Tabla Pair of single-headed drums in which the right-hand drum is generally tuned to the tonic note and the left-hand drum functions as a bass drum; the most important percussion instrument in north Indian music.

Tag Brief coda sometimes played at the end of a piece in New Orleans jazz style.

Tala Repeated cycle of beats organizing the rhythm in Indian classical music.

Tambourine Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a skin stretched across a shallow cylinder, with small circular plates set into the cylinder which jingle when the skin is struck or the cylinder is shaken.

Tambura Long-necked lute with four metal strings that are continually plucked in succession; the main drone instrument in Indian music.

Tam-tam See gong.

Tape studio Studio with tape recorders and other equipment used to create electronic music by modifying and combining recorded sounds.

Tempo Basic pace of the music.

Tempo indication Words, usually at the beginning of a piece of music, often in Italian, which specify the pace at which the music should be played.

Tenor Male voice of high range.

Terraced dynamics Abrupt alternation between loud and soft dynamic levels; characteristic of baroque music.

Thematic transformation Alteration of the character of a theme by means of changes in dynamics, orchestration, or rhythm, when it returns in a later movement or section; often found in romantic music.

Theme Melody which serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music.

Theme and variations Form in which a basic musical idea (the theme) is repeated over and over and is changed each time in melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, or tone color. Used either as an independent piece or as one movement of a larger work.

Three-part form (A B A) Form that can be represented as statement (A); contrast (B); return of statement (A).

Through-composed form Vocal form in which there is new music for each stanza of a poem.

Tie In notation of rhythm, an arc between two notes of the same pitch indicating that the second note should not be played but should be added to the duration of the first.

Timbre See tone color.

Time signature (meter signature) Two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or the start of a piece, indicating the meter of the piece.

Timpani (kettledrums) Percussion instruments of definite pitch, shaped like large kettles with calfskin or plastic stretched across the tops, played with soft padded mallets.

Tonality See key.

Tone Sound that has a definite pitch, or frequency.

Tone cluster Chord made up of tones only a half step or a whole step apart, used in twentieth-century music.

Tone color (timbre) Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.

Tone-color melody Succession of varying tone colors serving as a musical idea in a composition, used by Schoenberg and his followers.

Tone poem See symphonic poem.

Tone row (set, series) Particular ordering of the twelve chromatic tones, from which all pitches in a twelve-tone composition are derived.

Tonic See keynote.

Tonic chord Triad built on the first, or tonic, note of the scale, serving as the main chord of a piece and usually beginning and ending it.

Tonic key (home key) Central key of a piece of music, usually both beginning and ending the piece, regardless of how many other keys are included.

Transition See bridge.

Treble clef Notation on a staff to indicate relatively high pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist's right hand.

Tremolo Rapid repetition of a tone, produced in string instruments by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow.

Triad Most basic of chords, consisting of three alternate tones of the scale, such as do, mi, sol.

Triangle Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a triangular length of metal suspended from a hook or cord, played by striking with a metal rod.

Trill Musical ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of two tones that are a whole or half step apart.

Trio sonata Baroque composition which has three melodic lines: two high ones, each played by one instrument; and a basso continuo, played by two instruments.

Triple meter Pattern of 3 beats to the measure.

Triple stop See stop.

Triplet In notation of rhythm, three notes of equal duration grouped within a curved line with the numeral 3, lasting only as long as two notes of the same length would normally last.

Trombone Brass instrument of moderately low range, whose tube is an elongated loop with a movable slide, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz ensembles.

Trumpet Brass instrument with the highest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz and rock groups.

Tuba Largest brass instrument, with the lowest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras and bands.

Tutti In Italian, all; the full orchestra, or a large group of musicians contrasted with a smaller group; often heard in baroque music.

12-bar blues In vocal blues and jazz, a harmonic framework that is 12 bars in length, usually involving only three basic chords: tonic (I), subdominant (IV), and dominant (V).

Twelve-tone system Method of composing in which all pitches of a composition are derived from a special ordering of the twelve chromatic tones (tone row or set); developed by Schoenberg in the early 1920s.

Two-part form (A B) Form that can be represented as statement (A) and counterstatement (B).