Outline of music

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to music:

Music – human expression often in the medium of time using the structures of sounds or tones and silence. It may be expressed in terms of pitch, rhythm, harmony, and timbre.

Definition of music

 * Definition of music
 * One of the arts –
 * One of the performing arts –
 * One of the humanities –
 * An academic discipline –

History of music
History of music
 * Timeline of musical events –
 * Prehistoric music
 * Ancient music
 * Music in ancient India
 * Music of Mesopotamia
 * Music of ancient Greece
 * Music of ancient Rome


 * Art music
 * Andalusian classical music
 * Arab classical music
 * Chinese classical music
 * Indian classical music
 * Carnatic music
 * Hindustani classical music
 * Persian traditional music
 * Sasanian music


 * Western classical music
 * Dates of classical music eras
 * Early music period
 * European medieval music
 * Saint Gall
 * Saint Martial
 * Goliard
 * Ars antiqua
 * Notre-Dame school
 * Troubadour
 * Trouvère
 * Minnesang
 * Ars nova
 * Trecento
 * Ars subtilior
 * Renaissance music
 * Common practice period
 * Baroque music
 * the galant music period
 * Classical period
 * Romantic music
 * 20th-century classical music
 * Impressionism
 * Expressionist
 * Modernism
 * Neoclassicism
 * Experimental music
 * Postmodern music
 * Contemporary classical music
 * 21st-century classical music

By region or ethnicity

 * Timeline of trends in Australian music
 * Byzantine music
 * Timeline of Chinese music
 * Timeline of Italian music
 * Timeline of music in the United States
 * History of music in the biblical period

Musical ensembles
Musical ensemble


 * Band –
 * Band (rock and pop) –
 * Brass band –
 * Concert band –
 * Fanfare band –
 * Jazz band –
 * Big band –
 * Marching band –
 * Military band –
 * Ottoman military band –
 * One-man band –
 * Pipe band –
 * Camerata –
 * Chapel –
 * Choir –
 * Flute choir –
 * Men's chorus –
 * Singakademie –
 * Decet –
 * Duet –
 * Piano duet –
 * Duodecet –
 * Gamelan –
 * Nonet –
 * Octet –
 * String octet –
 * Orchestra –
 * Pit orchestra –
 * String orchestra –
 * Percussion ensemble –
 * Quartet –
 * Flute quartet –
 * Piano quartet –
 * Saxophone quartet –
 * String quartet –
 * Wind quartet –
 * Woodwind quartet –
 * Quintet –
 * Brass quintet –
 * Clarinet quintet –
 * Pierrot ensemble –
 * String quintet –
 * Wind quintet –
 * Septet –
 * Sextet –
 * Piano sextet –
 * String sextet –
 * Sinfonietta –
 * Trio –
 * Clarinet trio –
 * Jazz trio –
 * Organ trio –
 * Piano trio –
 * String trio –

Genres of music
Music genre  (list)


 * Blues –
 * Classical –
 * Country –
 * Electronic –
 * Electronic dance –
 * Electronica –
 * Folk –
 * Funk –
 * Gospel –
 * Grunge –
 * Hip hop –
 * Jazz –
 * Avant-garde jazz –
 * Chamber jazz –
 * Free jazz –
 * Latin jazz –
 * Orchestral jazz –
 * Latin –
 * Latin ballad –
 * Martial music
 * Pop –
 * Dance-pop –
 * Electropop –
 * Reggae –
 * Rhythm and blues –
 * Rock –
 * Heavy metal –
 * Progressive rock –
 * Psychedelic rock –
 * Punk rock –
 * Ska –
 * Theatre music –
 * Ballet –
 * Opera –
 * Musical theatre –
 * Incidental music –

Music by region
Cultural and regional genres of music


 * Africa


 * West Africa


 * Benin • Burkina Faso • Cape Verde • Côte d'Ivoire • Gambia • Ghana • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Liberia • Mali • Mauritania • Niger • Nigeria • Senegal • Sierra Leone • Togo


