Organization of Musical Sounds

Question 1

Octave

Answer 1

Interval between two tones seven diatonic pitches apart; the lower note vibrates half as fast as the upper and sounds an octave lower.

Question 2

Half Step

Answer 2

Smallest interval used in the Western system; the octave divides into twelve such intervals; on the piano, the distance between any two adjacent keys, whether black or white. Also semitone.

Question 3

Chromatic Scale

Answer 3

Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve semitones of the octave. A chromatic scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of semitones.

Question 4

Sharp sign

Answer 4

Musical symbol (#) that indicates raising a pitch by a semitone.

Question 5

Flat sign

Answer 5

Musical symbol (♭) that indicates lowering a pitch by a semitone.

Question 6

Whole Step

Answer 6

Interval consisting of two half steps, or semitones.

Question 7

Tonic

Answer 7

The first note of the scale or key, do. Also keynote.

Question 8

Tonality

Answer 8

Principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale.

Question 9

Key

Answer 9

Defines the relationship of tones with a common center or tonic. Also a lever on a keyboard or woodwind instrument.

Question 10

Diatonic

Answer 10

Melody or harmony built from the seven tones of a major or minor scale. A diatonic scale encompasses patterns of seven whole tones and semitones.

Question 11

Chromatic

Answer 11

Melody or harmony built from many if not all twelve semitones of the octave. A chromatic scale consists of an ascending or descending sequence of semitones.

Question 12

Pentatonic Scale

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Tritonic Scale

Answer 13

Three-note scale pattern, used in the music of some sub-Saharan African cultures.

Question 14

Microtone

Answer 14

Musical interval smaller than a semitone, prevalent in some non-Western musics and in some twentieth-century art music.

Question 15

Inflection

Answer 15

Small alteration of the pitch by a microtonal interval. See also blue note.

Question 16

Active Chord

Answer 16

In the diatonic system, chords which need to resolve to the tonic chord. These include the dominant chord and the subdominant chord.

Question 17

Resting Chord

Answer 17

A chord that achieves a sense of resolution or completion, normally the tonic.

Question 18

Dominant

Answer 18

The fifth scale step, sol.

Question 19

Subdominant

Answer 19

Fourth scale step, fa.

Question 20

Modulation

Answer 20

The process of changing from one key to another.

Question 21

Transposition

Answer 21

Shifting a piece of music to a different pitch level.

Question 22

Major Scale

Answer 22

Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps. It differs from a minor scale primarily in that its third degree is raised half a step.

Question 23

Minor Scale

Answer 23

Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps. It differs from the major scale primarily in that its third degree is lowered half a step.