Harmony and Tonality

Question 1

Tonality

Answer 1

The key of the music. The piece will be built mainly from a particular scale e.g. major

Question 2

Major

Answer 2

A happy uplifting sound

Question 3

Minor

Answer 3

A sad, more serious sound

Question 4

Modal

Answer 4

Came before scales

Question 5

Atonal

Answer 5

Music with no sense of fixed tonality/key. May sound rather random

Question 6

Tonal

Answer 6

Will have a sense of key/tonal centre

Question 7

Pentatonic

Answer 7

A five note scale

Question 8

Whole tone

Answer 8

A scale made up of only whole notes. It has a spooky and unsettling effect

Question 9

Whole tone

Answer 9

A scale made up of only whole notes. It has a spooky and unsettling effect

Question 10

Consonance

Answer 10

Music/harmonies that sound nice

Question 11

Drone

Answer 11

Long held note, usually in the base. Often two noted held together

Question 12

Modulation

Answer 12

To change key/tonality. The most common modulations are to go to the dominant, subdominant or relative minor keys

Question 13

Tierce de Picardie

Answer 13

When a piece in a minor key finishes in a major chord

Question 14

Cadences

Answer 14

A cadence is formed by the two chords that come at the end of a musical phrase

Question 15

Perfect cadence

Answer 15

V-I Sounds final and complete

Question 16

Plagal cadence

Answer 16

IV-I Also sounds complete, but not as strong. Used for the Amen at the end of hymns

Question 17

Imperfect cadence

Answer 17

I-V Unfinished feel to the music

Question 18

Interrupted cadence

Answer 18

V-VI Your ears expect it to go to the tonic as in a perfect cadence, but instead it goes to the VI chord. So it is a surprise cadence

Question 19

Harmony

Answer 19

Two or more notes of different pitches create harmony

Question 20

Chromatic

Answer 20

Scale made up of semitones. A note is classed as being chromatic within a piece when it is not part of the key signature

Question 21

Diatonic

Answer 21

Harmony uses only the notes that belong to the major or minor keys

Question 22

Diatonic

Answer 22

Harmony uses only the notes that belong to the major or minor keys

Question 23

Dissonance

Answer 23

Clashing music/harmonies

Question 24

Discords

Answer 24

Harsh, dissonant sounding combination of notes

Question 25

Close harmony

Answer 25

Where the notes are close together within the separate parts