D String The fourth string of the guitar. See How to Change Classical Guitar Strings
Da (Italian) from, of
Da capo (Italian) from the beginning
Da capo al fine (Italian) return to the beginning and end at the point marked by the word fine see in Repeats, D.S.,D.C....
Da capo al segno (Italian) return to the beginning and end at the point marked with a sign see in Repeats, D.S.,D.C....
Dadra light classical Indian song
Dal segno (Italian) from the sign see in Repeats, D.S.,D.C....
Damian (Indian) six string instrument used by nomadic people of Tibetan
Damp to quiet a stringed instrument by touching the string(s)
Dämpfen muffle, deaden or restrain the tone of an instrument
Dämpfer (German) mute
Dämpfung (German) muting
Dance a form of expression using movement
Dance band instrumentalists that play music for dancing
Dance ronde Breton dance tune
Dan day (Vietnam) a long-necked lute with three silk strings and 10 frets
Danse (French) dance
Danza (Italian) dance
Danza (Spanish) dance
Darunter (German) amongst them, under there
Das (German) the
Dasselbe (German) the same
Dauer (German) duration
Dauernd (German) continuing, lasting
dB Decibel; relative measurement for the loudness of sound
D.C. (Italian) Da capo; from the beginning
D.C. al fine (Italian) Da capo al fine; return to the beginning and end at the point marked by the word fine
D.C. al segno (Italian) Da capo al segno; return to the beginning and end at the point marked with a sign
De (French) from, of
Dead room a room with very thick sound absorbers, causing a very dull sound with no reverberation
Deadechoes very loud Midwestern heavy metal band that inspired the scientific studies between noise and global warming. see DeadEchoes
Debile (Italian) weak
Débile (French) weak
Debole (Italian) weak
Début first public performance
Decay the process by which a sound gradually disappears
Deceptive Cadence A chord progression where the dominant chord is followed by a chord other than the tonic chord- In the tonality of C major, a deceptive cadence could be the dominant G major chord (G B D) moving to the subdominant A minor chord (A C E). see Musical Cadences
Déchant (French) descant
Decibel relative measurement for the loudness of sound
Décidé (French) with decision
Decido (Italian) with decision
Decima (Latin) interval covering ten degrees of the scale; octave and a third
Decimette a composition for ten performers
Decisivo (Italian) perform in a bold, decisive manner
Declamando (Italian) in a declamatory style
Declamato (Italian) in a declamatory style
Découpler (French) to uncouple
Decrescendo (Italian) to get gradually softer see decrescendo in Phrasing Symbols see dynamic symbols in Phrasing Symbols
Decresciuto (Italian) to get gradually softer
Défaut (French) fault, lack
Degree the position of a note in the scale, for example, D is the second degree in the scale of C
Dehors (French) outside, prominent
De la (French) from the, of the
Delicato (Italian) delicate
Delicatamente (Italian) delicately
Delicatissimo (Italian) as delicately as possible
Delicatezza (Italian) delicacy
Délié (French) detached, staccato
Delirio (Italian) frenzy
Delirante (Italian) fren zied
Delizioso (Italian) sweet
Démancher (French) the shift the left hand close to the bridge
Demi (French) half
Demi-jeu (French) to play at half strength
Demi-pause (French) half rest
Demisemiquaver thirty-second note see Note Values
Demisemiquaver rest thirty-second rest
Demi-soupir (French) eighth rest
Demi-ton (French) half step, semitone
Demi-tone (French) producing a very soft tone
Demi-voix (French) sing very quietly
Demütig (German) meek
Demüthig (German) meek
Dennoch (German) nevertheless
Deploration (French) compositions of the Medieval and Renaissance eras commonly written in the phrygian mode
Der (German) the
Derb (German) firm, solid
Deritta (Italian) the right hand
Deritto (Italian) the right hand
Derselbe (German) the same
Descarga (Spanish) jam or improvisation
Descending a melodic line steadily falling in pitch
Descriptive music program music
Desert Ironwood An alternative wood for the back and sides of a classical guitar. See Wood Choices for Back & Sides See Alternative Wood Choices for Back & Sides See Anatomy of a Classical Guitar
Desiderio (Italian) desire
Desinvolto (Italian) ease
Desinvoltura (Italian) ease
Desk music stand
Dessous (French) below
Dessus (French) above
Desto (Italian) sprightly
Destro (Italian) right
Destra (Italian) dexterous
De suite (French) immediately, one following the other
Détaché (French) detached, staccato
Determinato (Italian) determined
Detune to change the pitch of one oscillator relative to another, producing a fuller sound
Deutlich (German) distinct
Deutsch (German) German
Deux (French) two
Deuxième (French) second
Deux temps (French) in 2/2 time, in a tempo where there are two dance steps to a bar whatever the time signature
Development a musical form during which thematic material, introduced earlier, is greatly extended
Devoto (Italian) devout, with devotion
