Music Listening Exam #1

30 August 2022
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Rhythm
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a regular repeated pattern of movement or sound... the "pulse" or "beat"
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Melody
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a succession of tones logically conceived to make musical sense
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Harmony
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two or more different tones sounded together
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Timbre
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the quality of sound characteristics of a particular voice or instrument
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Two Characteristics of Sound
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1. Pitch- highness or lowness (frequency) 2. Dynamic- loud and soft (volume)
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Frequency
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speed of vibration causes certain pitches
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Cymatics
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the study of sound and vibration made visible, typically on the surface of the plate, diaphragm, or membrane through the use of frequency.
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Register
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how we organize how people talk: 1. High (girls voices) 2. Middle 3. Low (guys)
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Pitch
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one note
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Sharp
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raises a note by a half step
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Flat
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lowers a note by a half step
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Treble Clef
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high
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Bass Clef
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low
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Intervals
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distance between two pitches
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A -> B
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whole step
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A -> A#
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half step
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E -> F#
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whole step
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Example of counting by fourths
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C -> F
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B -> C and E -> F
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half steps because there is no black keys between them
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An octave higher than D is
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D
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Dynamics
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the volume which a pitch is played
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Changing in dynamic level
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1. Crescendo- getting louder 2. Decrescendo- getting softer
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Forte
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loud
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Piano
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soft
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pianissimo
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very soft
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mezzopiano
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moderately soft
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mezzoforte
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moderately loud
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fortissimo
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very loud
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Diminuendo
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becoming softer (same as decrescendo)
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The pitch of a sound depends on the rate of vibration, or frequency, of the sound-producing medium.
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TRUE
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A faster rate of vibration causes a higher pitch, and a slower rate of vibration causes a lower pitch.
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TRUE
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Expressive effects can rarely be achieved by changes in the dynamic level of musical sounds.
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FALSE
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Staff
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5 lines, 4 spaces
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A clef indicates that
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a particular line in the staff represents a specific pitch
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An interval is the distance between
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two adjacent notes and two simultaneously sounding notes
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Which of the following is NOT a term describing a change in dynamic level?
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Forte
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Which of the following in an indication to play at a soft dynamic level?
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p
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Rhythm
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the arrangement or organization of long and short sounds in music ... "pulse"
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Accents
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emphasized beats
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Beat
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basic rhythmic pulse
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Stress
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accenting a note, emphasizing a note, playing louder than others
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Duration
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length of a note
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Position
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register
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Syncopation
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an interruption of the regular flow of rhythm, is another way in which composers can create accents
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Tempo
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the rate of speed at which a piece is performed
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Meters
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1. Duple Meter 2. Triple Meter 3. Quadruple Meter
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Meter
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a regularly recurring arrangement of strong and weak beats. -measures or bars
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Role of the Conductor
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- keeps the ensemble together - conducts specific patterns
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Downbeat
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the first beat of the measure (typically emphasized)
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Upbeat
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the last beat of the measure (typically the weakest beat of the measure)
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Metronome markings
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indicates the number of beats per minute
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Rhythm concerns the arrangement of long and short sounds in music.
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TRUE
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Tempo is a term describing the placement of strong and weak beats in a composition.
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FALSE- Tempo is the rate of speed at which a piece is performed.
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Metered music is notated in units containing a certain number of beats. These units are called accents.
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FALSE - Metered music is notated in units called measures or bars.
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A common meter containing three beats per measure is
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triple meter
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The duration of a half note is
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half the duration of a whole note
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Strong beats, or accents, may be achieved or implied in which following ways?
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1. Stress 2. Duration 3. Position
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Contour
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the horizontal or linear shape that a melody creates
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Two Categories of Melody
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1. Conjunct - stepwise motion (very close together) (ex. my country tis of thee) 2. Disjunct - more skips, more distant (ex. star spangled banner)
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Phrase
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"Sentences of music"
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Phrases
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Melodic phrases are punctuated by stopping points, called cadences, which—like commas, semicolons, and periods—indicate varying degrees of pause or finality.
