List of popular music terms
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This is a list of popular music terms, not including musical genres; each term is followed by the corresponding classical term, if any.
Note: Many of these terms are both a technique and a genre or style, as genres are often named after the techniques used (swung note and swing), though sometimes the connection is in name only (downbeat and down beat).
- Arrangement - orchestration
- Beat - meter
- Break
- Break beat
- Bridge - connecting interlude
- Call and response (music) - Antiphon
- Cover
- Chorus - refrain
- Chorus form - strophic form
- Downbeat
- Fade out
- Groove - meter
- Hook
- Lick
- Mixing
- Outro - coda
- Power chord
- Rap - speaking
- Rhythm - meter
- Riff - ostinato
- Sample
- Scratching
- Solo
- Swing
- Top 40
- Tune - melody/song
- Turnaround
- Turntable
- Upbeat - anacrusis
- Backbeat
- Offbeat
- Verse