Theory, terms, technique and pronunciation

For online rehearsal aids, see here.

This part of our site is being widely used by others, at home and even abroad, who need a primer or refresher on these subjects. They are also kindly pointing out other useful sites to us in return, as shown below. Thank you, that’s great!

Getting Started:

The following were kindly suggested to us by Michelle from from Hillson Park Community Center, Illinois, USA. Originally intended for children, they are in fact pretty useful for the rest of us too:

Music Theory for Kids. Don’t be fooled by the title, this gets well into the subject very quickly, and is a useful guide for all of us.

A Guide to Music for Kids. A wide-ranging overview, going back as far as Egyptian music.

Thank you Michelle!

Musical Terms:

Glossary of Common Terms.

Alternatively, aimed at younger choristers, but useful for all of us, a Musical Glossary for Kids, which also contains an excellent link on musical acoustics, if you scroll down to the bottom. Our thanks for the latter to Graham Hathway in Maine USA, quite possibly both our youngest and most distant website user.

Pronunciation Guides

Italian

Musical notation is usually in Italian, eg piano, softly, because most early composers were Italian.

See here for common Italian musical terms, together with their meanings.

For guidance on pronunciation, see the video below. (Don’t be put off that it starts in Italian! It switches to English very quickly):