Form type – classification of songs according to structure, e.g., verse-chorus, call-response, cumulative
Formal analysis – a description of the relationship between melodic phrases in the song, which shows their similarity
and difference, e.g., AABA
Game type – a classification of games either by formation (circle, line, partner) or by activity (chasing, clapping, guessing)
Grade level – the range of ages for which the song is most appropriate, considering both subject matter and musical content
Informant – the person from whom the recording was collected. The singer often does not consider himself a performer, but as a carrier of the traditional culture in which he or she has grown up.
Melodic element – The most recently introduced note. Notes are introduced sequentially (starting with so-mi, or mi-re-do) so that children can hear, read and write with confidence.
- Melodic context – the most characteristic interval or group of notes in the song which contains the new note
- Preparation – introducing the new note. This includes discovering where the new note happens in a song, how it sounds in relation to known notes, how to show its hand sign, its name, and where to write it on the staff. A song which is useful for preparation is one in which the new note is clearly identifiable.
- Practice – integration of the new note with what is already known. This is accomplished through listening, memorization, reading, writing and improvisation. Songs useful for practice contain the new note in a variety of contexts.
- Tuning – unconscious preparation for hearing the new note. Songs chosen for tuning may include more advanced melodic and rhythmic elements, and are used for play rather than in reading and writing activities
Older Beginner – anyone learning to read music later than second grade. Songs for older beginners combine musical simplicity with more sophisticated content.
Origin – the cultural/historical source of a song, which may or may not be same as the cultural or ethnic origin of the informant
Original starting pitch – the first note of the song in the source, written or recorded
Part-work – additional harmony parts in the source, or suggestions for adding them
Range – the interval, or distance, between the lowest and highest notes in a song
Refrain – a motive or phrase that is repeated regularly within or between the verses of the song
Rhythmic element – the most recently introduced rhythm. Rhythms are introduced sequentially (starting with ta, ti-ti and rest) so that children can hear, read and write with confidence.
Rhythm set – the note values that appear in a song
Scale type – classification of scales by number and relationship of pitches, and tonal center, e.g., do pentatonic, mixolydian, harmonic minor, etc.
Song type – classification of songs by function, e.g., work songs, lullabies, etc.
Solfège (movable do) – A system of solmization (use of note names to designate scale degrees, e.g. do, re mi, fa, so) in which the tonal center in major is do, and in minor, la.
Source – the publication, recording or archive in which the song chosen for the collection was found.
Strophic – the form of a song which has verses, but no chorus; it may have a refrain
Tonal center – the tonic of the song; usually the final note
Tone set – the notes that appear in a song, listed from lowest to highest, with the tonal center indicated
In the database, the tone set is a text string and must be entered exactly as follows:
1) list notes from lowest to highest, e.g., drmfslt
2) notes outside the main octave (do-ti) are indicated with ticks below (t,) or above (r'), e.g., t,drmfsltd'r'
3) leave a space for each missing note, e.g., Drm sl d'
4) The tonal center is indicated in upper case. However, the search is not case sensitive, and a search for l, drm will provide both L, drm and l, Drm. Adding the category of tonal center to the search will help distinguish these two tone sets.
Transcription – the written notation of a song created from a recorded source
Variant – the particular version of a folk song as sung by an individual singer
Vocables – syllables used in American Indian music which may or may not have specific meaning
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