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Music Terms Glossary - D
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disco A style of popular dance music characterized by slick, ostinato-like rhythms and propulsive, repetitive lyrics.

disjunct motion Melodic motion by a leap rather than by a step.

dissonance Intervals or chords that sound impure, harsh, or unstable.

dominant (1) The fifth degree of the diatonic scale. (2) the triad built on this degree; (3) the key oriented around this degree.

dominant seventh chord A dominant triad with an added seventh degree-for example, G-B-D-F. dotted rhythm The alternation of LONG and short notes, named after the notation used to record them.

downbeat A strong or accented beat, most frequently the first beat of a measure.

drone A sustained tone (a kind of permanent pedal point) over which a melody unfolds.

duet A composition for two performers.

duple meter The regular grouping of beats into twos (STRONG-weak). The most common duple meters have two or four beats per measure. dynamics The relative softness or loudness of a note or passage.

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