Academic Decathlon Music Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• What kinds of sounds qualify as music?
• What is duple meter?
• What do people tend to notice about the diminished triad?
• Middle-C is described as equidistant from which parts of the keyboard?
• Which term describes a meter with three beats per measure?
• In a triad, if the bottom note is the fifth, what inversion is it?
• In the described framework, what fundamental role do triads play?
• In melodic direction, what does descending mean?
• Which of the following is NOT typically considered a woodwind instrument?
• Which term is NOT one of the four general terms used to describe meter?
• Which option captures the requirement that a listener perceives music?
• What does the symbol flat indicate in pitch notation?
• Which statement about the major scale's basic property is true?
• In a time signature such as 3/4 or 6/8, what does the upper number tell you?
• What are the two types of melodic intervals?
• What affects pitch?
• In the key of C major, what is the leading tone?
• What is pitch?
• Which term describes the range of pitches comfortable for a singer?
• What is the leading tone?
• Which notes are chromatic?
• Which of the following describes a less effective method for smooth voice leading?
• Which of the following is a common woodwind instrument?
• What does lento/grave mean?
• What makes the pitch higher?
• In music theory, a half-step is defined as which distance?
• What do looping and splicing allow for?
• What does the term diatonic mean?
• What is the triad built on the seventh scale degree called?
• What is a scale?
• In musical notation, what is another common term for a measure?
• What is the tonic triad?
• Which term indicates the tempo is speeding up?
• Which statement about compound meter is true?
• What is musique concréte?
• What is required for music?
• Which triad quality is built on the seventh scale degree?
• What are accidentals?
• What is a melody?
• Which tempo marking describes a moderately slow tempo?
• What does allegro mean?
• What is the fundamental?
• How is the duration of a pitch indicated?
• Italian tempo terms are best used for what?
• How do membranophones make sound?
• Where are the half steps located in a minor scale?
• If you put your finger on the midpoint of A-110 on a guitar string what do you hear?
• What does subito mean in musical terms?
• Which tempo marking corresponds to 40 BPM?
• What is it called when the first word falls before the downbeat?
• Which term indicates the tempo is slowing down?
• On a standard piano, which side contains the higher pitches?
• What is the relative minor of G?
• Which statement about chromatic notes is true?
• How many pitches occur at the same time in a melody?
• Under what condition are accidentals used beyond those in the key signature?
• Tessitura describes which aspect of a melody?
• Which tempo marking indicates very fast?
• What is an interval?
• Beats are normally grouped into what?
• What has changed about the boundaries between Western and non-Western music?
• What is parallel?
• Which statement best describes the rhythm observed in the first two measures of St. Louis Blues?
• What term is used for notes that sound the same but have different spellings, such as Ab and G#?
• What are idiophones?
• What is dissonance?
• What made the post-WWII advances in electrical instruments possible?
• What technique is named to enhance smooth voice leading?
• What is a general consequence of equal temperament for tuning interactions across keys?
• Which BPM corresponds to allegro?
• The pitch is normally colored by what?
• What is range in music?
• In some older tuning systems, Eb and D# may differ in pitch.
• What is the term for a melody that has a perceived beat but speeds up and down for expressive effect?
• When does polyrhythm occur?
• What does adagio mean?
• Which statement would be least consistent with a simple triadic progression described?
• Which of the following is NOT listed among the keyboard instruments in the material?
• How do woodwind instruments produce sound?
• Which scale degrees form a major triad?
• How do you read a time signature?
• Which scale degrees are the most common sources of predominant harmony?
• What is music interconnected with in many cultures?
• Which of the following is a percussion membranophone?
• What is a harmonic progression?
• Which instrument family provides most non-pitched sounds in music?
• In some cases, Eb and D# are identical in pitch in equal temperament?
• What were some of the things developed for war in WWII that were used by electrical performers?
• What is amplitude?
• Which statement about the C-major scale is true?
• How are rhythms in blues music written?
• What is the unit of measurement for an interval?
• Which category is defined by instruments where the frame vibrates to produce sound?
• What is the most common number of beats in a measure?
• Which element is central to the concept of a chord progression described?
• What song has a clearly articulated compound meter?
• What are predominant harmonies?
• In the key of C major, which pitch is the tonic?
• Which note is associated with 440 Hz in the standard tuning described?
• What are some common factors in music?
• Which tuning system has dominated Western music since the mid-18th century?
• How do chordophones make sound?
• Which of the following is NOT listed as a percussion idiophone in the material?
• What is transpose?
• Which statement about the dominant pitch is true?
• What is the fifth?
• Polymeter is defined as which of the following?
• Contour can be described by which criterion?
• What is the broadest definition of music?
• Which statement best defines a chord progression?
• What is a scale with blues influence?
• Why is musique concrète a French word?
• Where are all of the A notes located on a piano keyboard?
• In tonal harmony, what function do predominant harmonies serve?
• How do aerophones make sound?
• What characterizes the harmonic minor scale?
