Exam Review

A staff can be described as

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

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 &

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

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

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

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

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

Pitch can be defined as

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

What is the correct way to count this rhythm?

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

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 wrong with this diagram of the Circle of Fourths?

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

What is the correct order of the sharps?

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

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

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

The expression “Diminuendo” means for the performer to

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

An octave can be described as

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

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

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

The dynamic marking below represents ?, which means ?

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

What is the correct order of the flats?

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

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

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

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

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

Which dynamic marking means “Extremely Loud”?

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

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

Which of these dynamic markings is Pianissimo?

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 H W H W
3. W H W W H H W
4. H W W H W W W

The bottom number of a time signature tells the musician

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

Which of the following are an example of enharmonic pitches?

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

What are the four clefs commonly used today?

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