The Ultimate Music Vocabulary Guide in Spanish
Do you love music and want to learn useful music vocabulary in Spanish? Today, I’ll take you on a trip through the world of music in Spanish.
Whether you’re a music fan who enjoys listening to your favorite rock band or hip hop singer or a professional musician in need of some technical music terms, in this post I’ll give you the vocabulary in Spanish you need.
Keep reading for the following music in Spanish vocabulary:
- phrases and adjectives to talk about music
- a list of music genres
- names of musical instruments
- music-related verbs
- a bonus section of miscellaneous music vocabulary in Spanish
- music notation terms and musical theory words
Discover all the music vocabulary you’ll ever need in this beautiful language.
How to Talk About Music in Spanish
Along with math, music is one of the two truly universal languages. This means that every human on Earth can appreciate and understand the emotions expressed through music. This makes talking about music crucial.
Feelings, ideas, emotions, and thoughts—sometimes written centuries ago or expressed in far away cultures—are transmitted through music to be enjoyed, deciphered, and discussed. Knowing how to do it in Spanish gives you an extra dimension to talk about the magical thing that music is.
Why Learn Music Vocabulary in Spanish?
Ideally, you should learn vocabulary about all different areas of life as a language goal. Learning Spanish, from this perspective, would involve an accumulation of learning Spanish vocabulary in topics such as music, math, golf, or football. You just need to keep increasing your vocabulary every time, including new areas of knowledge.
You can also take it as an approach to learning a new language. This method is called theme-based learning, and it is the practice of integrating curriculum areas around a topic. This way, you’ll be learning Spanish by studying different themes, instead of focusing directly on grammar, making your learning process more interesting and fluid.
Finally, the smartest reason to learn music vocabulary in Spanish is simply to be able to share the pleasure that music brings to our lives with more people. Music exists everywhere you go. It’s like the weather: a perfect icebreaker and a useful bridge to communicate with others.
Music in Spanish
Music is a vast subject that encompasses many topics. For that reason, I have divided the lesson into several sections so you can focus on one type of music vocabulary at a time.
Describing Music in Spanish
Let’s start with one of the most common topics you would discuss with your friends. How do you find a specific kind of music? How to describe it and talk about it?
Imagine you’re going to a rock concert and want to tell your friend about it. How would you do it? Here are some ideas:
¿Te gusta el rock?
Do you like rock?
Sí, es muy interesante.
Yes, it’s very interesting.
No, es muy aburrido.
No, it’s very boring.
Sí, me encanta.
Yes, I love it.
No me gusta.
I don’t like it.
¿Y qué tal la ópera?
And what about opera?
Me gusta mucho.
I like it so much.
Es muy bonita (hermosa).
It’s very beautiful.
No me gusta mucho.
I don’t like it very much.
Es muy aburrida.
It’s very boring.
¿Qué te parece el reggaetón?
What do you think about reggaeton?
Me gusta, la música es buena.
I like it, the music is good.
Lo odio, esa música es terrible (pésima).
I hate it, that music is terrible (awful).
Adjectives for Music
Now, a short list of useful adjectives to describe music:
| nonita, hermosa | beautiful |
| terrible, pésima | terrible, awful |
| interesante | interesting |
| excelente | excellent |
| genial | great |
| magnífica | magnificent |
| extraordinaria | extraordinary |
| buena | good |
| espectacular | spectacular |
| aburrida | boring |
| legendaria | legendary |
| mística | mystical |
| intensa | intense |
| alegre | joyful |
| triste | sad |
Music Genres in Spanish
There are plenty of Latin music genres that originated in Spanish-speaking countries, so let’s start with those and then move on to the rest of music genres from all around the world.
