THE SYMPHONY OF GRAMMAR

10 Music Words To Impress Your Musician Friends

Credit: Miguel Alcântara

A quote often attributed to Hans Christian Andersen says, "Where words fail, music speaks." As beautiful as this phrase is, the truth is that music and language are definitively intertwined: Don’t you sometimes feel enthralled by the beautiful sounds of words, by the incredible music that comes with language? Not only that, the vocabulary used by the world of music is filled with beautiful terms with extremely interesting meanings. We have selected 10 of the most fascinating musical terms we could find. You might be surprised to see the different meanings that music gives to a few everyday words, as well as some classical terms inherent to this medium. In any case, we hope this article will help you bring more music to your vocabulary! Enjoy!

Credit: Clark Young

We’ll start this list with the term that surprised us the most. A woodshed, at least for those of us with no musical background, is a small building used to store firewood. Although this is not a popular term (particularly after the advent of modern heating systems), it can be easily inferred from context. Having said that, "woodshed" is a widespread word for musicians, although not for the meaning you are probably thinking about.

Curiously enough, musicians use this word not as a noun but as a verb: "Woodshedding" describes practicing in solitude for several hours to improve your skills. The name comes from the need to find a secluded place in which you won’t be bothered, like the amount of privacy an isolated woodshed separated from the main house would provide.

Credit: Baher Khairy

Just like their architectural counterparts, a musical "bridge" is a passage that connects two points in a composition. However, it should be noted that, in the music world, there are two different meanings associated with this term, one related to classical music, and one commonly used in modern popular music.

In classical compositions, a bridge’s function is a more faithful representation of an actual bridge: It is used to smooth the transition between two sections, to prevent an abrupt modulation in the piece. On the other hand, the modern usage of the bridge serves an entirely different function: It is used to provide some contrast to the original section while remaining similar enough to provide a safe return to it.

Credit: Jacek Dylag

The musical term arpeggio describes the act of individually playing the notes that comprise a chord in a progressive succession. The result is a beautiful cascading effect that has been frequently used by both classical composers as well as more mainstream musicians. The word comes from the Italian arpeggiare, which translates to "playing on a harp".

A few examples of compositions that include arpeggios are the opening of Beethoven’s "Moonlight Sonata" and, perhaps more surprisingly, the first chords of the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". A more modern example could be the American rock band Kansas’ 1977 hit song "Dust in the Wind", which features a gorgeous arpeggio throughout the song.

Credit: Larisa Birta

The Italian word allegro, which is a quintessential term in the world of classical music, literally translates to "cheerful." We can think of no better word to describe the happy and shiny feelings this type of tempo produces in the listener.

The term allegro indicates a type of tempo, which is to say the pace or the speed that a certain composition has. Other common indicators are Andante ("Walking-pace") or Presto ("Quickly"). You might have noticed that, while some indicators describe technical aspects like speed, others like Allegro focus on feelings or moods. Therefore, for a piece to be considered played in this tempo, it must bring joy and cheerfulness to the audience.

Credit: Colin Michael

Until the time comes when large-caliber artillery is commonly used by orchestras, the word canon shouldn’t be confused with the similarly-spelled "cannon". In music theory, a canon is a composition in which a single melody is repeated by multiple parts after a given interval. Usually, the melody is initially played by a leader, also called a dux, and it is then successively played by followers, known as comes.

Canons are usually performed by choirs, with different voices coming after each other. You might be surprised to learn that some cherished childhood songs are actually canons. For example, the camping hit song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or the nursery rhyme "Brother John".

Credit: Samuel Sianipar

Just like a canon, a fugue is a type of composition based on imitation and repetition. However, a fugue is slightly harder to explain. In this composition technique, the repetition is based on a "subject," which in itself can be composed of several melodies. While this is repeated throughout the piece (usually in different keys), it is usually accompanied by variations or melodies inspired by the original subject.

