Music Theory & Instruments Quiz

1. How many notes are in a standard Western major scale?

1. 12
2. 5
3. 6
4. 7

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

1. Euphonium
2. French horn
3. Trombone
4. Tuba

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

1. Doubles the note's duration
2. Lowers the pitch by a semitone
3. Plays the note staccato
4. Raises the pitch by a semitone

4. Which family of instruments does the saxophone belong to?

1. Brass
2. Percussion
3. Strings
4. Woodwind

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

1. Arpeggio
2. Chord
3. Interval
4. Scale

6. How many lines are on a standard music staff?

1. 3
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6

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

1. 2/2
2. 3/4
3. 4/4
4. 6/8

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

1. Clef
2. Key signature
3. Tempo mark
4. Time signature

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

1. Clavichord
2. Harpsichord
3. Organ
4. Piano

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

1. Loudly
2. Quickly
3. Slowly
4. Softly

11. How many semitones are in an octave?

1. 10
2. 12
3. 7
4. 8

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

1. Bass drum
2. Snare drum
3. Timpani
4. Tom-tom

13. What is 'counterpoint' in music?

1. A sudden change in tempo
2. Playing louder than the accompaniment
3. The main theme of a piece
4. Two or more independent melodic lines played simultaneously

14. What is the term for gradually slowing down in music?

1. Accelerando
2. Fermata
3. Ritardando
4. Rubato

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

1. Clarinet
2. Flute
3. Oboe
4. Piccolo

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

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

17. What is a 'pentatonic scale'?

1. A five-octave vocal range
2. A scale used only in East Asian music
3. A scale with five notes
4. A scale with no sharps or flats

18. What instrument does a guitarist pluck to produce sound?

1. A bow
2. A mouthpiece
3. A reed
4. A string

19. What is the term for the distance between two notes?

1. Chord
2. Harmony
3. Interval
4. Scale

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

1. Amati
2. Guarneri
3. Ruggieri
4. Stradivari