Basic Music Terms

Question 1

Songs in Major tend to sound happy or at rest; songs in minor tend to sound sad or scary.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of these songs employs a strophic (verse) form?

“12 Days of Christmas”
“The Alphabet Song” (A,B,C…..Next time won’t you sing with me?)
The Star Wars main theme
“Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

Answer 2

“Old MacDonald Had a Farm”

Question 3

If a song is polyphonic, it has multiple melodies going at the same time.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The timing aspect of music, the duration of notes and silences, is called Melody.

Answer 4

False

Question 5

What is the contour of the first phrase of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (“Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are”)

Answer 5

arch-like

Question 6

staccato

Answer 6

short, disconnected, or choppy way of playing

Question 7

legato

Answer 7

smooth, connected way of playing

Question 8

forte

Answer 8

a loud dynamic

Question 9

piano

Answer 9

a soft dynamic

Question 10

consonance

Answer 10

pleasant, restful, or peaceful sounding

Question 11

dissonance

Answer 11

harsh, disturbing, or unstable sounding

Question 12

crescendo

Answer 12

to get gradually louder

Question 13

decrescendo (diminuendo)

Answer 13

to get gradually softer

Question 14

Several notes played at the same time produces a

Answer 14

chord

Question 15

Thinking about American history from about 1800-1900, what kind of folk songs do you think emerged?

Answer 15

cowboy ballads, pioneer songs, railroad ballads, miner ballads