Terminology

Arpeggio: The notes of a chord played individually.

Bending: Pushing and pulling the string in a vertical plane after sounding will cause the pitch to increase. Very common technique for guitar players.

BPM: Beats per Minute.

CBOM: An abbreviation for Cittern, Bouzouki, Octave Mandolin.

Chord: Three or more notes played together form a chord.

GDAE: Tuning of the Irish Bouzouki from lowest pitched to highest pitched string.

GDAD: Tuning of the Irish Bouzouki from lowest pitched to highest pitched string.

Interval: The distance between one note and another.

Octave Mandolin: The Octave Mandolin is the American term for what the British call an Octave Mandola. They are the same instrument.

Octave Mandola: The Octave Mandola is the British term for what the Americans call an Octave Mandolin. They are the same instrument.

Sounding Range: The range of notes that an instrument is capable of producing naturally.

String Gauge: The thickness of a string. As instrument strings are normally sold in packs a musician will typically respond to a question about the string gauge they use by referring to the thinnest string. For example, "11's" would suggest a pack of strings with the thinnest string in the pack being 11.

Tempo: The speed at which a piece of music is played. The exact pace is specified by BPM.

Trill: Rapid alteration between two notes. Normally achieved through hammer-ons and pull-offs on the Irish Bouzouki.

Vibrato: Quick and repetitive micro-bends that create a fluctuating pitch. Reminiscent of a vocalist who holds a note for a long time.