Harmony and tonality

Question 1

Concord

Answer 1

chord where all the notes seem to ‘agree’ with each other, it feels at rest and complete in itself.

Question 2

Discord

Answer 2

chord where some notes seem to ‘disagree’ or clash giving an unsettled feel.

Question 3

Diatonic

Answer 3

harmony uses notes which belong to the key.

Question 4

Chromatic

Answer 4

harmony uses notes from outside the key to give the chords more ‘colour’.

Question 5

Perfect cadences

Answer 5

sound as though the music has come to an end. A perfect cadence is formed by the chords V - I.

Question 6

Interrupted cadences

Answer 6

are ‘surprise’ cadences. You think you’re going to hear a perfect cadence, but you get a minor chord instead.

Question 7

Imperfect cadences

Answer 7

sound unfinished. They sound as though they want to carry on to complete the music properly. An imperfect cadence ends on chord V.

Question 8

Plagal cadences

Answer 8

sound finished. Plagal cadences are often used at the end of hymns and sung to A-men. A plagal cadence is formed by the chords IV - I.

Question 9

tonal music

Answer 9

in a major or minor key

Question 10

atonal

Answer 10

music is not related to a tonic note and therefore has no sense of key

Question 11

modal

Answer 11

music is in a mode

Question 12

Modulation

Answer 12

When a piece of music changes key it is said to modulate. It is most likely to modulate to a closely related key. The three most closely related keys to the tonic are the dominant, the subdominant or the relative minor or major keys.

Question 13

drone

Answer 13

a held (or repeated) chord, (usually a bare 5th) throughout a passage of music.

Question 14

Pedal

Answer 14

a single note that is held on, or repeated in, the bass. An inverted pedal note is a sustained or repeated note in a high register.

Question 15

Ground bass

Answer 15

the term used in Baroque music where a bass part is repeated throughout the piece. Whereas an ostinato pattern might be very short, a ground bass can last many bars before it is repeated.

Question 16

Interval

Answer 16

An interval is the distance in pitch between two notes. The smallest interval is a semitone.

Question 17

Phrasing

Answer 17

A musical phrase is like a spoken sentence. When you talk, you take a breath after each sentence. With a musical phrase, you can almost hear a ‘breath’ at the end of the phrase, even when the music is played by non-wind instruments.

Question 18

Name the scales

Answer 18

major scale
minor scale
pentatonic scale
chromatic scale
wholetone scale

Question 19

What is a musical device?

Answer 19

A musical device is a technique used to develop a compositional idea.

Question 20

What is imitation?

Answer 20

Imitation is where a melody in one part is repeated a few notes later in a different part. This overlaps the melody in the first part, which continues. Imitation is a useful textural device. For example, a flute may imitate a tune just played by the oboe.

Question 21

What changes to imitations may take place?

Answer 21

changes in octave - it could be played higher or lower
adding ornaments
playing the same melody in notes of different duration

Question 22

What are riffs, ostinatos and loops?

Answer 22

These three words mean similar things. Ostinato is more often used when describing classical music and means a repeating pattern of notes or rhythms. Riff is more often used when describing pop music and means a recognisable pattern of notes, which occur at important moments (such as the chorus) or throughout a song and loop is used in contemporary dance music to mean a pattern which appears as a cycle.
BASICALLY A REPEATED PATTERN OF NOTES

Question 23

What are sequences?

Answer 23

A sequence is a pattern of notes which goes up or down in pitch every time it is repeated. Here is a simple rising sequence. The first four notes set the pattern, which is then repeated over and over, each time higher in pitch.

Question 24

What are hooks, fills and breaks

Answer 24

A hook is a short catchy melodic idea designed to be instantly memorable. A fill is a short flourish used to fill a gap between phrases and is often played on drums. A break is an extended instrumental section in dance music or a solo in pop and jazz, usually improvised.

Question 25

What are ornaments?

Answer 25

Ornaments are decorative notes which embellish a melody:
a trill is formed by quickly playing the note and the note above it alternately
a mordent is formed by playing the note, the note above and then back to the first note
a grace note is a single note ornament such as the acciaccatura or appoggiatura

Question 26

What is an acciaccatura?

Answer 26

An acciaccatura is played as quickly as possible before the note that follows it. It is sometimes called a crush note.

Question 27

What is an appoggiatura

Answer 27

An appoggiatura leans on the main note, taking part of its value.