Producing, Performing, and Recording Music: English Vocabulary List

to play or perform something loudly, energetically, or enthusiastically

"She bangs out a song."

"The band will bang out their most popular songs to an excited crowd."

to play music in public and ask the passers-by for money

"He busks on subway platforms daily."

"The young musician decided to busk in the subway station to earn some extra money while practicing his guitar skills."

to clap hands rhythmically or percussively during a performance, either by musicians or the audience

"The audience claps out the beat."

"The students clapped out the rhythm of the song as their music teacher pointed to the notes on the board."

to move one's lips in synchronization with recorded music or speech

"She will lip-synch tonight."

"The singer decided to lip-synch during the live performance because she had a sore throat and could not sing."

to play with force and vigor, often producing a repetitive and intense sound on musical instruments

"He pounded out the rhythm on drums."

"The pianist would pound out the energetic chords with great passion during the concert."

to store information in a way that can be used in the future

"She records her voice for practice."

"The journalist used a small device to record the entire interview for later use."

to improve the quality of a previously recorded or mastered work, such as music or film, to achieve higher audio or visual fidelity

"They remastered the classic album digitally."

"The record label decided to remaster the classic album using modern digital technology for better sound quality."

to read and perform a piece of written music at first sight without prior preparation

"Can you sight-read music?"

"The talented pianist was able to sight-read the entire complex piece without any prior practice or preparation."

to perform a series of musical notes smoothly and without separation

"The singer slurs the words together."

"The violinist managed to slur the notes together beautifully, creating a seamless melodic line."

to play a stringed instrument by sweeping the fingers lightly across the strings

"He strums his guitar every evening."

"The guitarist sat on the porch and began to strum a gentle melody on his acoustic guitar."

to articulate the beginning of a note on a wind instrument by briefly interrupting the airflow with the tongue

"The musician tongued the flute notes clearly."

"The musician learned how to tongue properly on the flute to produce clear and distinct notes."

to produce a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or a whole tone apart

"Flute trills a note."

"The bird began to trill a beautiful complex song early in the morning from its perch."

to adjust a musical instrument so that it plays in the correct pitch

"The orchestra tuned up before the concert."

"The orchestra needed a few minutes to tune up their instruments before the concert could begin."

to make a high-pitched sound by forcing air out through one's partly closed lips

"He whistles loudly to call his dog."

"The postman whistled cheerfully as he walked down the street delivering letters to the houses along his route."

to be the star performer in a concert or performance

"He will headline the show."

"The famous singer was chosen to headline the music festival, drawing a massive crowd."

to produce a new version of a recorded piece of music by rearranging or adding new pieces to it, using a special device

"The DJ remixed the popular song."

"The DJ decided to remix the popular song by adding a faster beat and new electronic sounds."

to sing or perform as part of a choir or choral group

"They choir together now."

"She was excited to choir with the large group at the annual Christmas concert in the cathedral."

to perform a musical piece or passage alone

"He solos in the jazz band."

"The jazz musician prepared to solo over the complex chord changes during the middle section of the song."

to repeat or perform again, especially a musical or theatrical piece

"The actor reprised his famous role."

"The popular actor agreed to reprise his famous role in the sequel to the hit movie after many years."

to convert or express something in the form of poetry or verses

"He verse his thoughts."

"The poet could verse about almost any topic with beautiful rhythm and rhyme scheme."

to perform an additional piece of music or repeat a performance in response to an enthusiastic audience's request

"The band encored with their hit song."

"The enthusiastic crowd demanded that the singer encore her most popular hit song at the end of the show."