Melody

Question 1

Anacrusis:

Answer 1

• a note (or notes) that come before the first strong beat in a piece.
• Sometimes called the ‘up-beat’ or ‘pick-up’.

Question 2

Motif

Answer 2

A short melodic or rhythmic idea.

Question 3

Leitmotif

Answer 3

A recurrent musical idea representing a person, place, feeling or idea.

Question 4

Countermelody:

Answer 4

A 2nd melody played at the same time as the main one.

Question 5

Pitch:

Answer 5

Whether the musical notes are high, middle-sounding or low

Question 6

Range:

Answer 6

The distance from the lowest sounding note to the highest sounding note in a piece of music.

Question 7

Ornaments:

Answer 7

Used to ‘decorate’ the music e.g trill, mordant, turn.

Question 8

Chromatic:

Answer 8

When the tune moves in semitones (like a chromatic scale).

Question 9

Pentatonic:

Answer 9

A musical scale based on 5 notes.

Question 10

Question and answer phrases:

Answer 10

An initial idea balanced by a 2nd idea

Question 11

Theme

Answer 11

The main musical idea in a piece of music.

Question 12

Sequence:

Answer 12

Repetition of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch.

Question 13

Imitation

Answer 13

When a musical idea is copied in another part.

Question 14

Repetition:

Answer 14

When musical ideas are repeated.

Question 15

Contrast:

Answer 15

When there is some type of difference in the music.

Question 16

Fanfare:

Answer 16

A musical ‘announcement’, based on the pitches of a chord.

Question 17

Blue notes:

Answer 17

The flattened notes in a Blues scale

Question 18

Types of scale:

Answer 18

Major, Minor, Pentatonic, Blues

Question 19

Conjunct

Answer 19

Stepwise movement in a melody (Scalic)

Question 20

Disjunct

Answer 20

When the melodic movement includes lots of leaps or intervals.

Question 21

Arpeggio/broken chord:

Answer 21

When the notes of a chord are played separately in succession.

Question 22

Anticipation Note:

Answer 22

When a note of the next chord is played early, preparing for the intended pitch in the chord.

Question 23

Triadic:

Answer 23

Musical movement that uses the notes of a triad.

Question 24

Pentatonic melody:

Answer 24

Melody based on a 5-note scale.

Question 25

Trill

Answer 25

A continuous rapid alteration of a note immediately above.

Question 26

Turn

Answer 26

A short figure consisting of the note above the one indicated, the note itself, the note below, then the note indicated.

Question 27

Mordent:

Answer 27

A single rapid alteration of a note with the note immediately above it or below it in the scale.

Question 28

Appoggiatura:

Answer 28

A grace note which delays the next note of the melody, taking half of its time value.

Question 29

Acciaccatura:

Answer 29

A grace note performed as quickly as possible before an essential note of a melody.