I Got The Music In Me, I Got The Music In Me

Now, I’m not talking of musical terms or song words, per se, but rather words which have a musical quality within them.  Words which resonate with music, where you can hear music within words.

We are almost back into the realms of Onomatopoeia with some, but not all,  of these sounds.  They all need to be sounded aloud vocally.  Go on, no-one’s listening:

Cadence & Cascade – sorry, my deference to King Crimson.  Who, you ask?  No, not The Who, King Crimson!  For those not old enough (and possibly English enough) to remember, they were a “Progressive Rock Band” of the late 60s/early 70s.

Clash – The sound of cymbals coming together

Ersatz – Yeah, that’s jazz, man.  Real meaning is subsititute or imitation but there ain’t no subsititute for jazz.

Euphemism – Undoubtedly it is the ‘euph” element that puts one in mind of a tuba or, more aptly, a euphonium.

Really, a roundabout expression taking the place of a word that is too harsh or blunt, e.g. “pass away” for “die”.

Fanfare – The “fa-fah” of cornets heralding the start of something fantastical

Jejune – Pronounce the J as ‘dzjuh’, so ‘dzjeh dzjune’.  Soft brush on a snare drum.  Say it several times, gently.  Barren, poor, intellectually unsatisfying – I don’t think so!

Pizzicato -Can’t you just hear those violins being plucked with the fingers?

Syncopation – Fascinatin’ rhythm, bouncy.  Displaced beats.  Think ragtime:

Ukelele – Ukelele Lady, la la la.  If that ain’t musical I don’t know what is.

More words being added to the List.

Please check out the Word List page or leave your comment below.