Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following was a development in Western music after 1900? A. Performers relied solely on synthesizers. B. Many composers abandoned tonality. C. Composers began to emphasize the major scale. D. Theorists established a thirteenth minor scale.

Q: The sense of relatedness to a central tone is known as _______. A. modulation tonality C. transposition D. atonal

Q: Key refers to _______. A. the major scale B. a central tone, scale, and chord C. any twelve random pitches D. a musical symbol placed at the beginning of the staff

Q: The central tone around which a musical composition is organized is called the ______. A. scale B. dominant C. tonic D. modulation

Q: When the individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously, it is called a broken chord or a(n) ______. A. cadence arpeggio C. triad D. progression

Q: The triad built on the fourth step of the scale is called the _______. A. tonic chord B. subdominant chord C. dominant chord D. resolution

Q: The dominant chord is the triad built on the _________ step of the scale. A. first B. second C. fourth D. fifth

Q: Traditionally, a Western classical composition would almost always end on a ______. A. progression B. dissonant chord C. dominant chord D. tonic chord

Q: The triad built on the first step of the scale is called ______. A. the tonic chord B. the dominant chord C. a progression D. the resolution

Q: The simplest, most basic chord used in Western music is the _______. A. consonance B. dissonance C. dyad D. triad

Q: Dynamic tension that demands onward motion in music is usually the result of what? A. The performer's technical ability The impulse of dissonance to be resolved C. The audience's response D. A high volume level

Q: When a dissonance moves to a consonance, it can be called a ______. A. triad B. chord resolution D. broken chord

Q: A combination of tones that is considered unstable and tense is called a _______. A. consonance B. progression C. dissonance D. chord

Q: What is consonance? A. A combination of tones that is considered unstable and tense B. A combination of tones that is considered stable and restful C. A combination of tones that are sounded one after the other D. A combination of tones that form a melody

Q: A series of chords is called a(n) ______. A. triad progression C. arpeggio D. consonance

Q: What is a chord? A. Pattern of accents used in music B. Combination of three or more tones sounded at once C. Series of individual tones heard one after another D. Resting point at the end of a phrase

Q: The musical element that refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other is ______. harmony B. tempo C. melody D. meter

Q: _____________ in music adds support, depth, and richness to a melody. A. Rhythm B. Tempo C. Meter D. Harmony

Q: What is a sequence? A. A resting place at the end of a phrase B. The emotional focal point of a melody C. A part of a melody D. The repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch

Q: A melody that serves as the starting point for a more extended piece of music is called a ______. A. theme B. tune C. climax D. cadence

Q: What is a cadence? A. The emotional focal point of a melody B. A resting place at the end of a phrase C. A melody that serves as the starting point for a more extended piece of music D. The repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch

Q: An ending to a melodic phrase that sets up expectations for continuation is known as a(n) _______. incomplete cadence B. complete cadence C. sentence D. theme

Q: A part of a melody is called a ______. It can be sung on one breath and ends at a point of full or partial rest. A. cadence B. sequence phrase D. step

Q: A smooth, connected style of playing a melody is known as ______. legato B. staccato C. glissando D. vibrato

Q: Staccato refers to playing or singing a melody ______. in a short, detached manner B. in a smooth, connected manner C. at a higher or lower pitch D. in small steps

Q: The emotional focal point of a melody is called the ______. A. sequence B. theme C. cadence D. climax

Q: A melody is said to move by steps if it moves by ______. A. repeating the same notes B. alternating rests and notes C. large intervals D. adjacent scale tones

Q: The distance between a melody's lowest and highest tones is known as its _______. A. cadence B. rhythm range D. sequence

Q: What is melody? A. An emotional focal point in a tune B. A resting place at the end of a phrase A series of single notes which add up to a recognizable whole D. The organization of beats into regular groupings

Q: In a musical time signature, what does the upper number indicate? A. What kind of note gets a beat How many beats fall in a measure C. How many notes there are in a measure D. How many measures there are in a composition

Q: In musical notation, silence is indicated by ______. A. notes B. clefs rests D. beams

Q: By adding a dot to the right of a note we ______. increase its duration by half B. decrease its duration by half C. add a dynamic accent D. double the note's value

Q: What is the treble clef used for? A. Relatively low pitches, such as those played by a pianist's left hand Relatively high pitches, such as those played by the pianist's right hand C. Drums and nonpitched percussion instruments D. Middle range pitches, such as those played by the violas

Q: A _______ is placed at the beginning of a staff to show the exact pitch of each line and space. A. note B. clef C. ledger line D. sharp sign

Q: In musical notation, pitches are written on a set of five horizontal lines called a ______. A. clef B. bar C. staff D. stem

Q: Western music uses ____________ letters of the alphabet to indicate pitch. A. the first five B. the first seven C. a wide variety D. the last three

Q: A ___________ sign is used in musical notation to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign. A. pound B. cancellation C. dollar D. natural

Q: A _______________ is an apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired musical speed. A. clock B. beat metronome D. stopwatch

Q: A gradual slowing-down of tempo is indicated by the term ______. A. accelerando B. andante C. ritardando D. crescendo

Q: Which of the following is the slowest tempo indication? A. Adagio B. Andante C. Allegro D. Vivace

Q: The Italian term _____________ is a tempo marking to indicate a lively pace. A. andante B. allegro C. adagio D. vivace

Q: The Italian term __________ is a tempo marking to indicate a moderately slow or walking pace. andante B. allegro C. adagio D. largo

