| andantino |
somewhat faster than andante in tempo (used as a musical direction). [1/2 definitions] |
| animato |
in a lively and animated style or manner (used as a musical direction). |
| antimusical |
combined form of musical. |
| appassionata |
with strong emotion; impassioned (used as a musical direction). |
| arco |
played with a bow rather than by plucking the strings (used as a musical direction). (Cf. pizzicato.) |
| arioso |
in the manner of an aria or song (used as a musical direction). [1/3 definitions] |
| arpeggio |
the playing of each note in a musical chord rapidly, one after the other rather than simultaneously. [1/2 definitions] |
| a tempo |
in the same tempo as before (used as a musical direction after a slower or faster passage). |
| ax |
(slang) a musical instrument, such as a guitar. [1/4 definitions] |
| b |
the seventh note in the musical scale of C major. [1/5 definitions] |
| bagatelle |
a brief musical piece, esp. for the piano. [1/3 definitions] |
| bagpipe |
(often pl.) a musical instrument, played esp. in Scotland, consisting of a double-reed melody pipe and one or more drone pipes that protrude from a flexible leather bag that is inflated through a blowpipe by the breath or by bellows. The pipes are traditionally made of wood. |
| balalaika |
a guitarlike musical instrument that has a triangular body and usu. three strings. |
| ballade |
a romantic musical composition, often for the piano. [1/2 definitions] |
| ballet |
the musical score written for or used in such a performance. [1/4 definitions] |
| bamboo |
the stems of such a plant, used as a building material for such things as houses and fences, and for a wide variety of products such as hats, furniture, musical instruments, and chopsticks. [1/2 definitions] |
| bandmaster |
the conductor of a musical band. |
| bandsman |
a boy or man who plays in a musical band. |
| bandswoman |
a woman or girl who plays in a musical band. |
| banjo |
a musical instrument with a circular body covered with skin, a long fretted neck, and four or five strings that are plucked or strummed. |
| barrel organ |
a portable musical instrument consisting of a cylinder fitted with pegs or pins that either open valves to a series of pipes or strike metal tongues when the cylinder is rotated; hand organ. |