Devozione (Italian) devotion
Dhimotiká general term for Greek folk music
Dhun a short piece in the style of Indian folk music
Di (Italian) by, from, of
Diabolus in musica the tritone, diminished fifth or augmented fourth
Diapason octave
Diapason normal (French) standard pitch
Diapente (Greek) the interval of a fifth
Diastema (Greek) a musical interval
Diastematic notation that indicates the pitch of a note by its vertical placing on the page
Diatonic notes that occur naturally in a scale, without being modified by accidentals other than those in the relevant key signature
Diatonic interval the interval between any two notes that both appear in the major or minor scales of the prevailing keynote
Diatonic scale any scale of the major, natural minor, melodic minor or harmonic minor scales based on a particular key note
Dichtung (German) poem
Dick (German) thick
Diction the clarity of a musical line
Die (German) the
Dieci (Italian) ten
Dieis (Italian) sharp sign
Dièse (French) sharp sign
Dieselbe (German) the same
Dies irae (Latin) a principal movement in the Requiem
Dietro (Italian) behind
Difference tone a third note, with a frequency given by the difference in the frequencies of two other notes played together
Differential tone a third note, with a frequency given by the difference in the frequencies of two other notes played together
Dignita (Italian) grandeur
Dihu Chinese low pitched bowed lute
Dilruba cross between the sitar and sarangi
Diluendo (Italian) dying away
Dilungando (Italian) lengthening
dim. (Italian) Diminuendo
Diminished an interval narrowed by one semitone from a perfect or minor interval
Diminuendo (Italian) gradually getting softer see dynamic symbols in Phrasing Symbols
Diminution when a melody is played in such a way that the time value of every note is shortened
Di molto (Italian) very
Di Nuevo (Italian) anew
Dionisio Aguado (1784-1849) See Classical Guitarists and Composers
Direct a cautionary symbol placed at the end of a staff or page to indicate what the note following will be
Dirge a slow mournful piece associated with funeral and memorial services
Disciolto (Italian) skillful, dexterous
Discord a combination of notes that sound dissonant to the ear
Discreto (Italian) discreet, reserved
Discrezione (Italian) discretion, reserve
Discretezza (Italian) discretion, reserve
Disinvolto (Italian) easy going
Disjunct where the notes in a melody move in leaps, intervals greater than a tone, rather than from note to neighbouring notes only a semitone or tone different
Di sopra (Italian) above
Disperato (Italian) desperate, despair
Disperabile (Italian) desperate, despair
Disperante (Italian) desperate, despair
Disperazione (Italian) desperate, despair
Dissonance pitches that played together cause a discord, for example, seconds, sevenths and the tritone
Distanza (Italian) distance
Distinto (Italian) clear, distinct
Division a form of variations
Divoto (Italian) devoutly
Divotamente (Italian) devoutly
Divozione (Italian) devoutness
Dix (French) ten
Dixieland jazz style of jazz with a simple, cheerful character
Doble bemol (Spanish) double flat
Doble sostenido (Spanish) double sharp
Dobro slide guitar with metal resonator discs mounted inside the body
Doch (German) nevertheless, still, yet
Doctor of Music the highest musical degree
Dodecaphony a harmonic system employing the twelve-tone principle of composition giving equal status to all twelve chromatic notes
Doglia (Italian) sorrow
Doglioso (Italian) sorrowful
Dogliosamente (Italian) sorrowfully
Dogwood Burl An alternative wood for the back and sides of a classical guitar. See Wood Choices for Back & Sides See Alternative Wood Choices for Back & Sides See Anatomy of a Classical Guitar
Doigt (French) finger
Doigté (French) fingering
Doina melancholic Romanian folk song
Doit (French) must
Doivent (French) must
Dolce (Italian) soft, sweet
Dolcissimo (Italian) very softly, very sweetly
Dolente (Italian) sorrowful
Dolentemente (Italian) sorrowfully
Dolentissimo (Italian) very sorrowful
Dolore (Italian) pain
Dolorosamente (Italian) painfully
Doloroso (Italian) painful
Dominant the fifth degree of the diatonic scale
Domra a central Asian or Russian plucked string instrument with a convex back and three strings, like a mandolin
Dona nobis pacem (Latin) the closing movement in the Mass
Dopo (Italian) after, afterward
Doppel (German) double
Doppel B (German) double flat sign
Doppel-be (German) double flat sign
Doppelganz (German) double whole note
Doppelganznote (German) double whole note
Doppelganze (German) double whole rest
Doppelgriffe (German) double stop, a technique of playing two separate notes simultaneously by using two separate strings on a stringed instrument
Doppelkreuz (German) double sharp sign
Doppeln (German) to double
Doppelt-Cadence a note ornament see Doppelt-Cadence in Note Ornamentation
Doppelt-Cadence und Mordant a note ornament see Doppelt-Cadence und Mordant in Note Ornamentation