Q: The term ___________ refers to the speed of the beat of the music. A. meter B. syncopation C. tempo D. dynamics

Q: Which of the following is a characteristic feature of jazz music? A. A metronome B. Syncopation C. Expiation D. A ritardando

Q: _____________ is the effect of unexpected accents in the music. A. Meter Syncopation C. Tempo D. Dynamics

Q: The first, or stressed, beat of a measure is known as the ______. A. upbeat B. downbeat C. head D. intro

Q: The organization of beats into regular groups is called ______. meter B. syncopation C. tempo D. dynamics

Q: The element of music defined as the ordered flow of music through time, or more specifically, the particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music, is ______. A. beat B. tempo C. rhythm D. meter

Q: The ________ is a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time. A. beat B. syncopation C. tempo D. rhythm

Q: On what is the quality of the music produced in a modern electronic music studio dependent? A. Imagination and organizing power of the human mind B. Number of effects devices available C. Skill of the electronics technician D. Quality of the computers used

Q: ProTools, Digital Performer, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and GarageBand are all examples of ______. A. computers B. keyboards digital audio workstations D. audio filters

Q: A composer may use a digital audio workstation to manipulate sound by ______. A. filtering B. transposition copying and pasting D. All the answers are correct.

Q: A computer program known as a(n) ______ enables composers to record audio onto separate tracks and mix and synchronize the results into compositions digital audio workstation B. synthesizer C. Ondes Martenot D. tape studio

Q: A technology based on placing brief digital recordings of live sounds under the control of a synthesizer keyboard is known as ______. sampling B. digital frequency modulation synthesis C. analog synthesis D. MIDI

Q: What does synthesizers do? A. They can usually be played by means of a keyboard. B. They allow the composer complete control over pitch, tone color, dynamics, and duration. C. They can generate a huge variety of musical sounds and noises. D. All answers are correct.

Q: _________ are systems of electronic components that generate, modify, and control sound. A. Amplifiers B. Computers Synthesizers D. Stereo sets

Q: The main tool of composers of electronic music during the 1950s was the ______. A. MIDI B. tape studio C. piano D. sampler

Q: Which of the following is a technique normally associated with composition in a tape studio? A. Recorded sounds B. Editing reels of tape C. Electronic synthesis D. All of these are correct.

Q: In the full score of an orchestral composition, the families of instruments are arranged from top to bottom in the order of ______. A. strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion B. woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings C. brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings D. percussion, woodwinds, brass, strings

Q: The _______ is a keyboard instrument that uses vibrating air columns to produce sound. A. piano pipe organ C. harpsichord D. accordion

Q: An organist controls various sets of pipes by pulling knobs called ______. A. pipes stops C. valves D. bellows

Q: The _________ has strings that are plucked by a set of plastic, leather, or quill wedges. A. piano B. organ harpsichord D. accordion

Q: The piano has _______ keys, spanning more than seven octaves. A. 47 B. 56 C. 66 D. 88

Q: The _________ pedal is the most important of the three pedals usually found on a piano. A. damper B. sostenuto C. una corda D. swell

Q: The xylophone consists of a set of _____ bars that are played with mallets. A. metal wooden C. plastic D. glass

Q: Benjamin Brittens Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra uses a theme by which English composer? A. Henry Purcell B. Willa Byrd C. Edward Elgar D. Gustav Holst

Q: Which of the following is not a percussion instrument of definite pitch? A. Tambourine B. Timpani C. Xylophone D. Chimes

Q: The ___________ are the only orchestral drums of definite pitch. A. snare drums B. bass drums timpani D. tambourines Feedback: Timpani (kettledrums) have definite pitch.

Q: A hollow, funnel-shaped piece of wood, plastic, or metal that brass players use to alter the tone of their instruments is called a ______. A. tailpiece B. crook C. mute D. reed

Q: Before 1850, French horn and trumpet players would insert ___________ into their instruments to change the range of available pitches. A. crooks B. reeds C. mutes D. mouthpieces Feedback: Valves came into common use around 1850. Before then, French horn and trumpet players would insert additional curves of tubing (called crooks) into their instruments to change the range of available pitches.

Q: Brass instruments did not acquire valves until the ____________________ century. A. middle of the 18th B. end of the 18th C. middle of the 19th D. end of the 19th

Q: The vibrations of brass instruments come from ______. A. valves B. a single reed C. a double reed D. the musician's lips

Q: Which of the following is not a brass instrument? A. Cornet B. French horn C. Euphonium D. English horn

Q: Which of the following is not a double-reed instrument? A. Oboe B. Clarinet C. Bassoon D. English horn

Q: The saxophone is a ______. A. double-reed woodwind instrument B. single-reed woodwind instrument C. brass instrument D. double-mouthpiece brass instrument

Q: The English horn is a ________ instrument. A. brass B. piccolo C. single-reed D. double-reed

Q: A thin piece of cane, used singly or in pairs by woodwind players, is called a ______. reed B. mute C. double stop D. mouthpiece

Q: How do flute and piccolo players produce sound? A. By blowing across the edge of a mouth hole B. By blowing through a "whistle" mouthpiece C. By vibrating a single reed D. By vibrating a double reed

Q: The lowest woodwind instrument in the orchestra is the ______. A. piccolo flute B. tuba C. double bass D. contrabassoon

Q: The highest woodwind instrument in the orchestra is the ______. A. piccolo flute B. English horn C. oboe D. clarinet