Music Theory Fundamentals Flashcards
7 cards from real Songwriters practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Music Theory Fundamentals flashcards as text
What is a 'hook' in songwriting most closely tied to in music theory?
Answer: A memorable melodic or rhythmic motif
A hook is a catchy, memorable melodic or rhythmic idea that anchors the song.
Which mode is produced by playing a major scale starting on its sixth degree?
Answer: Aeolian
Starting on the sixth degree gives the Aeolian mode, the natural minor scale.
A 'pedal tone' refers to what technique?
Answer: A sustained note held under changing harmony
A pedal tone is a single sustained pitch held while chords change above it.
Which chord progression is famously called the 'doo-wop' or '50s progression'?
Answer: I-vi-IV-V
The I-vi-IV-V progression defines countless 1950s doo-wop songs.
What does 'transposing' a song mean?
Answer: Moving all notes to a different key
Transposing shifts every note by the same interval into a new key.
An arpeggio is best described as what?
Answer: Chord notes played one at a time
An arpeggio plays the notes of a chord in sequence rather than together.
Which cadence ends on the dominant chord, creating an unresolved, 'question-like' feeling?
Answer: Half cadence
A half cadence pauses on the dominant, leaving the phrase feeling unfinished.