Exam Review

A dynamic marking that means “Medium Soft” would be pronounced

1. Piano
2. Mezzo Piano
3. Pianissimo
4. Molto Piano

A ? indicates that a note should be lowered one half step, and a ? indicates that a note should be raised one half step

1. Sharp; Flat
2. Double Flat; Flat
3. Flat; Crescendo
4. Flat; Sharp

What is wrong with this notation of the order of the flats and the order of the sharps?

1. This notation is correct
2. The sharps are labeled improperly on the treble clef
3. The flats are labeled improperly on the bass clef
4. There should only be six sharps and six flats

The expression “Diminuendo” means for the performer to

1. Slowly speed up the tempo
2. Gradually get softer and slower
3. Gradually slow down the tempo
4. Gradually get softer

The bottom number of a time signature tells the musician

1. What measure he/she begins to play
2. How many beats are in one measure
3. Whether or not the piece is in cut time
4. What note gets one beat

A planned series of pitches moving forward in time can also be referred to as

1. Contrapuntal
2. Enharmonic pitches
3. A melody
4. A movement

Which dynamic marking means “Extremely Loud”?

A staff can be described as

1. A series of four equidistant horizontal lines on which pitches and rhythms are notated
2. A series of five equidistant horizontal lines on which pitches and rhythms are notated
3. A piece of music in which several members are used to create harmony
4. A choral ensemble in which each member is only singing their part

Where “W” means a whole step and “H” means a half step, the correct “stepwise” pattern for a diatonic scale is

1. W W H W W W H
2. W H W W H H W
3. W H W H W H W
4. H W W H W W W

An octave can be described as

1. Four half steps
2. The distance between two pitches in which one pitch is twice the frequency of the other
3. The shortest distance between two notes in Western music
4. A collection of 8 notes arranged in an ascending pattern

What is the correct order of the sharps?

1. B E A D G C F
2. F C G D A E B
3. G C F B E A D
4. A F G B E C D

What is wrong with this diagram of the Circle of Fourths?

1. The order of the circle is wrong
2. The numbering is incorrect; 5, 6, and 7 should be on the bottom
3. This is the correct Circle of Fourths
4. There should be sharps next to E, A, and D on the right side

Pitch can be defined as

1. The distance between two notes
2. The highest note you can hit
3. A specific position in the range of sounds from low to high
4. The note you tune on

What is the correct order of the flats?

1. A B C D E F G
2. B E A D G C F
3. G A F B E C D
4. F C G D A E B

A piece of music’s time signature is represented by two numbers. The top number represents

1. What note gets one beat
2. How many beats per measure
3. How many measures per line
4. How many sharps or flats in the key signature

Which of these dynamic markings is Pianissimo?

Which of the following are an example of enharmonic pitches?

1. D♭ and C♯
2. B♭ and C
3. E♯ and C♭
4. A and G♯

The distance from any note to the note directly above or below it, and the smallest interval in written notation, is referred to as

1. One half step
2. One whole step
3. A diatonic sequence
4. One octave

When a composer places three eighth notes in the place of two, the rhythm produced is called

1. A triplet
2. A sixteenth note
3. A violation of Western notation laws
4. An artistic liberty

What is the correct way to count this rhythm?

1. 1 & 2 E & 3 & A 4 E & A
2. 1 & 2 T L 3 A & E 4 A &
3. 1 & 2 & A 3 E & 4 E & A
4. 1 & 2 T L 3 E & A 4 E &

What are the four clefs commonly used today?

1. Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass
2. Alto, Tenor, Treble, and Bass
3. Treble, Percussive, Alto, and Tenor
4. Bass, Treble, Alto, and Soprano

Pitches that have the same frequency but different letter names are called

1. Harmonious pitches
2. Enharmonic pitches
3. Consonant pitches
4. Retrograde pitches

The dynamic marking below represents ?, which means ?

1. Piano; Extremely Loud
2. Forte; Loud
3. Fortissimo; Loud
4. Molto Fortissimo; Extremely Loud

Leger Lines are used to

1. Extend the staff higher or lower
2. Indicate when a note is to be sharp or flat
3. Indicate that the performer should speed up or slow down
4. Remove notes from a piece during the editing process

What is the correct way to count this rhythm?

1. 1 E & 2 E 3 & A 4 A
2. 1 & A 2 E 3 & 4 & A
3. 1 A 2 E & A 3 E 4 E
4. 1 & A 2 E 3 A 4 E A