the notes are played one after the other instead of simultaneously. |
| BPM | A unit of measurement used to describe the tempo of a piece of music. |
| Chord | A group of three or more notes that are played simultaneously. |
| Counterpoint | The combination of two or more melodic lines in a way that creates a harmonic relationship. |
| Crescendo | A gradual increase in volume or intensity. |
| Decrescendo | A gradual decrease in volume or intensity. |
| Dynamics | The volume or intensity of a piece of music. |
| Form | The structure of a piece of music, usually indicated by a series of letters or by descriptive terms. |
| Genre | A category or style of music, often defined by shared characteristics such as instrumentation, rhythm, or subject matter. |
| Harmony | The combination of simultaneously sounding musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions. |
| Instrumentation | The selection and arrangement of instruments used in a piece of music. |
| Key | The set of notes or scale that a piece of music is based on. |
| Legato | A type of articulation where notes are played in a smooth, connected manner. |
| Melody | A sequence of musical notes that are played in a specific order to create a memorable tune. |
| Meter | The organization of rhythm into regular groupings of beats, usually indicated by a time signature. |
| Modulation | The process of changing from one key to another in a piece of music. |
| Monophonic | A musical texture in which a single melody is played without any accompaniment. |
| Pitch | The perceived highness or lowness of a sound. |
| Polyphonic | A musical texture in which two or more melodies are played simultaneously. |
| Rhythm | The pattern of musical beats and accents that create the tempo of a piece of music. |
| Staccato | A type of articulation where notes are played in a short, detached manner. |
| Syncopation | A rhythmic pattern in which emphasis is placed on an offbeat or weak beat. |
| Tempo | The speed at which a piece of music is played. |
| Texture | The way in which different musical parts are combined to create the overall sound of a piece of music. |
| Time signature | A notation used in sheet music to indicate the meter of a piece of music. |
| Timbre | The characteristic sound quality of an instrument or voice. |
Vocabulary: Genres of Music
We often put music in different categories, or genres. This helps us to find music that is similar to what we already like. Some music is difficult to put in one genre or another. Other music uses combinations of elements of different genres. This is not an exhaustive list, and there may be variations, or sub-genres within each genre. Some people really love some genres and hate others! This vocabulary will help you to describe music.
| Genre | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Rock | A genre of music characterized by its use of electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. | The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC |
| Pop | A genre of music that emphasizes catchy melodies, danceable rhythms, and lyrics about love and relationships. | Madonna, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry |
| Hip-hop | A genre of music that originated in African American and Latino communities in the Bronx in the 1970s, characterized by spoken or chanted lyrics over a beat. | Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar |
| Country | A genre of music that originated in the southern United States, characterized by its use of acoustic and electric guitars, fiddles, banjos, and lyrics about rural life. | Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson |
| Jazz | A genre of music that originated in African American communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by improvisation, syncopated rhythms, and a wide range of instruments. | Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington |
| Blues | A genre of music that originated in African American communities in the southern United States, characterized by its use of the twelve-bar blues form and lyrics about hardship and struggle. | B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters |
| Classical | A genre of music that originated in Western Europe in the 18th century, characterized by its use of orchestral instruments, complex harmonies, and a focus on structure and form. | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach |
| Electronic/Dance | A genre of music characterized by its use of electronic instruments and a focus on rhythm and melody. | Daft Punk, The Chemical Brothers, Calvin Harris |
| Reggae | A genre of music that originated in Jamaica in the 1960s, characterized by its use of the “skank” rhythm, off-beat accents, and lyrics about social justice and spirituality. | Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals |
| Metal | A genre of music characterized by its heavy use of distortion, fast tempos, and aggressive vocals. | Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden |
Vocabulary. Useful adjectives to describe music
When we talk about music, we often want to describe how it makes us feel. Here are some examples of useful adjectives for describing music. This isn’t a complete list, there are plenty more to find. Each adjective has a description and an example song.
| Adjective | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient | Calm and atmospheric, often with emphasis on textures and soundscapes. | “Deep Blue Day” by Brian Eno |
| Cheerful | Lively and upbeat, often conveying joy and optimism. | “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves |
| Dark | Brooding and mysterious, often with a sense of danger or foreboding. | “The Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd |
| Energetic | Fast-paced and lively, conveying a sense of excitement and vigor. | “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC |
| Epic | Grand and expansive, often with a sense of heroic accomplishment. | “O Fortuna” by Carl Orff |
| Ethereal | Delicate and otherworldly, often with a dreamlike quality. | “Teardrop” by Massive Attack |
| Heavy | Intense and forceful, often with a focus on distorted guitars and powerful drums. | “Enter Sandman” by Metallica |
| Melancholic | Reflective and sorrowful, conveying a sense of loss or sadness. | “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. |
| Moving | Stirring and emotionally impactful, often bringing tears or goosebumps. | “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber |
| Relaxing | Soothing and calming, often used for meditation or background music. | “Weightless” by Marconi Union |
| Sad | Mournful and gloomy, often expressing heartbreak or despair. | “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinead O’Connor |
| Euphoric | Blissful and ecstatic, often conveying a sense of euphoria or transcendence. | “Strobe” by Deadmau5 |
| Upbeat | Lively and cheerful, often with a focus on a catchy melody and rhythm. | “Happy” by Pharrel Williams |
Types of Instruments
When we talk about instruments we often group them together into one of our types; brass, percussion, strings and woodwind.
| Group | Example Instruments |
|---|---|
| Brass | Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba, Euphonium |
| Percussion | Drums, Cymbals, Xylophone, Maracas, Timpani |
| Strings | Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp |
| Woodwinds | Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone, Piccolo, Bass Clarinet |
Live Music
Here are some useful words for talking about live music.
| Vocabulary | Description |
|---|---|
| Backstage | The area behind the stage where performers can relax, prepare for their performance or meet with other performers. |
| Box Office | The place where you can buy tickets or pay to enter a musical venue. |
| Crowd | The people who attend a live performance or event. |
| Encore | An additional performance or set of songs played by a performer or band after they have finished their main set. |
| Headliner | The main act or performer who is given the most prominence and usually performs last at a concert or show. |
| Lineup | The list of performers or bands scheduled to perform at an event. |
| Setlist | A list of songs or pieces of music that a performer or band plans to play during a concert or show. |
| Sold out | When all tickets for a performance or event have been sold and no more are available. |
| Stage | A raised platform where performers or speakers stand when giving a performance or speech. |
| Standing room only | An area in a concert venue where there are no seats, and people stand to watch the performance. |
| Venue | A place where a concert, show or other live event is held. |