In that sense, the etymology of this word is rather interesting and can help us understand what this technique is all about. The English word "fugue" came into prominence in the 16th century, and was inspired by the Italian word fuga and the French word fugue. Both of these words can be translated to "escape" or "to flee", which is definitely an appropriate name for this technique: The initial melody seems to trail off as the piece progresses, with the accompanying melodies continuously chasing after it.

Credit: Joey Nicotra

Don’t worry, this entry does not involve tasting any instruments. In popular music, especially in blues and rock, the noun "lick" describes a commonly played pattern, composed of a series of notes that are played during solos or for accompaniment. Licks are particularly used during improvisation since they can be both common ground for all musicians participating and a safe place to land after a particularly complicated bit.

Although they are used in relatively modern music, the truth is that licks have been around since Medieval times. Granted, at the time, these patterns were known as ostinatos, but they were pretty much the same. Ostinatos are ever-present in classical music, being featured in compositions by heavy hitters like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach.

Credit: Jens Thekkeveettil

Did you ever want to pay homage to your favorite artist but were short on time? Then the medley is the piece for you! A medley is composed of segments of already existing pieces, re-arranged in a way that both showcases all pieces and creates an original composition.

You might be familiar with at least a few medleys since they are pretty popular nowadays. Most of them include songs connected through the same theme, whether it’s the same artist, year, or genre. Medleys are particularly common in the world of musical theatre since they are a great form of overture.

Credit: Curtis Potvin

In more ways than one, music works just like any language in the world. It has its own syntax, grammar, and alphabet. In that sense, a phrase is exactly what you would expect it to be: a single unit, composed of one or many notes (which, in terms of this comparison, could be considered both words or letters).

At the end of the day, what defines a phrase is that, just like a sentence, it makes sense when isolated from the rest of the piece. In other words, a phrase needs to have a defined beginning and end in order to maintain coherence when heard on its own.

Credit: John Matychuk

Are you anticipating what this final entry is going to be about? Don’t let the title mislead you. The "anticipation" coined by musicians is not exactly the one you might feel before your favorite band takes the stage. In truth, this term doesn’t have that much of a positive meaning, since it describes a harmonic dissonance in a musical piece.

These musical concepts might be a bit complicated to sum up in this short entry, but here goes our best attempt: an anticipation happens whenever a note that belongs to a chord is played early during a succession. Simply put, if a note is played one step early and then remains the same during the progression, then we can consider this an anticipation.

IF YOU CAN READ, YOU CAN TRAVEL

The Great Outdoors, Indoors: 10 Great Adventure Novels

Credit: Kira auf der Heide

If reading can take us anywhere, then reading adventure and travel books can be compared to an epic mind journey through distant lands and situations without ever leaving the comfort of our seats.

Over the centuries, quite a few gifted minds have penned harrowing tales of exploration, endurance, and discovery. Some of them, like Jules Verne, devised amazing journeys and machines without ever leaving their homes; while others, like Ernest Shackleton, experienced firsthand the hardships most of us only have nightmares about. So, buckle up, read on, and see for yourself which of these 10 amazing reads entices you more.

Credit: Eric Ward

The legendary John Steinbeck set out to discover his native land in 1960 when he was almost sixty years old. Accompanied only by his dog, Charley, he traveled all across the United States in a pick-up truck.

His journey took him through almost forty states, and he saw things that made him proud, angry, sympathetic, and elated. All that he saw and experienced is described with remarkable honesty and wit in Travels with Charley, a book that is both entertaining and informative about 1960s America.

Credit: Sam Mgrdichian

The book that launched a thousand conservation efforts, My First Summer in the Sierra is based on John Muir’s original journals and sketches of his 1869 stay in the Sierras, where he was hired to supervise a sheep flock at the headwaters of the Merced and Tuolumne Rivers.

