Chord: A collection of notes played simultaneously.

Chord, Dominant Function: A chord that wants to take the music to the tonic chord. In particular, has a raised 7th degree that is a semitone away from the tonic, creating a strong pull toward the tonic note.

Chord, Subdominant: A chord that wants to take the music to a dominant chord.

Chord, Tonic: A chord that uses the tonic note as the foundation note, or root, of the chord.

Clave: Interlocking rhythmic patterns that are a feature of many Latin and popular musics.

Interval: The distance between two pitches in terms of letter names. For example, the distance between a C and an E would be a major 3rd, while between a C and an Eb would be a minor 3rd.

Pentatonic Scale: Any scale that consists of 5 unique notes.

Pentatonic Scale, Major: A pentatonic scale derived from the major scale. To create the pentatonic major scale from a major scale, remove the 4th and 7th scale degrees. You will have 5 notes left over, which from the major pentatonic scale. These notes are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th scale degrees.

Pentatonic Scale, Minor: A scale that uses the same notes a pentatonic major scale, but instead of starting on the 1st scale degree (the lowest note of the group of 3), this scale starts on the 6th scale degree (the higher note of the group of two). This makes the scale sound more like the minor scales we know, rather than a major scale.

Reel: A type of dance music. The music is quick and uses a 4/4 metre. The rhythm is often formed from many repeated quavers.

Root: The note upon which a chord is built and after which it is named. For example, a C major chord is built on C as this is the note we compare the other notes in the chord to.

Scale: A collection of notes ordered by pitch.

Scale Degree: The number given to each note in a scale denoting its position. For example, C is the first note in the C major scale so it is the first scale degree; F is the fourth note in the C major scale so it is the 4th scale degree.

Scalic: A word used to describe melodies that go up and down the scale being used with few jumps between notes that are not adjacent.

Scotch Snap:  A rhythm that consists of a semiquaver followed by a dotted quaver.

Semitone: The smallest interval used in classical Western music, equal to a twelfth of an octave or half a tone.

Swing: Intentionally making even quavers uneven so that one is slightly longer than the other. How uneven the quavers are is variable, but the most common swing is triplet swing.

Third: A type of interval, where the distance between the notes consists of three notes (including the note being found as well as the note being measured from). For example, C up to E is a third, as is E up to G.

Tonic: The first note of a scale.

Triad: A chord made of three notes stacked in thirds.