Songstuff: Music Glossary

Modules

New Articles

DrummerTracks DL Multibox - Sonic Reality

Three of the drum groove packages from the new release of DrummerTracks DL by Sonic Reality under review. By John Moxey

Today's Pop & Rock Vocalists: What Comprises Good Vocal Technique?

Cheryl discusses good vocal technnique and a warm-up routine that she uses for practice. By Cheryl Hodge

The Revelation Of Syncopation

Our resident drumming expert Tom Hoffman introduces Syncopation and discusses why it is so important for drummers to understand how to use syncopation. The lesson is in a mixed video and text format. By Tom Hoffman

Harmonizing The Major Scale

Many chord progressions in popular music are based around a formula whose basis can be found in the Harmonized Major Scale. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but generally if you become familiar with how to Harmonize the Major Scale you can use this to good effect in the basis of your playing. By Graeme Carswell

Crash Cymbal Drills For Skills

In this the 3rd part of a 3 part tutorial on crash cymbals, Crash Cymbal Drills For Skills introduces 2 exercise to hone your crash cymbal skills. The lesson is presented in a mix of text and video. By Tom Hoffman

Glossary Navigation

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

V

Valve
Vacuum tube that acts as an amplification component, also known simply as a tube. Since the silicon revolution this component has been replaced in amplification circuits with the transistor.

Verse
Lyrically a verse is similar to a poetic stanza. Commonly the verse is used to "tell the story" of the song.

In popular music verses tend to have the same musical theme but different lyrics.

Volt
Unit of measurement used to describe the magnitude of electro-motive force (EMF).

Voltage Controlled Amplifier (VCA)
VCAs' are commonly used in audio equipment. Basically they are amplifiers whose gain is governed by an input control voltage.

Volume
This term is used to describe the signal level of an audio signal, or the intensity of the sound. Volume is usually expressed in decibels relative to a standard reference level or zero level.

Volume Unit (VU)
Unit used for measuring the magnitude of a complex electrical signal.

VU Meter
A volume indicator.

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