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Sequences
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pattern - a repetition of the first melodic phrase
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Melodic Structure Examples
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1. Row, Row, Row Your Boat- A,B 2. Jingle Bells- A,B,A,B' 3. Deck the Halls- A,A,B,A'
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Different melodic structures
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create different forms
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Tune
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a melody that seems complete and is easily remembered and easily sung
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Theme
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a melody, tuneful or not, that recurs throughout a piece, usually in altered form
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Motive/Motivic Melody
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a short melodic phrase that sounds fragmentary or incomplete
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Lyrical Melody
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a melody that is longer than motive and is often songlike in character
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A melody is built on tones or pitches selected from an ascending or descending pattern of pitches, within an octave called a
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scale
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Scale
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ascending or descending series of steps
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Half-step
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smallest intervals between notes
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B -> C C -> C#
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both half steps
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Types of Scales
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MAJOR AND MINOR
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Major Scale
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WWHWWWH
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Minor Scale
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WHWWHWW
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When you begin and end with the same note name
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major scale
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Tonic
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beginning and ending note of a scale
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Key
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tonal center of the composition
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Chromatic
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a scale created entirely of half steps
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Whole-tone
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a scale that divides the octave into six consecutive whole steps
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Pentatonic
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a scale that contains any five-note pattern within an octave
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Tuneful melodies are
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easy to recognize and sing
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Fragmentary or motivic melodies offer:
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Rich potential for development
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Lyrical melodies are
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songlike and seem relatively complete in themselves
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A melody is a succession of tones logically conceived to make musical sense.
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TRUE
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A melody consists of a singular phrase.
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FALSE - A melody consists of one or more phrases.
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A melodic sequence is a repetition of a melodic phrase.
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TRUE
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A melody that seems complete in itself is called a tune.
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TRUE
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The scales most commonly used in Western music are the whole-tone and chromatic scales.
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FALSE - The scales most commonly used in Western music are the major and minor scales.
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A melody that recurs throughout a piece is called a
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theme
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A chromatic scale consists of
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twelve half steps
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A whole-tone scale consists of
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six whole steps
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A pentatonic scale consists of
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a five-note pattern within the range of an octave
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Harmony
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two or more different tones/pitches sounding together
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You cannot have harmony without a
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melody
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Harmony adds a _____ to the melody.
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foundation and stability
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Chords
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a combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously
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Most common chord in Western music
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Triad
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Finding thirds:
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Starting at F 4 half steps = A 3 half steps from A= C
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3rd AND Triad examples in C major
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line, line, line OR space, space, space
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How do melodies aid in creating harmony?
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melodies typically outline chords, or harmony.
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Tonality
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the dominance of the tonic note over the other pitches in the major or minor scale
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Dominant
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- designated by the Roman numeral V - strongest relationship between tonic and dominant - acts as the tonic locator (3rd base) - the 5th note of the scale - Cadence figure: V-I
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D's dominant is
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A
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Subdominant
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- designated by the Roman numeral IV - second strongest relationship - acts as a pre-dominant (2nd base) - sets up dominant - Cadence figure: IV-I - the 4th note of the scale
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Dominant
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5th note of the scale
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Subdominant
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4th note of the scale
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D's subdominant is
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G
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Two Kinds of Harmony
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1. Consonance 2. Dissonance
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Consonant
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stable : evoking a sense of rest and ease
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Dissonant
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unstable : evoking a sense of unrest, tension, and drive
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Texture
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predominantly melodic or harmonic
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Three Basic Textures
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1. Monophonic 2. Polyphonic 3. Homophonic
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Monophonic
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a single unaccompanied melodic line, whether sung or played by one or more musical instruments -all voices on the same pitch, singing the same material
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Polyphonic
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a composition that involves melody in more than one line simultaneously - 2 or more melodies being sung at the same time
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Round
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a melody that may be performed by two or more voices entering at different times this harmony is called: Polyphony
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Homophonic
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a melody accompanied by other voices that produce harmony and are not melodically significant
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Harmony has been essential element of most western music of the past...
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400 years
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An intentional and meaningful combination of three or more pitches is called a
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chord
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The most basic chord is called a
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triad
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In the tonal system no one pitch is perceived as dominant over another.
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FALSE - The word "tonality" refers to the dominance of the tonic note over the other pitches in the major or minor scale.
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A chord is a combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously and conceived as a meaningful whole.
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TRUE
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In major-minor tonality, the strongest relationship exists between the tonic triad and the dominant triad.
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TRUE
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Harmony in music is accomplished by the simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones.
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TRUE
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Two or more simultaneously sounding tones that evoke a sense of tension are referred to as consonant.
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FALSE - Two or more simultaneously sounding tones that evoke a sense of tension are referred to as dissonant.
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The texture of a single unaccompanied melodic line is called
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monophonic
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A composition that involves melody in more than one line simultaneously is called
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polyphonic
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The texture of a melody accompanied by other voices that are producing harmony (but are not primarily of melodic significance) is called
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homophonic
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The triad built on the fifth degree of the major or minor scale is called the
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dominant
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Timbre
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the quality of sound characteristic of a particular voice, instrument, or ensemble.
