Chapter 4: The Organization of Musical Sounds
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What are the pitch names used in Western music?
a. A, C, E , G, J, and P c. A, E, I, O, and U
b. A, B, C, D, E, F, and G d. A, B, C, D, E, G, and I
2. In Western music, the octave is divided into how many equal intervals?
a. six c. twelve
b. eight d. fifteen
3. The smallest interval in the Western musical system is called:
a. a half step. c. an octave.
b. a whole step. d. a third.
4. A twelve-tone scale, including all the semitones of the octave, is called:
a. chromatic. c. major.
b. diatonic. d. minor.
5. The musical symbol # represents a:
a. note. c. flat.
b. sharp. d. pitch.
6. On the piano, the black key between the white keys C and D is called:
a. C-sharp or D-flat. c. D-sharp or E.
b. C-flat or B. d. none of the answers shown here
7. A group of related tones with a common center, a tonic, is called:
a. an interval. c. an octave.
b. a key. d. a melody.
8. In a major scale, the greatest tension lies between what two tones?
a. 3 and 4 c. 6 and 7
b. 4 and 5 d. 7 and 8
9. In a major scale, between which pairs of tones do the half steps occur?
a. 2 and 3, 7 and 8 c. 2 and 3, 6 and 7
b. 3 and 4, 7 and 8 d. 2 and 3, 5 and 6
10. Which of the following characterizes the minor scale?
a. It has a lowered third degree. c. It sounds the same as the major scale.
b. It always begins on the note F. d. It is made up entirely of half steps.
11. Music based on the seven tones of a major or minor scale is called:
a. chromatic. c. modal.
b. diatonic. d. transposed.
12. With which era is chromatic music most frequently associated?
a. Romantic c. Classical
b. Renaissance d. Middle Ages
13. How many notes make up a pentatonic scale?
a. eight c. twelve
b. five d. four
14. An interval smaller than the semitone, or half step, is called:
a. a whole tone. c. a microtone.
b. a glissando. d. an octave.
15. The triad built on the first note of the scale is called the:
a. tonic. c. subdominant.
b. dominant. d. subtonic.
16. Which number represents the tonic chord?
a. I c. V
b. IV d. VII
17. In harmony, the _____ is a place of rest and return.
a. the tonic c. the subdominant
b. the dominant d. the leading tone
18. Which number represents the dominant chord?
a. I c. V
b. IV d. VII
19. The three basic triads in the Western musical system are the tonic, the dominant, and the:
a. supertonic. c. submediant.
b. mediant. d. subdominant.
20. The three most important triads used in diatonic harmony are:
a. I, III, and V. c. I, IV, and V.
b. I, V, and VII. d. I, VI, and VII.
21. The process of passing from one key to another is known as:
a. modulation. c. transposition.
b. development. d. transformation.
22. When a melody is transposed to another key, what remains the same?
a. the pitch level of the melody c. the shape of the melodic line
b. the key note, or tonic, of the melody d. the number of sharps or flats
23. A sharp raises a note by:
a. a whole step. c. two half steps.
b. a half step. d. one and a half steps.
24. A ______ lowers a note a half step.
a. sharp c. leading tone
b. flat d. double flat
25. In Western harmony, the dominant represents:
a. the point of ultimate rest. c. the tonic.
b. the active harmony. d. the leading tone.
TRUE/FALSE
1. In Western music, the octave is divided into seven equal parts that make up the chromatic scale.
2. All musical cultures of the world divide the octave into twelve equal half steps.
3. A sharp lowers a musical tone by a half step.
4. The term key refers to a group of related tones with a common center, a tonic, toward which the
tones gravitate.
5. A major or minor scale can begin on any of the twelve semitones of the octave.
6. Chromatic music is most closely associated with the Classical era.
7. African, Asian, and Native American musics make use of pentatonic scales.
8. Although common in jazz, inflecting a pitch is unusual in most Western music.
9. Active chords seek to resolve to resting chords, imparting a sense of direction or goal.
10. The dominant is an example of an active chord, which can cause tension in music until resolved.
11. The process of passing from one key to another is known as modulation.
12. Shifting all the tones of a musical composition to a new key is called transposition.
ESSAY
1. How do melody and harmony function together to construct a musical system?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 17–21
TOP: Musical Sounds MSC: Applied
2. What is the difference between a major and minor scale?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 17–19
TOP: Musical Sounds MSC: Conceptual
3. Describe the differences between diatonic and chromatic.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: p. 20
TOP: Musical Sounds MSC: Applied
4. Why are active chords considered the dynamic force in Western music?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 20–21
