Music Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms you encounter in vocal training and songwriting. Each entry links to the relevant Main Act school so you can train the skill, not just read about it.

Vocals

Vocal Range
The span from the lowest to the highest note a singer can comfortably produce, typically measured in octaves or semitones.
Passaggio
The transition zone between vocal registers, the few notes where chest voice gives way to head voice and the voice naturally wants to crack or shift.
Head Voice vs Chest Voice
The two primary vocal registers: chest voice (low, speech-like, fuller body resonance) and head voice (high, lighter, resonating in the head).
Vibrato
A small, regular pitch oscillation around a held note that adds warmth and emotion. Natural vibrato is about 5–7 oscillations per second.

Songwriting

Prosody
The art of aligning lyrics, melody, and rhythm so the music supports what the words are saying, the right syllables stressed, the right phrases lifted.
Hook
The most memorable phrase, melody, or lyric in a song, the part listeners can't stop singing after one listen.
Chord Progression
A sequence of chords that supports a melody. A handful of progressions (I-V-vi-IV, I-IV-V, ii-V-I) anchor most popular music.

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