Chapter 4 Flashcards
Interval between two notes eight diatonic pitches apart; the lower note vibrates half as fast as the upper and sounds an octave lower.
octave
Musical interval smaller than a semitone (half step), prevalent in some non-Western musics and some twentieth-century music.
microtone
Musical symbol (♯) that indicates raising a pitch by a half step.
sharp sign
Musical symbol (♭) that indicates lowering a pitch by a half step.
flat sign
Interval consisting of two half steps
whole step
Defines the relationship of pitches with a common center, or tonic. Also a lever on a keyboard or woodwind instrument.
key
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-W-H-W-W-W-H). its third degree is raised half a step.
major scale
The fifth scale step, sol.
dominant
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-H-W-W-H-W-W). its third degree is lowered half a step.
minor scale
Melody or harmony built from the seven pitches of a major or minor scale. This type of scale encompasses patterns of seven whole steps and half steps.
diatonic
Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve pitches of the octave. This type of scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of half steps.
chromatic
Five-note pattern used in some African, Far Eastern, and Native American musics; can also be found in Western music as an example of exoticism. See also gapped scale.
pentatonic scale
Small alteration of the pitch by a microtonal interval.
inflection
In the diatonic system, chords that need to resolve to the tonic chord. These include the dominant and subdominant chords
active chords
A chord that achieves a sense of resolution or completion, normally the tonic.
rest chord
Chord built on the fourth scale step, the IV chord.
subdominant cord
The process of changing from one key to another.
modulation
The shifting of a piece of music to a different pitch level.
transposition
A scale that lacks some pitches of the seven-note diatonic scale; for example, a five-note (pentatonic) scale
gapped scale
A composition in the key of G major uses harmonies formed from which scale?
G major
A scale comprised entirely of half steps is called a _________ scale.
chromatic
T/F: Black keys on the piano can be either “flats” or “sharps” depending on the context of the music.
True
Common scales used in African, Far Eastern, and Native American music are the _____ scales.
pentatonic and tritonic
Which of the following is a true statement?
In diatonic music, both the melody and the harmony are firmly rooted in the key.
In diatonic music, composers are firmly rooted in chromaticism.
Music in a major or minor key focuses on pentatonic harmonies.
In diatonic music, both the melody and the harmony are firmly rooted in the key.
Harmonies built on the dominant (fifth scale degree) gravitate toward the
tonic
T/F: If a major or minor scale is transposed to a different starting pitch, the pattern of half steps and whole steps changes.
False
Intervals even smaller than half steps, commonly used in some non-Western music are called
microtones
In Western music, the octave is divided into twelve equal
half steps
Shifting an entire work so that it begins on a different pitch but retains the same pattern of intervals is called
transposition
The tonic is a three-note chord, or triad, built on the ________ scale step
first
Moving from one key center to another within a composition is called
modulation
Music of the Baroque and Classical eras is mostly
diatonic
T/F: The octave is divided the same way in the musical systems of all cultures.
False
In Western music, the dominant and subdominant are called _______ chords.
active
The _______ chord is counterposed against active chords.
rest
The fifth scale step (sol) forms the chief active chord (V), which is called the
dominant
The key of a piece is determined
by the composer
What is another name for a half step?
semitone
Which of the following is NOT an active chord?
tonic
subdominant
dominant
tonic