• What are measures separated by?
• What does it mean if a melody has a high tessitura?
• What mechanical device uses electricity to make sound?
• What is another term for polyrhythm?
• What does it mean when a melody has an arch contour?
• Which statement about the harmonic minor is true?
• What is the dominant pitch?
• In a four-beat measure, which beats are typically the weak beats?
• In a world of pure sound waves and overtones, pitches follow what?
• What is subdominant?
• What are membranophones?
• What does it mean if a melody or chord is chromatic?
• To indicate a tempo should become faster gradually within a passage, which term would you most likely use?
• Accidentals in music are defined as
• Among common approaches to improve voice leading, which technique is cited?
• What are the two names used for the black-key notes on a piano?
• What is a tritone?
• What does moderato mean?
• What are the high, middle, and low parts of an instrument's range called?
• What is conjunct melody?
• How are brass instruments sounded?
• What four general terms can be used to describe meter?
• In equal temperament tuning, the octave is divided into how many equal parts?
• Which statement about the tonic is true?
• What does it mean when a chord is in first inversion?
• What is essential to harmonic progression?
• In tonal harmony, how do chords typically move from one to another?
• What does andante mean?
• In the melodic minor scale, what happens when ascending and descending?
• What has changed about music in recent decades?
• The unit used to describe frequency in the material is
• How are the black keys arranged on a standard piano keyboard?
• What is the second most important triad, after the tonic triad?
• Which is a keyboard instrument listed among common keyboards?
• What is ascending?
• Before the modern classification by Sachs and Hornbostel, instruments were grouped into what broad category?
• What does unmetered mean?
• If a piece centers on a pitch of G as its home base, the key is
• How many BPM is moderato?
• Brass instruments are a type of instrument described as what?
• When did the first electric instruments appear?
• Which cultural context is listed as connected with music?
• What is sound?
• What is root position?
• What makes sound louder?
• On the piano, which side do the highest pitches lie?
• What does the symbol sharp indicate in pitch notation?
• How is first inversion indicated?
• Which statement best describes a melody with high tessitura?
• Which term describes the second scale degree?
• What is an example of a disjunct melody?
• Which scale degrees form a minor triad?
• Ethnomusicologists are scholars who study music of what?
• Why are relative major and minor scales more closely related than parallel scales?
• Which term describes a meter with two beats per measure?
• In a major scale, which pitch is the dominant?
• Which action is described as creating smoother voice leading?
• What is a non-pitched sound wave?
• Which two ethnomusicologists categorized instruments into four groups?
• What is compound meter?
• Which technique is named to enhance smooth voice leading?
• What is the melodic minor scale?
• Which term refers to the Italian term most commonly used with vocal music?
• Are chords and melodies diatonic?
• When did the second phase of electrical instruments begin?
• What is an augmented triad?
• What describes the chromatic scale?
• Which statement about major and minor scales is true?
• Which statement best captures the defining approach of musique concrète?
• If a vibrating string is shortened to half its length, the pitch becomes what?
• Which property of a wave is defined as the height of the wave?
• Smoother voice leading can be created by
• What is consonance?
• What is the key signature?
• In a standard triadic progression, what is the effect of inverting some chords?
• Which statement best describes polyrhythm?
• What is a chord progression?
• What is a triad called when the fifth is on the bottom?
• Which is an example of a conjunct melody?
• How can you tell if the scale is major?
• Which pitch is normally repeated at the end of a scale?
• What are chordophones?
• Which statement correctly describes the relationship between frequency and pitch?
• What is the supertonic?
• What two factors does a sound wave contain?
• Which statement best defines irregular meter in music rhythm?
• What is triple meter?
• What frequencies can the human ear hear?
• Which of the following best describes percussion instruments?
• Where were the first practitioners of musique concrète based?
• What happens if two pitches occur at the same time?
• Do the rhythms in St. Louis Blues coincide with the beat?
• Which statement characterizes a blues scale's influence?
• In the context of common factors, which item is listed as a factor in music?
• Which statement about the minor scale's half-step locations is accurate?
• Which scale is the most common in Western music?
• What is a half step on the piano?
• Why do the rhythms in St. Louis Blues not coincide with the beat?
• What is another name for the C in the C-major scale?
• Which term best describes creating collages of sound by editing and recombining recorded sounds?
• What are aerophones?
• What is the root?
• Which scale degree is often referred to as the root or tonic?
• In a C major scale, which pitch serves as the anchor?
• Which has a higher pitched bark, a Chihuahua or a St. Bernard?
• What four properties does a single isolated sound contain?
• What term describes the distance between an A and the next higher A (the same letter name) on the musical scale?
• What does a pure sine wave at 440Hz sound like?
• What is a minor triad?
• The group comprising timpani, bass drum, snare drum, and tambourine is best described as which family?
• An arch contour is characterized by which pattern?
• Which statement about chromatic pitches is accurate?
• What is a triad?
