tremolo
Rapid repetition of a single note or alternation between two notes.
In Depth
The tremolo effect was used so extensively in silent film scores that audiences began associating it with suspense and danger — an association that persists in film music to this day.
Related Terms
More in Articulation
Browse allA stress or emphasis placed on a particular note.
A very short grace note played as quickly as possible before the main note.
A very short ornamental note played as quickly as possible before the main note, taking no perceptible time
A grace note that takes time from the following main note, creating a brief dissonance.
An ornamental note that falls on the beat, creating a dissonance that resolves by step to the main note
An instruction to return to bowing after a pizzicato passage.
Symbols placed above or below notes to indicate how they should be attacked, sustained, and released
Separate bow strokes for each note, but without the shortness of staccato.