Basics

Question 1

tone

Answer 1

sound with a definite pitch

Question 2

rhythm

Answer 2

flow of music through time; particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music

Question 3

beat

Answer 3

regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time

Question 4

meter

Answer 4

organization of beats into regular groups

Question 5

measure

Answer 5

group containing a fixed number of beats

Question 6

accent

Answer 6

emphasizing a note by playing it louder

Question 7

syncopation

Answer 7

an accented note where not expected

Question 8

tempo

Answer 8

speed of the beat

Question 9

melody

Answer 9

series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole

Question 10

phrases

Answer 10

shorter part of a melody

Question 11

sequence

Answer 11

repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch

Question 12

cadence

Answer 12

resting place at the end of a phrase; point of arrival

Question 13

harmony

Answer 13

way chords are constructed and how they follow each other

Question 14

chord

Answer 14

is a combination of three or more tones sounded at once

Question 15

progression

Answer 15

specific series of chords; how a melody unfolds

Question 16

consonance

Answer 16

a stable tone

Question 17

dissonance

Answer 17

unstable combinations of tones

Question 18

resolution

Answer 18

product of dissonance moving to consonance

Question 19

keynote

Answer 19

central key of a piece (ex. C major)

Question 20

scale

Answer 20

basic pitches of a piece of music, arranged from low to high or visa versa

Question 21

tonality

Answer 21

another term for key

Question 22

key

Answer 22

central tone as well as central scale and chord

Question 23

chromatic scale

Answer 23

twelve notes of the octave

Question 24

modulation

Answer 24

shifting from one key to another in a piece

Question 25

tonic; home key

Answer 25

the central key despite modulation

Question 26

musical texture

Answer 26

how many different layers of sound are heard at once, what kind of layers they are (melody or harmony), and how they are related to each other.

Question 27

monophonic

Answer 27

texture of a single melodic line

Question 28

polyphonic

Answer 28

two or more melodic lines played simultaneously

Question 29

counterpoint

Answer 29

combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole

Question 30

imitation

Answer 30

the voice of one instrument or person is restated by another

Question 31

homophonic

Answer 31

one main melody accompanied by chords

Question 32

repetition

Answer 32

melodies are repeated to create a sense of unity

Question 33

contrast

Answer 33

contains opposites of loud or soft, strings and woodwinds, fast and slow, major and minor to provide variety

Question 34

variation

Answer 34

combination of repetition and contrast, a melody may be repeated but with contrasting instruments