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MUSICIAN DICTIONARY

Dictionary G (Terms only)
G
The fifth note (dominant) of the C Major Scale

G  (SCALE)  (INDEX)
The first note (tonic) of the G Major Scale

G-Clef
Treble Clef

Gagaku
Traditional court music of Japan

Gaita
(Spanish) Bagpipe

Galante
(Italian) Elegant

Galliard
(French) A Renaissance dance in triple meter usually following a Pavane

Galop
(French) A lively ballroom dance, usually in 2/4 time

Gamba
(Italian) Stem

Gansta Rap
A genre of hip hop beginning about the mid-1980s whose lyrics that reflects the violent lifestyles of some inner-city youths.

Ganz
(German) All, very

Ganze
(German) Whole note

Garbato
(Italian) Graceful

Garrapatea
(Spanish) 128th note

Gauche
(French) left

Gaudioso
(Italian) Merry, joyful

Gavotte

A French folk dance in 4/4 time. A gavotte always starts on the third beat

Gebrochen
(German) Broken
Grandioso
(Italian) Grand

Grave
(Italian) Solemn

Gravita
(Italian) Majesty

Gravity Roll
A complicated drumming technique used to perform very fast rolls on a snare drum using drumsticks

Grazia
(Italian) Grace, elegance

Grazioso
(Italian) Gracefully

Great
On the organ, a name for one of the keyboards (called a manual), that controls a division of pipes


Grindcore, Grind
Music genre starting about the mid-1980’s. Characterized by distortion, high speeds, blast beats, growling vocals and high-pitched screams. Lyrics are generally about death, gore, social issues and politics

Grunge  (MORE)  (QUIZ)

A United States style of music popular in the 1990s. It is a fusion of punk and heavy metal.

Guerriero
(Italian) War-like

Guidonian Hand (MORE)
A Medieval system of teaching choir music, particularly plain chant. The hand is separated into different parts, each part representing a note on the scale. The part of the hand the director points to is the note that is to be sung.

Guimbarda
(Spanish) Jew's Harp

Guimbarde
(French) Jew's Harp

Guitar Fiddle
Any instrument in existence before the violin, which have the characteristics of both the guitar and the violin. Also "Troubadour Fiddle"
Geige
(German) Violin


Gemshorn
A woodwind instrument made from a goat or chamois horn

Ges
(German) G-flat

Gig
Any type of a musical performance by a musician done before a live audience

Gigue
(French) A lively baroque dance in compound meter, most typically the last movement of an instrumental suite. It is sometimes known as "jig"

Giocoso, Gioioso
(Italian) Happy, joyful

Gis
(German) G-sharp

Giubilo
(Italian) Rejoicing


Glass Harmonica (Armonica) (MORE)
A musical instrument that uses glass bowls of varying sizes to produce certain tones. Also known as hydrocrystalophone

Glockenspiel (MORE)
A set of bells that is played using mallets

Gloria
In the Roman Catholic mass, the second acclamation

Gloria in excelsis Deo
(Latin) Glory Be to God on High


Grace note

A small ornamental note or notes that are usually played before the beat

Grand staff
More than one staff connected with a brace, that means those staves should be played a the same time