Online Music Lessons Online Music Theory Lessons 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What interval spans exactly three whole tones (six half steps)?
- A minor third
- A tritone (Correct answer)
- A major sixth
- A perfect fourth
Correct answer: A tritone
A tritone spans three whole tones (six half steps), equivalent to an augmented fourth or diminished fifth. It is famously dissonant and was historically called 'diabolus in musica.'
Question 2: Which scale degrees are lowered by a half step in a natural minor scale compared to the parallel major scale?
- 2nd, 4th, and 6th
- 3rd, 6th, and 7th (Correct answer)
- 4th, 5th, and 7th
- 1st, 3rd, and 5th
Correct answer: 3rd, 6th, and 7th
The natural minor scale lowers the 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees of the major scale by a half step each, producing the characteristic darker, more melancholic sound of the minor mode.
Question 3: What is the relative minor key of G major?
- E minor (Correct answer)
- B minor
- D minor
- A minor
Correct answer: E minor
The relative minor key shares the same key signature as its major counterpart and begins on the 6th scale degree. The 6th degree of G major is E, making E minor the relative minor of G major.
Question 4: How many flats appear in the key signature of B-flat major?
- One
- Two (Correct answer)
- Three
- Four
Correct answer: Two
B-flat major has two flats — B♭ and E♭ — in its key signature. Flats are added in the order: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, F♭.
Question 5: What does the dynamic marking 'pianissimo' (pp) instruct a performer to do?
- Play very quickly
- Play very softly (Correct answer)
- Play very loudly
- Gradually slow down
Correct answer: Play very softly
Pianissimo (pp) is an Italian dynamic marking meaning 'very soft,' indicating a quieter volume than piano (p). Dynamic markings control the loudness or softness of a musical passage.
Question 6: In music theory, what defines a perfect authentic cadence (PAC)?
- A progression from IV to I in any voicing
- A progression from V to I with both chords in root position and the tonic note in the soprano (Correct answer)
- A cadence that resolves to a chord other than the tonic
- A progression from I to V that creates tension
Correct answer: A progression from V to I with both chords in root position and the tonic note in the soprano
A perfect authentic cadence (PAC) requires a V (or V7) to I progression, with both chords in root position and the soprano voice landing on the tonic note. This combination produces the strongest possible sense of harmonic resolution.
Online Music Lessons Online Music Theory Lessons 1
What interval spans exactly three whole tones (six half steps)?