• In equal temperament, what is the relationship between enharmonic spellings like Ab and G#?
• Which term describes a melody with proportionally more leaps than steps?
• How does a theremin work?
• How many chromatic scale pitches is most Western music based on?
• Which statement describes syncopation in rhythm?
• In percussion classification, which additional subcategory is sometimes included besides membranophones and idiophones?
• Which category includes instruments with a skin stretched across a frame?
• What is the BPM for andante?
• What does tempo describe?
• True or false: The chromatic scale in Western tuning consists solely of half-step intervals.
• What is the BPM for adagio?
• What is the third?
• Where and when was common-practice tonality developed and codified?
• Which statement about Italian tempo terms best describes their usage?
• How do musicians indicate which A, B, or C# is being discussed?
• Timpani belongs to which percussion family?
• Which statement is true about meter readings?
• What is Rhythm?
• What is a chord?
• In contour descriptions, what type of terms are normally used?
• In musical acoustics, when a vibrating string is shortened to half its length, what happens to the pitch?
• What is frequency?
• Most melodies use what?
• Electrophones are instruments where sound is created through a mechanical device.
• In a major triad, the interval from the bottom note to the middle note is
• Which instrument is considered an idiophone?
• What is the basic nature of sound as defined here?
• Which triad is built with two minor thirds?
• When the seven key pitches are arranged in ascending order, what patterns emerge?
• In the key of C major, which note is the dominant?
• In a triad, the fifth is the highest note.
• What is a relative major and minor?
• Overtones contribute to the color of a pitch by adding what?
• In a time signature, if the lower number is 2, which note value receives one beat?
• What is beat?
• In a minor triad, the interval from the bottom note to the middle note is
• What is the function of the dominant pitch?
• Can the dominant pitch appear more than the tonic pitch in a melody?
• What are the basic techniques of tape music?
• Which is an example of a conjunct melody?
• What is a scale?
• The tonic triad is built on which scale degree?
• Which statement best describes irregular meter?
• Woodwind instruments are aerophones made of what material?
• The pattern of black keys on the keyboard is described as what?
• What is the first beat of a measure called?
• How many BPM is presto?
• Why is the triad built on the seventh scale degree unique?
• In musique concrète, how are compositions typically presented?
• How is second inversion indicated?
• What is created when two pitches occur at the same time?
• Which of the following is a brass instrument listed among common instruments?
• Which is pitched lower, the tuba or the piccolo?
• Which beat in a measure is the strongest?
• What is the most stable chord in a key?
• What is altered in a blues scale?
• Which term describes notes that sound the same but are spelled differently?
• What does presto mean?
• What is a diminished triad?
• In the explanation of the St. Louis Blues rhythm, why is the word go stressed longer in the second measure?
• Which element marks the meter in standard notation?
• Which of the following is a common string instrument (chordophone)?
• What is mixed meter?
• Which statement defines parallel major and minor scales?
• Which category includes instruments with strings?
• How often are pitches one pure frequency?
• On a standard piano, where is middle-C located relative to the keyboard ends?
• Which term defines the speed of the beat?
• What is a major triad?
• What is the connection between key and tonic?
• What does meter describe?
• How many BPM is allegro?
• What do all melodies have?
• Which statement about chord progressions is accurate according to the material?
• What is the BPM for lento/grave?
• The piano is typically categorized as which type of instrument?
• What do American musicians usually tune their instruments to?
• Common-practice tonality refers to which concept?
• The saxophone is categorized as which instrument family?
• Which triad is built with two major thirds?
• Which statement describes how sharps and flats alter pitch in standard notation?
• What are the most common predominant harmonies?
• Which instrument from the listed items is an idiophone?
• What would happen if the last pitch were not played at the end of a scale?
• How many groups are used in the instrument classification described?
• Strings are what type of musical instrument?
• What is a melodic interval?
• What is improvisation?
• Wood wind instruments are a type of instrument described as what?
• Which statement best describes transpose?
• How is an interval measured?
• In the key of C what is the dominant pitch and what is the leading tone?
• Which description best defines conjunct melody?
• Which statement about mixed meter is true?
• Which describes a disjunct melody?
• Which term indicates tempo should slow down progressively?
• Which category includes brass and wind instruments?
• Which property describes the tone color of a sound?
• Cross-rhythm is another term for:
• What are chromatic pitches typically used for?
• What are the three varieties of minor scales?
• Which set lists the scale degrees for the major triad?
• What is a key?
• Where is the key signature placed in a written score?
• Which method is explicitly cited as a way to create smoother voice leading?
• What does poco a poco mean?
• What is the tonic commonly called in scale theory?
• What was one of the most popular early electrophones?
• What does a musician mean by pitch?
• What is a harmonic interval?
• Which term describes the interval when two pitches occur in succession?
• Which tempo marking means "Very slow"?
• What provides most non-pitched sounds in music?
• What is pitch?
• What is the most common form of polyrhythm?
• Which statement about parallel major and minor scales is true?