One of the heroes of America's conservation movement, Muir deserves much of the credit for making the Yosemite Valley a protected national park and for alerting Americans to the need to protect this and other natural wonders. He describes the flora and fauna of the mountains as well as his visits to Yosemite and his climbs of Mt. Hoffman and other peaks in the range.

Credit: VENUS MAJOR

A well-known classic, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road tells the story of two friends whose cross-country road trips are a quest for meaning and a true life experience. Written with a mixture of urgency and poetry, this novel is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope.

The amount of characters and places visited by the two protagonists gives a sense of their frantic lifestyle and infinite thirst for adventure. To say that this book inspired thousands of road trips is falling short of the truth.

Credit: Raimond Klavins

The first 8,000-meter mountain to be climbed, Annapurna was an epic conquest for the French Alpine Club expedition in 1950. Led by the distinguished French mountaineer Maurice Herzog, the legendary group pummeled through intense environments and experiences most of us would only dream of attempting.

The book, wonderfully written by the expedition leader, describes in great detail the experiences lived with breathtaking courage and grit, making it one of the greatest adventure stories ever told.

Credit: Claudia Rancourt

"Call Me Ishmael" might well be one of the most famous beginnings of a book and that happens because what follows is a tale so harrowing and absorbing that made its way to the pinnacle of American literature since its publication in 1851.

A one-legged captain, Ahab, condemns his crew by dragging them into his obsession to hunt the white whale that took his leg. Narrated by crewmate Ishmael, **Moby Dick**is a great description of life aboard an XIX-century whaling ship and is based on a true story.

Credit: Ugur Arpaci

Another timeless classic, Jack London’s **The Call of the Wild**was first published in 1903. The story follows the life of a pet dog named Buck, who is stolen from his California home and sold into the brutal life of an Alaskan sled dog during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.

As Buck adapts to his new environment, he must tap into his primal instincts to survive the harsh wilderness and cruel treatment from his masters. London’s narrative captures the essence of raw nature and highlights the struggle between civilization and the wild.

Credit: Marek Okon

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea is a legendary science-fiction book that young children and grown-ups alike can thoroughly enjoy. And such a feat was accomplished by a writer who practically never left his room.

A fantastic submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo embarks on an odyssey around the world from Ceylon to the South Pole. This classic novel, written in 1870, predicts with incredible accuracy the inventions and advanced technology of the twentieth century.

Credit: Michael Clarke

While some of the stories on this list are fiction, a few real-life accounts are so extraordinary that no one would be blamed for thinking unreal (wait for the last item on the list). Jon Krakauer’s novel based on the true events of his 1996 Mount Everest adventure could easily pass for fiction and was even used as the base for a 2015 movie.

**Into Thin Air**is a masterful description of the conditions on a mountain so prestigious that it has become a tourist magnet of sorts, often ignoring its very real dangers. And it exemplifies with crude examples the perils and dire consequences that making light of such a place can produce.

Credit: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

If you thought Tom Hank’s movie Cast Away was an original story, think again. A timeless classic precedes it by a couple of centuries and it is so well known that its very name has been used for ages as a common term to describe a lonely situation or individual.

Robinson Crusoe is the story of a man cast away on a Caribbean island for 26 years. The novel describes in first person the discoveries, fears, adventures, and perils of our hero, as he learns to survive by himself and even thrive in a wild environment.

Credit: Jay Ruzesky

In 1914, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set out to become the first to traverse the Antarctic continent on the Endurance. But, as the ice field slowly thickened, the ship was encased in a death grip, crushing their craft, and marooning 28 men on a polar ice floe.

In the epic struggle that ensued, Shackleton led his team on a quest for survival over some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world. Icy seas full of huge waves, mountainous glaciers and icebergs, brutal cold, and ever-looming starvation were their enemies for many months. The fact that the 28 men made it out alive is a testament to Shackleton’s incredible skills, leadership, and courage.South is the legendary man’s own account of the ordeal.