Music Transcription Chord Quality and Inversions 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following correctly describes a sus4 chord?
- Root, major third, perfect fifth
- Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth (Correct answer)
- Root, minor third, perfect fifth
- Root, augmented fourth, perfect fifth
Correct answer: Root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth
A sus4 chord replaces the third with a perfect fourth, creating root, fourth, and fifth.
Question 2: When transcribing, what clue indicates a chord is in second inversion rather than root position?
- The bass note is the chord root
- The bass note is the chord's fifth (Correct answer)
- The bass note is the chord's seventh
- The bass note is the chord's third
Correct answer: The bass note is the chord's fifth
Second inversion is identified by the chord's fifth appearing as the lowest (bass) note.
Question 3: What is the interval quality of the seventh in a minor seventh chord (m7)?
- Major seventh
- Minor seventh (Correct answer)
- Diminished seventh
- Augmented seventh
Correct answer: Minor seventh
A minor seventh chord has a minor seventh interval (10 semitones) between the root and seventh.
Question 4: Which chord inversion is represented by the figured bass symbol '6/5'?
- Root position of a seventh chord
- First inversion of a seventh chord (Correct answer)
- Second inversion of a seventh chord
- Third inversion of a seventh chord
Correct answer: First inversion of a seventh chord
The 6/5 figure indicates first inversion of a seventh chord, with the third in the bass.
Question 5: A French augmented sixth chord (Fr+6) contains which of the following?
- An augmented sixth and a tritone above the bass (Correct answer)
- An augmented sixth and a perfect fifth above the bass
- A major sixth and a tritone above the bass
- A minor sixth and a perfect fourth above the bass
Correct answer: An augmented sixth and a tritone above the bass
The French augmented sixth chord has both an augmented sixth and an augmented fourth (tritone) above the bass.
Question 6: When notating chord quality in a Roman numeral analysis, a lowercase Roman numeral indicates:
- A major chord
- A minor chord (Correct answer)
- A diminished chord
- An augmented chord
Correct answer: A minor chord
Lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.) represent minor quality chords in Roman numeral analysis.
Question 7: Which of the following chord progressions most strongly suggests a cadential 6/4 resolving to V?
- I – IV – V
- I6/4 – V – I (Correct answer)
- IV – V – I
- ii – V – I
Correct answer: I6/4 – V – I
The cadential 6/4 (I in second inversion) resolves directly to the dominant (V), then typically to I.
Music Transcription Chord Quality and Inversions 5
Which of the following correctly describes a sus4 chord?