ground bass, a pattern repeated several times over in the bass line to accompany one or more ever-varying upper parts
Basso ostinato
Related Dictionary Terms
Bass bar
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a strip of wood glued under the belly of a sound board to support one foot of the bridge and to improve the instrument's bass…
Canon
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a musical form in which a (second, third, fourth, ….) line starting later than the one before it matches it note for note but…
Homophonic
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a musical composition for 2 or more parts with a single melody line, all other parts serving as accompaniments
Homophony
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a musical composition for 2 or more parts with a single melody line, all other parts serving as accompaniments
Ostinato
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Theory
An ostinato can appear in the bass, inner voices, or accompaniment figures. In guitar music, it often supports variation, seq…
String quartet
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a quartet formed of one first violinist, one second violinist, one violist and one cellist
Walking bass
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a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting to that of the upper parts; in jazz, a walking bass usually moves by…
Chord Inversion
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Theory
Inversions rearrange chord tones while keeping chord identity. For triads: root position: root in bass first inversion: third…