 * North Africa


 * Algeria • Egypt • Libya • Mauritania • Morocco • Sudan • South Sudan •Tunisia • Western Sahara


 * Central Africa


 * Angola • Burundi • Cameroon • Central African Republic • Chad • The Democratic Republic of the Congo • Equatorial Guinea • Gabon • Republic of the Congo • Rwanda • São Tomé and Príncipe


 * East Africa


 * Burundi • Comoros • Djibouti • Eritrea • Ethiopia • Kenya • Madagascar • Malawi • Mauritius • Mozambique • Rwanda • Seychelles • Somalia • Tanzania • Uganda • Zambia • Zimbabwe


 * Southern Africa


 * Botswana • Lesotho • Namibia • South Africa • Eswatini


 * Dependencies


 * Mayotte (France) • St. Helena (UK) • Puntland • Somaliland  • Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic


 * Asia
 * Central Asia
 * Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan •  Tajikistan •  Turkmenistan •  Uzbekistan
 * East Asia
 * China • Tibet • Hong Kong • Macau • Japan •  North Korea •  South Korea •  Mongolia •  Taiwan
 * North Asia
 * Russia
 * Southeast Asia
 * Brunei • Burma (Myanmar)  •  Cambodia •  East Timor (Timor-Leste) •  Indonesia •  Laos •  Malaysia •  Philippines (Metro Manila) •  Singapore •  Thailand (Bangkok) •  Vietnam
 * South Asia
 * Afghanistan • Bangladesh •  Bhutan •  Maldives •  Nepal •  Pakistan •  Sri Lanka
 * India
 * States of India: Andhra Pradesh • Arunachal Pradesh • Assam • Bihar • Chhattisgarh • Goa • Gujarat • Haryana • Himachal Pradesh • Jammu and Kashmir • Jharkhand • Karnataka • Kerala • Madhya Pradesh • Maharashtra • Manipur • Meghalaya • Mizoram • Nagaland • Odisha • Punjab • Rajasthan • Sikkim • Tamil Nadu • Telangana • Tripura • Uttar Pradesh • Uttarakhand • West Bengal
 * West Asia
 * Armenia • Azerbaijan •  Bahrain •  Cyprus (including disputed Northern Cyprus) •  Georgia • Iran • Iraq •  Israel •  Jordan •  Kuwait •  Lebanon •  Oman •  State of Palestine • Qatar •  Saudi Arabia •  Syria •  Turkey •  United Arab Emirates •  Yemen


 * Caucasus (a region considered to be in both Asia and Europe, or between them)


 * North Caucasus
 * Parts of Russia (Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Adyghea, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachai-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai)


 * South Caucasus
 * Georgia (including disputed Abkhazia, South Ossetia) • Armenia •  Azerbaijan (including disputed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic)


 * Europe
 * Akrotiri and Dhekelia • Åland • Albania • Andorra • Armenia • Austria • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Belgium • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Bulgaria • Croatia • Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Faroe Islands • Finland • France • Georgia • Germany • Gibraltar • Greece • Guernsey • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Isle of Man • Italy (Rome) • Jersey • Kazakhstan • Kosovo • Latvia • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Macedonia • Malta • Moldova (including disputed Transnistria) • Monaco • Montenegro • Netherlands • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Russia • San Marino • Serbia • Slovakia • Slovenia •
 * Norway
 * Svalbard
 * Spain
 * Autonomous communities of Spain: Catalonia
 * Sweden • Switzerland • Turkey • Ukraine
 * United Kingdom
 * England (Cornwall, London, Sussex) • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales (Cardiff, Newport)
 * Vatican City


 * European Union


 * North America
 * Canada
 * Provinces of Canada: • Alberta  • British Columbia (Vancouver) • Manitoba  • New Brunswick  • Newfoundland and Labrador  • Nova Scotia  • Ontario • Prince Edward Island  • Quebec • Saskatchewan
 * Territories of Canada: Northwest Territories • Nunavut • Yukon


 * Greenland • Saint Pierre and Miquelon


 * United States


 * Alabama • Alaska • Arizona (Tucson) • Arkansas • California (Los Angeles) • Colorado Denver • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia (Athens, Atlanta)  • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois (Chicago) • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland (Annapolis, Baltimore)  • Massachusetts • Michigan (Detroit)  • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York (New York City)  • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas Austin • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington (Olympia, Seattle)  • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming


 * Washington, D.C.


