Theory Flashcards
7 cards from real Online Music Lessons practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Theory flashcards as text
What is a 'passing tone' in melodic writing?
Answer: A non-chord tone that moves stepwise between two chord tones
A passing tone is an unaccented non-chord tone that fills in the step between two different chord tones.
Which chord quality is built using a root, minor third, and diminished fifth?
Answer: Diminished
A diminished chord consists of a root, minor third (3 semitones), and diminished fifth (6 semitones).
What does '8va' written above a staff indicate?
Answer: Play an octave higher than written
The marking '8va' (ottava) tells the performer to play the passage one octave higher than notated.
In a 12-bar blues progression, which chord appears in bars 9 and 10 respectively?
Answer: V then IV
In the standard 12-bar blues, bar 9 is the V chord and bar 10 is the IV chord before returning to the I chord.
What is the term for a scale that uses all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale with equal importance?
Answer: 12-tone (dodecaphonic)
12-tone or dodecaphonic music, developed by Schoenberg, uses all 12 chromatic pitches in a row (tone row) without privileging any as a tonal center.
What rhythmic concept does 'hemiola' describe?
Answer: A pattern where three beats are felt as two, or two as three
Hemiola is a rhythmic effect where the normal metric grouping shifts, typically implying three beats in the space of two or vice versa.
Which of the following best defines 'modulation' in music?
Answer: Shifting from one key to another within a piece
Modulation is the process of transitioning from one tonal center (key) to another within the same piece of music.