In
music, a
drone is a
harmonic or
monophonic effect or
accompaniment where a
note or
chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word
drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect, as is the archaic term
burden (
bourdon or
burdon) such as, "the drone [pipe] of a
bagpipe," the
pedal point in an
organ, or the lowest
course of a
lute. Burden also refers to a part of a song that is repeated at the end of each
stanza, such as the chorus or
refrain.