 * Mexico


 * Central America
 * Belize • Costa Rica • El Salvador • Guatemala • Honduras • Nicaragua • Panama


 * Caribbean
 * Anguilla • Antigua and Barbuda • Aruba •  Bahamas •  Barbados •  Bermuda •  British Virgin Islands •  Cayman Islands •  Cuba •  Dominica •  Dominican Republic •  Grenada •  Haiti •  Jamaica •  Montserrat •  Netherlands Antilles •  Puerto Rico •  Saint Barthélemy •  Saint Kitts and Nevis •  Saint Lucia •  Saint Martin •  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines •  Trinidad and Tobago •  Turks and Caicos Islands •  United States Virgin Islands


 * Oceania (includes the continent of Australia)
 * Australasia
 * Australia Location Australia.svg
 * (Adelaide, Perth, Sydney)
 * Dependencies/Territories of Australia
 * Christmas Island • Cocos (Keeling) Islands •   Norfolk Island
 * New Zealand
 * Melanesia
 * Fiji • Indonesia (Oceanian part only) •  New Caledonia (France) •  Papua New Guinea •  Solomon Islands •  Vanuatu •
 * Micronesia
 * Federated States of Micronesia • Guam (USA) •  Kiribati •  Marshall Islands •  Nauru •  Northern Mariana Islands (USA) •  Palau •  Wake Island (USA) •
 * Polynesia
 * American Samoa (USA) • Chatham Islands (NZ) •  Cook Islands (NZ) •  Easter Island (Chile) •  French Polynesia (France)  •  Hawaii (USA) •  Loyalty Islands (France) • Niue (NZ) •  Pitcairn Islands (UK) •  Adamstown •  Samoa •  Tokelau (NZ) •  Tonga •  Tuvalu •  Wallis and Futuna (France)


 * South America Location of South America.svg
 * Argentina • Bolivia • Brazil • Chile • Colombia • Ecuador • Falkland Islands • Guyana • Paraguay • Peru • Suriname • Uruguay • Venezuela


 * South Atlantic


 * Ascension Island • Saint Helena • Tristan da Cunha

Musical compositions
Musical composition

Types of musical pieces and compositions
Musical form

Single-movement forms

 * Strophic form (AA...) –
 * Binary form (AB) –
 * Ternary form less often tertiary (ABA) –
 * Arch form (ABCBA)

Multi-movement forms

 * Ballet –
 * Cantata –
 * Chorale –
 * Concerto –
 * Dance –
 * Etude –
 * Fantasia –
 * Fugue –
 * Mass –
 * Opera –
 * Oratorio –
 * Prelude –
 * Requiem –
 * Rhapsody –
 * Sonata –
 * Suite –
 * Symphonic poem –
 * Symphony –

Sections of a piece or composition
Section (music)
 * Introduction –
 * Exposition –
 * Recapitulation –
 * Verse –
 * Refrain (chorus) –
 * Bridge –
 * Interlude –
 * Guitar solo –
 * Conclusion –
 * Coda –
 * Fadeout

Musical notation
Musical notation –
 * Staff –
 * Clefs –
 * Key signature –
 * Key –
 * Time signature –
 * Beats –
 * Bars (Measures) –
 * Ledger lines –
 * Grand staff –
 * Notes –
 * Note values –
 * Dotted notes –
 * Ties –
 * Accidentals –
 * Tempo –
 * Dynamics –
 * Lyrics (included on vocal music) –
 * Modern musical symbols
 * Score (for ensembles) –
 * Sheet music

Variations of musical notation

 * Percussion notation –
 * Figured bass –
 * Lead sheets –
 * Chord charts –
 * Shape note system –