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Each instrument has its own
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timbre
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Dropping a binder on a hard floor vs. dropping a binder on a carpeted floor is an example of what?
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Different timbre
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Timbre is often referred to as the _____ of the tone.
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Color
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Synesthesia
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the phenomenon in which stimulation of one sense leads to an automatic in a secondary sense
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Women Voices
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1. Soprano - high 2. Mezzo-soprano - medium 3. Alto (contralto) - low
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Male Voices
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1. Tenor - high 2. Baritone - medium 3. Bass - low
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An orchestra or symphony orchestra is made up of four different "families" of instruments:
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1. strings 2. woodwinds 3. brass 4. percussion
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Strings
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Violin - highest Viola - medium Cello - low Double bass - lowest Harp * all are played using a bow except for the harp * all can be played while being plucked (pizzicato) or strummed
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Woodwinds
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Flute/piccolo - highest Oboe - medium Clarinet - low Bassoon - lowest Saxophone
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Brass
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French Horn - medium Trumpet - highest Trombone - low Tuba - lowest
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2 Classes of Percussion
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1. Pitched - timpani - gong -marimba -xylophone 2. Unhitched -cymbals -bass drums -snare drum
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Pitched percussion
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when you play an instrument, you get a specific pitch
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Keyboard instruments:
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Piano, harpsichord, organ, electronic synthesizer
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Harpsichord
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each string is plucked using a plectrum - shorter duration of pitch than that of the piano or organ
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PIANO
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- sound is produced by a hammer striking the string causing it to vibrate - falls in the Percussion family - replaced the Harpsichord because of an expanded range of dynamics
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3 Pedals of the Piano
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1. Damper Pedal- allows for sustained tones 2. Soft Pedal- softens the dynamic level 3. Middle Pedal- sustains selected pitches while others are released.
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Organ
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- largest of all instruments - greatest range of all instruments
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Pipe Organ
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- tones are produced when the key is depressed and wind is blown through the pipes - notes are held as long as there is wind going through the pipe - up to 5 manuals or keyboards, as well as a pedalboard (foot keyboard) - the performer adjusts levers and knobs, or stops, that affect the timbre or volume of the note
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MIDI
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(Musical Instrumental Digital Interface) - a system that allows composers to manage quantities and complex information
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Pizzicato
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plucking or strumming an instrument
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When you pull the stops out of an organ, it
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lets all of the music go...
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The characteristic timbre of a sound is determined by the voice or instrument that produces it.
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TRUE
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The symphony orchestra includes members of the woodwind family, the brass family, the percussion family, and the string family.
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TRUE
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Of the four instrumental family contained in the symphony orchestra, the brass family is the dominant family.
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FALSE - The string family dominates the orchestra.
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All percussion instruments produce definite pitches.
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FALSE - Some percussion instruments produce definite pitches, and other produce sounds of indefinite pitch.
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Even though the sound of the piano is produced by vibrating strings, it is technically classified as a percussion instrument.
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TRUE
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The pipe organ is known as the "king of instruments."
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TRUE
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The electronic synthesizer allows the composer to produce imitative, altered, or original sounds.
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TRUE
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Which of the following is NOT a member of the string family?
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bassoon
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An organist uses which of the following to change the timbre of the sound?
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stops
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Which of the following is NOT a member of the brass family?
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English horn
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Concert
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a combined or "concerted" effort of a large group
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Recital
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a performance by a soloist or a small ensemble in a smaller performing space
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Genre
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describes the type of musical piece, determined by instrumentation and form
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Form
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describes the organization or design of a specific piece (ex. ballad)
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Score
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the musical manuscript
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Concerto
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large ensemble, one soloist
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Program Music
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a piece of music that is based upon literary or extra-musical subject
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Musical
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a play with music (dialogue interspersed with singing)
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Opera
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a sung play (little to no dialogue)
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Dance
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the combination of expressive gestures and music
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Ballet
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formal type of dance that came to importance during the reign of Louis XIV, hence the french terminology
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Modern dance
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less formal and more varied dance steps
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Chamber music
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performed by a relatively small number of people *string quartet, wind quintet, octet, etc...
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Jazz
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- began in americas art music tradition - conceived as music for dance and popular entertainment
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Choral concerts
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- can be made up of men, women, or combined forces - can be combined with orchestras, bands, or other ensembles