The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

semitone
The interval of a half step.
seventh chord
A triad with an added note a seventh above the root of the
chord.
sharp
The raising of any pitch by a half step; signified by the 
sign.
shuffle
A rhythmic feel based on triplets or a dotted eighth note/sixteenth
note pattern.
similar motion
Two or more voices that move in the same direction, but not
with the same intervals.
sixth chord
A triad with an added note a sixth above the root of the chord.
song form
The structure of a short piece of music; usually diagramed as 
A-A-B-A. 
soprano voice
The highest female voice.

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Appendix A
272
staff
An assemblage of horizontal lines and spaces that represent different
pitches.
string
The family of instruments that produces sound by moving a bow across
a string. The string family includes the violin, viola, cello, and double bass.
subdominant
The fourth degree of the scale, or the chord built on the fourth
degree (IV).
submediant
The sixth degree of a scale, or the chord built on that degree (vi).
subtonic
The seventh degree of a scale, or the chord built on that degree
(vii°). (In classical theory, the subtonic is the lowered seventh, while the normal
seventh is called the 
leading tone
.)
supertonic
The second degree of a scale, or the chord built on that degree (ii).
suspension
A nonchord note used within a chord to create tension. The sus-
pended note is typically the fourth of the chord, which then resolves down to
the third.
syncopation
An accent on an unexpected beat—or the lack of an accent on an
expected beat.