Music

Question 1

Clef note

Answer 1

A symbol indicating the pitch to be played. Usually a G clef or a Bass clef, those scrolling shapes at the front of the staff.

Question 2

Harmony

Answer 2

Pleasing combination of two or three tones played together in the background while a melody is being played. Harmony also refers to the study of chord progressions.

Question 3

Key

Answer 3

System of notes or tones based on and named after the key note.

Question 4

Measure

Answer 4

The unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two, three, four beats to a measure.

Question 5

Melody

Answer 5

the sequence of single tones in a song, as opposed to Harmony or rhythm.

Question 6

Movement

Answer 6

A separate section of a larger composition.

Question 7

Pitch

Answer 7

The frequency of a note determining how high or low it sounds.

Question 8

Refrain

Answer 8

A repeating phrase that is played at the end of each verse in the song.

Question 9

Rhythm

Answer 9

The element of music pertaining to time, played as a grouping of notes into accented and unaccented beats.

Question 10

Scale

Answer 10

Successive notes of a key or mode either ascending or descending the song.

Question 11

Staff

Answer 11

Made up of five horizontal parallel lines and the spaces between them on which musical notation is written.

Question 12

Tempo

Answer 12

Indicating speed.

Question 13

Tune

Answer 13

A rhythmic succession of musical tones, a melody for instruments and voices.

Question 14

Time Signature

Answer 14

A numeric symbol in sheet music determining the number of beats to a measure.

Question 15

Whole note

Answer 15

A whole note is equal to 2 half notes, 4 quarter notes, 8 eighth notes, etc.

Question 16

String Instruments

Answer 16

Stringed instruments are characterized by having (you guessed it!) strings.

Question 17

Ways to make strings vibrate (to make music!)

Answer 17

Plucking, as with the harp, guitar, and mandolin

Bowing, as with the violin family. Note: instruments in the violin family can be played two ways: bowing and plucking.

Hitting, as with the hammered dulcimer and piano.

Question 18

Violin family:

Answer 18

violin, viola cello, bass, Guitar, lyre, koto, harp, lute banjo.

Question 19

Woodwinds Instruments

Answer 19

At one time, most woodwinds were made of wood; hence the name. The easiest way to characterize them now is as wind instruments (that is, you blow into them) which aren’t played by buzzing your lips together.

Flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon.

Question 20

How are woodwinds sounds made?

Answer 20

Most woodwind instruments are tubes. The sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube. The player makes this column of air vibrate in one of several ways:

By blowing across an edge, as in the flute, recorder, whistle, and root beer bottle

By blowing between a reed and a fixed surface, as in the clarinet and saxophone

By blowing between two reeds, as in the oboe, bassoon, and bagpipes

Question 21

What is a reed?

Answer 21

A REED is the mouthpiece used on a Woodwind.

Question 22

Brass Instruments

Answer 22

Most brass instruments from the Western European tradition really are made of brass, but there are large numbers of brass-type instruments which are made of wood, horn, shell, or other materials.

Question 23

How are brass instrument sounds made?

Answer 23

As with woodwinds, the sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube of the instrument. The air column vibrates in resonance with the vibrating lips of the
player, who presses her or his lips together in the mouthpiece and forces air out between them, making a “raspberry” or “Bronx cheer” sound.

Question 24

Examples of Brass Instruments

Answer 24

Trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba, bugle.

Question 25

What is the shape of the brass instruments’ mouthpiece?

Answer 25

Brass instruments use a specific type of mouthpiece shaped like a cup.

Question 26

Percussion Instruments

Answer 26

Percussion instruments include just about anything you can whack with a stick.

Question 27

How are percussion instruments’ sounds made?

Answer 27

In percussion instruments the sound source is a vibrating membrane (these instruments are called membranophones) or vibrating piece of solid material (these are ideophones). The percussionist normally causes these materials to vibrate by hitting them (hence the name percussion), but many percussion instruments are played by shaking, rubbing, or any other way of causing vibrations.

Question 28

Example of percussion instruments

Answer 28

Drums, xylophone, maracas, cymbals, gong.