| la salsa | salsa |
| el flamenco | flamenco |
| el tango | tango |
| la cumbia | cumbia |
| la bachata | bachata |
| el merengue | merengue |
| el mambo | mambo |
| el reggaetón | reggaeton |
| el cha-cha-chá | cha-cha-cha |
| la banda | banda |
| el mariachi | mariachi |
| el son cubano | Cuban son |
| el bossa nova | bossa nova |
| la lambada | lambada |
| la samba | samba |
| el jazz | jazz |
| el rap | rap |
| el blues | blues |
| el rock | rock |
| el hip-hop | hip hop |
| el heavy metal (rock pesado) | heavy metal |
| el reggae | reggae |
| el vals | waltz |
| la ópera | opera |
| la música country | country music |
| la música electrónica | electronic music |
| la música clásica | classical music |
| la música popular | pop music |
| la música disco | disco music |
| la música folklórica | folk music |
Musical Instruments in Spanish
Let’s now learn some of the most common musical instruments in Spanish:
| el piano | piano |
| la guitarra | guitar |
| la guitarra eléctrica | electric guitar |
| el bajo | bass |
| el violín | violin |
| la trompeta | trumpet |
| el saxofón | saxophone |
| la batería | drums |
| el teclado | keyboard |
| el corno inglés | English horn |
| el corno francés | French horn |
| el violonchelo | cello |
| el clarinete | clarinet |
| el contrabajo | double bass |
| la gaita | bagpipes |
| el acordeón | accordion |
| la flauta | flute |
| el arpa | harp |
| la armónica | harmonica |
| el timbal | kettle drum |
| la mandolina | mandolin |
| la pandereta | tambourine |
| las maracas | maraca |
| el órgano | organ |
| el oboe | oboe |
| el trombón | trombone |
| los platillos | cymbals |
| el oboe | oboe |
| el ukelele | ukelele |
| las castañuelas | castanets |
| el sintetizador | synthesizer |
| el amplificador | amplifier |
| el xilófono | xylophone |
| el instrumento | instrument |
| el instrumento de percusión | percussion instrument |
| el instrumento de viento | wind instrument |
| el instrumento de cuerda | string instrument |
Other Music Vocabulary in Spanish
It’s time to learn common music vocabulary that wasn’t included in any of the previous categories.
| la orquesta | orchestra |
| la canción | song |
| la banda de rock | rock band |
| el/la cantante | singer |
| el/la solista | soloist |
| el compositor / la compositora | composer |
| el músico | musician |
| la música | music |
| la letra | lyrics |
| la sinfonía | symphony |
| el dueto | duet |
| el ensayo | rehearsal |
| el concierto | concert |
| el repertorio | repertoire |
| el escenario | stage |
| el micrófono | microphone |
| el altavoz, la bocina | loudspeaker |
| el coro | choir, chorus |
| ll director de orquesta | conductor |
| el disco | record |
| la cinta / el cassette | tape |
| el sencillo | single |
| el sonido | sound |
| el vocalista | vocalist |
Music-related Verbs
Just a quick reminder of the different verbs that are usually associated with music.
| cantar | to sing |
| tocar (un instrumento) | to play (an instrument) |
| escuchar | to listen |
| oír | to hear |
| bailar | to dance |
| componer | to compose |
| escribir | to write |
| aplaudir | to clap |
| sonar | to sound |
| gustar | to like |
| gritar | to shout |
Music Notation Terms in Spanish
Last but not least, let’s get a bit more technical. This section is specifically designed for musicians and music enthusiasts who dig a little bit deeper in their love and appreciation of music.
In addition to music notation terms, the list below includes musical theory vocabulary that you’ll find useful if you are a composer or music producer.
| la nota musical | musical note |
| el acorde | chord |
| el puente | bridge |
| la sordina | mute |
| el acento | accent |
| el compás | bar |
| la clave de fa | bass clef |
| la clave de do | C clef |
| la clave de sol | G clef |
| do central | middle C |
| la bemol | flat |
| la doble bemol | double flat |
| el silencio de corchea | eight rest |
| la blanca | half note |
| la negra | quarter note |
| el silencio de negra | quarter rest |
| el tiempo, el pulso | beat |
| el contrapunto | counterpoint |
| tiempo fuerte | downbeat |
| la partitura | music score |
| el barítono | baritone |
| el tenor | tenor |
| el contratenor | counter tenor |
| la soprano | soprano |
| el ritmo | rhythm |
| la armonía | harmony |
| la melodía | melody |
| el intervalo | interval |
| el metrónomo | metronome |
| la escala | scale |
| el semitono | semitone |
| la ligadura | slur |
| la síncopa | syncopation |
| (al) unísono | unison |
| la entrada anacrúsica | upbeat |
| el tono | whole tone |
| la voz | voice |
| el pentagrama | Staff |
| el silencio | rest |
| el fraseo | phrasing |
| las notas de paso | passing tones |
| la octava | octave |
| el tono | pitch |
| la secuencia | sequence |
| la disonancia | dissonance |
| la cadencia | cadence |
| el cuarteto | quartet |
| diatónico | diatonic |
| la obertura | overture |
| mayor | major |
| menor | minor |
| homofónico | homophonic |
| polifónico | polyphonic |
| la pausa | rest |
| do | A |
| re | B |
| mi | C |
| fa | D |
| sol | E |
| la | F |
| si | G |
Talk About Music and Practice Your Spanish
The cool part about learning music vocabulary in Spanish is that you can practice it without feeling that you’re studying. Listening to music is a pleasure and talking about it is, too. What better motivation to practice your Spanish than talking about something that you enjoy?
Sign up for a free class with one of our certified, native Spanish speaking teachers from Guatemala, and start talking about music in Spanish today!
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