Spanish to English Musical Terms for International Jams

Blues Against Hunger hosts many concerts and jams in Mexico. Below are Spanish English musical terms to help you communicate on International jams.

Tonalidad | Key Signature

• Do - C
• Re - D
• Mi -E
• Fa - F
• Sol - G
• La - A
• Ti - B

• Mayor - Major
• Menor - Minor
• Sostenido - Sharp
• Bemol - Flat

Glossary

• Alteración (de una nota) - Sharps, flats and natural signs
• Apoyatura - Grace note
• Armadura - Sharps/Flats in Key Signature
• Armonía - Harmony
• Aumentada - Augmented
• Barra - Bar line
• Becuadro - Natural
• Bicordio - 2 notes
• Blanca - Half note
• Cadencia - Cadence
• Cifra indicadora - Time signature
• Clave - Clef
• Compas - Measure
• Corchea - Eighth Note
• Cromatica - Chromatic
• Cuartina - Divided by 4
• Denominador - Denominator. The 4 in 2/4 time.
• Diapente - Fifth
• Diatessaron - Fourth
• Diatonico - 2 whole steps, 1 half step
• Disminuida - Diminished
• Doble Punto - Double Dot, as in a double dotted half note. Which would be 3 1/2 beats.
• Dominante - 5th
• Enharmonia - Enharmonic. Such as F# and G flat.
• Fusa - 32nd note
• Intervalo - Interval 
• Ligadura Conjuntiva - Tie
• Ligadura Expresiva - Slur
• Matiz - Dynamics
• Mediante - 3rd
• Negra - Quarter Note
• Numerador - Numerator. The 2 in 2/4 time.
• Obertura - Overture
• Octava - Octave
• Pauta - The 5 lines and 4 spaces that make up a measure. Also known as Pentagrama.
• Pentagrama - The 5 lines and 4 spaces that make up a measure. Also known as Pauta.
• Pentatónica - Pentatonic
• Picado - staccato plus marcato
• Polifonia - Polyphony
• Punto - Dot, as in from a dotted half note. Which would be 3 beats.
• Redonda - Whole Note
• Ritornello - "little repeat"
• Seisillo - Divided by 6
• Semicorchea - Sixteenth Note
• Semitono - Half Step
• Sensible - 7th
• Silencio - Rest
• Sincopa - Syncopation
• Solfear - Singing the notes giving them their true value and tone.
• Subdominante - 4th
• Submediante - 6th
• Supertonica - 2nd
• Tonalidad - Key Signature
• Tónica - 1st
• Tono - Whole Step
• Tresillo - Divided by 3
• Triadas - Triads