Music Transcription Timbre and Instrumentation 4 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which notation symbol is used to indicate a brass player should use a straight mute?
- + (plus sign)
- con sord. (Correct answer)
- o (open circle)
- wah
Correct answer: con sord.
Con sordino (con sord.) is the standard notation to instruct a brass player to insert a straight mute.
Question 2: What is the primary acoustic difference between a violin and a viola?
- Viola has a higher pitch range
- Viola is larger and tuned a fifth lower (Correct answer)
- Violin uses metal strings exclusively
- Viola has four fewer strings
Correct answer: Viola is larger and tuned a fifth lower
The viola is physically larger than the violin and is tuned a perfect fifth lower (C3-G3-D4-A4 vs. G3-D4-A4-E5).
Question 3: In music transcription, 'extended techniques' refers to:
- Playing faster than marked tempo
- Non-traditional methods of producing sound on an instrument (Correct answer)
- Extending a piece to a longer form
- Adding extra measures to a score
Correct answer: Non-traditional methods of producing sound on an instrument
Extended techniques are unconventional methods of playing that go beyond standard performance practice, such as multiphonics, flutter-tongue, or col legno.
Question 4: Which brass instrument is a non-transposing instrument that sounds as written?
- Bâ trumpet
- French horn in F
- Trombone (Correct answer)
- Eâ tuba
Correct answer: Trombone
The trombone is a non-transposing instrument written in concert pitch, unlike trumpet, horn, or some tubas which transpose.
Question 5: When transcribing a banjo part for guitar, the transcriber should be aware that a 5-string banjo's 5th string is:
- The highest-pitched string, like guitar
- A short drone string that starts at the 5th fret (Correct answer)
- Always tuned to E
- Used for bass notes
Correct answer: A short drone string that starts at the 5th fret
The 5th string of a banjo is a short drone string that begins at the 5th fret and is typically tuned to G, creating the instrument's characteristic sound.
Question 6: Which orchestral instrument is capable of producing multiphonics as an extended technique?
- Xylophone
- Timpani
- Clarinet (Correct answer)
- Triangle
Correct answer: Clarinet
Woodwind instruments like the clarinet can produce multiphonicsâtwo or more pitches simultaneouslyâthrough specific fingerings and embouchure adjustments.
Question 7: When notating a 'BartĂłk pizzicato' in a string transcription, the player should:
- Pluck the string softly near the bridge
- Pull the string far enough to snap back against the fingerboard (Correct answer)
- Bow very lightly near the fingerboard
- Use the back of the fingernail to pluck
Correct answer: Pull the string far enough to snap back against the fingerboard
BartĂłk pizzicato (snap pizzicato) involves pulling the string away from the fingerboard so it snaps back loudly when released, producing a percussive crack.
Music Transcription Timbre and Instrumentation 4
Which notation symbol is used to indicate a brass player should use a straight mute?