Acoustic Recording: An early recording process in which sound vibrations were transferred directly to the recording medium (cylinder or disc) by means of a large horn or cone. In 1925 it was replaced by electric recording.
Amplifier: A piece of equipment that can increase the strength of an electric signal.
Big-Band Swing: Swing-era or swing-style music performed by a big band.
Charleston: The most popular of the vigorous new dances of the early 1920s.
Crooning: A relaxed, intimate style of singing.
Electric Recording: A recording procedure developed in the 1920s that converts sound into an electric signal before recording and the converts the electric signal back into sound for playback. With its far superior sound quality, it immediately made acoustic recording obsolete.
Microphone: A device that converts sound waves into an electric signal. The microphone has been in use in popular music since the 1920s.
Modern Era: the period from the early 1910s to the early 1960s when popular music became increasingly dependent on new technology for performance and dissemination; music took a leading role in improving race relations; and the era introduced into popular music features that are still part of the sound of popular music today, such as the rhythm section, the backbeat, riff-based melodies, and conversational lyrics.
Song Interpretation: A rendition of a song which emphasizes a performer’s unique understanding and emotions.
Speakeasy: Prohibition-era club that required a softly spoken password for admission.
Stride Piano: An offshoot of ragtime that typically featured a more complex bass/chord accompaniment and elaborate figuration in the melody.
The Swing Era: The years between 1935 and 1945, roughly defined by Goodman’s groundbreaking concert at the Palomar Ballroom, and ending with the death of Glenn Miller and the end of WWII.
Torch Song: A song about unrequited or lost love.
Vibrato: Subtle alteration of the pitch of a note.