Music Theory & Instruments Quiz

Question 1

How many notes are in a standard Western major scale?

Accepted Answer

7

Answer

5

Answer

6

Answer

12

Question 2

What is the lowest-pitched member of the brass family?

Accepted Answer

Tuba

Answer

Trombone

Answer

French horn

Answer

Euphonium

Question 3

What does a 'flat' sign (♭) do to a note?

Accepted Answer

Lowers the pitch by a semitone

Answer

Raises the pitch by a semitone

Answer

Doubles the note's duration

Answer

Plays the note staccato

Question 4

Which family of instruments does the saxophone belong to?

Accepted Answer

Woodwind

Answer

Brass

Answer

Strings

Answer

Percussion

Question 5

What is the name for a group of notes played simultaneously to create harmony?

Accepted Answer

Chord

Answer

Scale

Answer

Arpeggio

Answer

Interval

Question 6

How many lines are on a standard music staff?

Accepted Answer

5

Answer

3

Answer

4

Answer

6

Question 7

What time signature means there are 4 beats per measure, with a quarter note getting one beat?

Accepted Answer

4/4

Answer

3/4

Answer

6/8

Answer

2/2

Question 8

What is the name of the symbol at the beginning of a staff that indicates the pitch range?

Accepted Answer

Clef

Answer

Time signature

Answer

Key signature

Answer

Tempo mark

Question 9

Which instrument has keys, strings, and is struck by hammers?

Accepted Answer

Piano

Answer

Harpsichord

Answer

Organ

Answer

Clavichord

Question 10

What does 'forte' (f) mean in musical notation?

Accepted Answer

Loudly

Answer

Softly

Answer

Quickly

Answer

Slowly

Question 11

How many semitones are in an octave?

Accepted Answer

12

Answer

7

Answer

8

Answer

10

Question 12

Which percussion instrument is a large, single-headed drum tunable to specific pitches?

Accepted Answer

Timpani

Answer

Bass drum

Answer

Snare drum

Answer

Tom-tom

Question 13

What is 'counterpoint' in music?

Accepted Answer

Two or more independent melodic lines played simultaneously

Answer

Playing louder than the accompaniment

Answer

The main theme of a piece

Answer

A sudden change in tempo

Question 14

What is the term for gradually slowing down in music?

Accepted Answer

Ritardando

Answer

Accelerando

Answer

Fermata

Answer

Rubato

Question 15

Which woodwind instrument is the highest-pitched in the orchestra?

Accepted Answer

Piccolo

Answer

Oboe

Answer

Clarinet

Answer

Flute

Question 16

What are the four strings of a violin tuned to (lowest to highest)?

Accepted Answer

G-D-A-E

Answer

C-G-D-A

Answer

D-G-B-E

Answer

E-A-D-G

Question 17

What is a 'pentatonic scale'?

Accepted Answer

A scale with five notes

Answer

A scale used only in East Asian music

Answer

A five-octave vocal range

Answer

A scale with no sharps or flats

Question 18

What instrument does a guitarist pluck to produce sound?

Accepted Answer

A string

Answer

A bow

Answer

A reed

Answer

A mouthpiece

Question 19

What is the term for the distance between two notes?

Accepted Answer

Interval

Answer

Chord

Answer

Scale

Answer

Harmony

Question 20

Which famous Italian violin maker from Cremona is considered to have made the finest violins ever built?

Accepted Answer

Stradivari

Answer

Guarneri

Answer

Amati

Answer

Ruggieri