Musical techniques

 * Bell chord
 * Broken chords
 * Arpeggio
 * Bass arpeggiation
 * Non-harmonic arpeggio
 * Ostinato
 * Tremolo
 * Guitar performance techniques

Musical skills and procedures

 * Absolute pitch –
 * Ear training –
 * Fingering –
 * Learning music by ear –
 * Modulation –
 * Numerical sight-singing –
 * Practice –
 * Relative pitch –
 * Sight reading –
 * "Swinging" –
 * Transposition –
 * Tuning –
 * Virtuosity –

Vocal ranges

 * Vocal range –

Female ranges

 * Soprano –
 * Mezzo-soprano –
 * Contralto –

Male ranges

 * Boy soprano –


 * Sopranist –
 * Alto –
 * Tenor –
 * Baritone –
 * Bass-baritone –
 * Bass –

Musical instruments
Musical instrument  (List of musical instruments) See also the List of musical instruments by Hornbostel–Sachs number
 * Wind instruments –
 * Percussion instruments –
 * String instruments –
 * Voice –
 * Electronic instruments –
 * Keyboard instruments –
 * Musical keyboard –

Music technology
Music technology –
 * Electric music technology
 * Electronic and digital music technology
 * Mechanical music technology

Music industry
Music industry
 * Album –
 * Compact disc (CD) –
 * Compact Cassette –
 * Concert –
 * Concert tour –
 * Grammy Awards –
 * Music recording sales certification –
 * Performance –
 * Record –
 * Record industry –
 * Recording studio –
 * Single –

Music industry participants

 * A&R –
 * ASCAP –
 * Band manager –
 * Booking agent –
 * BMI –
 * Copyright collective –
 * Disc jockey –
 * MCPS –
 * Musician – person who writes, performs, or makes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music.
 * Instrumentalist – one who plays a musical instrument.
 * Traditional instrumentalist – one who plays folk music on traditional instruments such as gongs.
 * Classical instrumentalist – one who plays classical music, usually with Western orchestral instruments such as the violin, flute etc.
 * Instrumentalists who plays popular music – one who plays with instruments in the big band, e.g. the electric guitar, drums, saxophone, trumpet, trombone etc.
 * Singer – a vocalist.
 * Composer – person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media.
 * Songwriter –
 * Arranger –
 * Conductor – leads a musical ensemble. A conductor may simultaneously act as an instrumentalist in the ensemble.
 * Recording artist – creates recorded music, such as CDs and MP3 files.
 * Musicians' Union –
 * Publisher –
 * PRS –
 * Record producer –
 * Record label –
 * Record distributor –
 * Tour promoter –
 * Road crew ("roadies") –
 * Performance rights organisation –

Music theory
Music theory

Elements of music
Elements of music –
 * Pitch –
 * Scale –
 * Mode –
 * Chord –
 * Dynamics (music) –
 * Articulation –
 * Texture –
 * Consonance and dissonance –
 * Expression –
 * Harmony –
 * Melody –
 * Musical form –
 * Notation –
 * Rhythm –
 * Timbre –

Musicology
Musicology –
 * Biomusicology –
 * Evolutionary musicology –
 * Cognitive musicology –
 * Ethnomusicology –
 * Historical musicology –
 * Systematic musicology –
 * Sociomusicology (music sociology) –
 * Philosophy of music –
 * Music acoustics (physics of music) –
 * Computer sciences of music
 * Sound and music computing –
 * Music information retrieval –
 * Computing in musicology –
 * Zoomusicology –

Music education
Music education –
 * Music lessons –

Music and politics
Music and politics –

Music organizations

 * Musicians' Union (UK)
 * Sony Music Entertainment
 * International Music Council
 * International Federation of the Phonographic Industry
 * Australian Recording Industry Association

Psychology of music
Psychology of music
 * Cognitive musicology
 * Cognitive neuroscience of music
 * Culture in music cognition
 * Music and emotion
 * Music-specific disorders
 * Music therapy
 * Psychoacoustics
 * Psychoanalysis and music
 * Psychology of music preference