Online Music Lessons Theory 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'passing tone' in melodic writing?
- The highest note in a melody
- A non-chord tone that moves stepwise between two chord tones (Correct answer)
- A sudden dynamic change
- A note repeated for emphasis
Correct 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.
Question 2: Which chord quality is built using a root, minor third, and diminished fifth?
- Augmented
- Major
- Minor
- Diminished (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Diminished
A diminished chord consists of a root, minor third (3 semitones), and diminished fifth (6 semitones).
Question 3: What does '8va' written above a staff indicate?
- Play an octave lower than written
- Play at half speed
- Play an octave higher than written (Correct answer)
- Play with the sustain pedal
Correct answer: Play an octave higher than written
The marking '8va' (ottava) tells the performer to play the passage one octave higher than notated.
Question 4: In a 12-bar blues progression, which chord appears in bars 9 and 10 respectively?
- I then IV
- IV then V
- V then IV (Correct answer)
- I then V
Correct 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.
Question 5: What is the term for a scale that uses all 12 pitches of the chromatic scale with equal importance?
- Pentatonic
- Whole-tone
- 12-tone (dodecaphonic) (Correct answer)
- Modal
Correct 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.
Question 6: What rhythmic concept does 'hemiola' describe?
- A pattern where three beats are felt as two, or two as three (Correct answer)
- Playing three notes on one beat
- A tuplet of five notes
- A tie between two notes
Correct 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.
Question 7: Which of the following best defines 'modulation' in music?
- Changing the tempo mid-piece
- Gradually getting softer
- Shifting from one key to another within a piece (Correct answer)
- Repeating a melody in a different octave
Correct 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.
Online Music Lessons Theory 5
What is a 'passing tone' in melodic writing?