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Music Glossary A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U W X Y Z 1 3 - Mass merchandiser
- A very large retail chain that sells a variety of goods, including recorded music. Such stores include Wal-Mart and K-Mart.
- MDM (modular digital multitrack)
- Generic term used to describe any of the families of digital audio multitrack
recorders. The most common examples being the Alesis ADAT series and the Tascam DA-88 series.
- Measure
- A measure is a musical notation device that distinguishes a specific unit of time comprised of a fixed number of note values (whole, half, quarter, et cetera) of a particular kind, fixed by the meter and bracketed by two vertical lines across a staff of music. The two vertical bar lines are separated by the distance required by the number of notes contained in the measure. This portion of musical notation does not determine the rhythm, tempo or note values; the measure does contain the notes and various note-types. Tempo, rhythms and note values are determined by time signatures and tempo markings. Each measure of a time signature of 3/4, for example, will contain three beats, one for each quarter note. If a dotted half-note is contained between the two vertical bars, it will receive three beats and the measure will be over. The measure can also contain six eighth notes and a number of different combinations of note-type fractions depending upon the musical context. How fast the respective beats are is determined by the tempo.
- medical conferencing
- Meter
- Meter, time signature, and rhythm are often confused as being synonymous. The time signature of a piece of music, 4/4, 2/4, 6/8, 9/8 informs the performer of the number of beats in a measure and the notes which receive an accent within the space of a measure. Rhythms are the steady succession of pulses within the measure, a pattern of time. The meter of a specific bar of music measures the completion of one such pattern. Accordingly, meter is often defined by one measure of music in combination with the time signature and note values. In hearing music the listener will understand most Western music to be either duple or triple meters. The time signatures above, for example, are all duple or triple meters. 2/4, 4/4, and even 6/8 are types of duple meter. 2/4 measures have two beats, one and two, while 4/4 measures, arguably also have two beats, in this case two strong beats, one and three. 6/8 is a triple or duple meter depending on the flow of the music. It can indeed have two beats of three eighth notes, three beats of two eighth notes (not ordinarily) or six beats of eighth notes though this too is unusual. 3/4 is the best candidate for understanding triple meter ( as is 9/8) for the 3/4 measure receives three beats to the measure and the patterns are often structured so that the first beat of the measure receives the emphasis or all three beats receive the emphasis. Meter in music was developed from metered verses in poetry where regular rhythms (feet: accents and ebbs) became models for mensuration.
- Mezzo Forte
- This dynamic marking informs the singer or player that the measures under this symbol should be performed to a moderately loud degree. It is often used to stress, emphatically, the importance of the particular words in the text being sung. Unfortunately, it can become confusing if that is all one understands it to be used for because composers will often use dynamic markings to stress important climaxes in the music which are not always commensurate with the text. Dynamic markings are much less confusing when the music scored is instrumental in nature.
- MP3
- MPEG Audio Layer-3, or MP3, is the compression technology commonly used to make digital audio computer files relatively small while maintaining high audio quality. It is one of many formats used for uploading and downloading on the Internet.
- Multi-Disc Compilation/Box Set
- Two or more recordings packaged together and sold as a set.
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Music Glossary 