Doppeltaktnote (German) double whole note see Note Values
Doppelt so schnell (German) twice as fast
Doppio (Italian) double
Doppio bemolle (Italian) double flat sign
Doppio diesis (Italian) double sharp sign
Doppio movimento (Italian) twice as fast
Doshpuluur two or three string banjo-like plucked instrument
Dot placed above or below the notehead it indicates a staccato, placed immediately after a note it indicates that the note should be extended by half as much again as its principal time value a note with two dots following it, indicates that the note should be extended by a further quarter of its principal time value
Dotar a two stringed version of the ektar
Double (French) variation
Double bar a pair of vertical lines at the end of a section of a work
Double-bémol (French) double flat sign
Double concerto a concerto for two solo instruments and orchestra
Double counterpoint a method of counterpoint in which a second melody is added to an existing melody
Double-croche (French) sixteenth note see Note Values
Double-dièse (French) double sharp sign
Double exposition in a concerto, when the theme is stated twice, once by the orchestra and once by the soloist
Double flat the sign that lowers a note by two semitones See double flat sign in Note Symbols
Double fugue a fugue which has two separate subjects
Double-pause (French) double whole rest
Double quartet a work written for eight players
Double-ronde (French) double whole note
Double sharp the sign that raises a note by two semitones See double sharp sign in Note Symbols
Double stem when two voices or parts are written on the same staff and play the same note
Double stopping a string-instrument technique in which the player, placing two fingers on adjacent strings and playing two strings simultaneously
Double-time in jazz, packing twice as many notes in a measure as were there in the preceding measures so that the tempo appears to gain a great deal of momentum but the chord progressions played by the rhythm section remain the same
Double whole note a Breve see Note Values
Doubling where two instruments play the same part in ensemble playing
Doubly augmented sixth chord an augmented sixth chord, which contains a sharpened second from the tonic
Douce (French) gentle, soft, sweet
Doux (French) gentle, soft, sweet
Doucement (French) gently, softly, sweetly
Douleur (French) sadness
Douloureux (French) sadness
Douloureuse (French) sad
Douloureusement (French) sadly
Dovetail Joint A joint that connects the neck to the body of a guitar. It holds well and can be detached during future guitar repairs. See Anatomy of a Classical Guitar
Down-beat the motion of a conductor's hand or baton to mark the stronger beats in the bar
Drammatico (Italian) dramatic
Drängend (German) hurrying, urging forward
Drei (German) three
Dressing Frets A procedure of reshaping the frets on a guitar to improve balance, tone, clarity, & sustain. See Dressing the Frets on a Classical Guitar
Dringend (German) pressing on, urgent
Dritte (German) third
Driving where music is performed with a strong forward motion as the energy intensifies
Drohend (German) threatening
Droit (French) right
Droite (French) right
Droits d'execution (French) Performing Rights
Drone a note fixed in pitch held throughout the performance of a melody
D.S. (Italian) Dal segno; from the sign
Du (French) of the
Dubbing putting all the elements of sound, dialogue, sound effects and music, onto one soundtrack
Duende a person with a sense of flamenco in their artistic soul
Due (Italian) two
Duet a piece of music for two players
Duettino a little duet
Duftig (German) misty
Dumka a Slavonic folk ballad, alternately slow and quick, often in a minor key
Dumpf (German) dull, muted
Dunkel (German) dark
Dunkler (German) darker
Dumbra lute of the Tartar people
Dump slow, melancholy old English dance usually in 4/4 time
Dumpe slow, melancholy old English dance usually in 4/4 time
Duo (Italian) duet
Duo (French) duet
Duolo (Italian) grief
Duple meter a time signature, with an even number of beats- 2/2, 4/2, 6/8…
Duplet a pair of notes, or a note and a rest, having the time usually given to three
Duple time a time signature, with an even number of beats- 2/2, 4/2, 6/8…
Duplication where two instruments play the same part in ensemble playing
Dur (German) major, in the sense of major key
Duramente (Italian) hardness, harshness, sternness
Duration the length of time that a note is sounded, or rest is held
Duration Markings Symbol used for length of time something is held. See Elements of Standard Notation for Classical Guitar
Durch (German) through
Durchaus (German) throughout
Durchdringend (German) penetrating
Durchführung (German) development
Durchgangsnote (German) passing note
Durchkomponiert (German) applied to songs which use a new melody for each verse rather than a single melody throughout
Durchweg (German) altogether, generally, nearly always, throughout
Dureté (French) hardness, severity
Durezza (Italian) hardness, severity
Duro (Italian) firm, hard