GCSE Music 

Devices. 

Repetition – A recurring musical phrase.

Sequence – A musical phrase repeated at a different pitch.

Imitation - Where one voice (instrument) copies music played by another.

Ostinato – A repeated pattern in classical music.

Retrograde – A musical phrase played backwards.

Riff – A repeated pattern in pop/rock/blues/jazz

Improvisation – Music created as it is played. Common in Jazz or a classical concerto Cadenza.

Call and Response - Question and answer phrases between instruments.(pregon and choro in Salsa)

Drone - A continually sounding (long held) note.

Walking bass – Steady bassline moving by step – popular in Jazz, Blues and Pop.

Stabs – Short, accented notes by the horn section (brass) in disco, salsa and Jazz. 

Leitmotif - short melody used in film or programme music.