| Term | Description |
|---|
| Natural | In music theory, a note is natural when it is neither flat nor sharp (nor double-flat or double-sharp either). |
| Neapolitan chord | In music theory, a Neapolitan chord (or simply a "Neapolitan") is a major chord built on the lowered second (supertonic) scale degree. It most commonly occurs in first inversion so that it is notated either as ♭II6 or N6 and normally referred to as a Neapolitan sixth chord. |
| Neoclassicism in music | Neoclassicism in music was a 20th century development, particularly popular in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers drew inspiration from music of the 18th century, though some of the inspiring canon was drawn as much from the Baroque period as the Classical period – for this reason, music which draws influence specifically from the Baroque is sometimes termed neo-baroque. |
| Neoromanticism | In North American classical music and European classical music, neoromanticism is a style identified by the extended tonality that flourished during the late Romantic era, as well as a frank expression of emotional sentiment equally evocative of the period. |
| Neume | Neumes are the basic elements of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. |
| Neutral second | A neutral second or medium second is a musical interval between a minor second and a major second. |
| Nocturne | A nocturne (from the French for "nocturnal") is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. |
| Node | In a guitar string, the ends of the string are nodes. By changing the position of one of these nodes through frets, the guitarist changes the effective length of the vibrating string and thereby the note played. |
| Nonchord tone | A nonchord tone, nonharmonic tone, or non-harmony note is a note in a piece of music which is not a part of the chord that is formed by the other notes sounding at the time. Nonchord tones are most often discussed in the context of music of the common practice period, but can be used in analysis of other types of tonal music as well. |
| Notation | Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music through the use of written symbols. Diverse systems of music notation have been developed in various cultures. |
| Note | The term note has two primary meanings: 1) a sign used in music to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound; and 2) a pitched sound itself. |
| Note head | In music, a note head is the oval part of a note. Noteheads may be coloured completely black or white, indicating the note value (i.e., rhythmic duration). |
| Note value | In music notation, a note value indicates the relative duration of a note, using the color or shape of the note head, the presence or absence of a stem, and the presence or absence of flags. |
| Nuance | Subtle variations in tempo, phrasing, dynamics, etc., to enhance a musical performance. |
