WorksheetsSubject specific vocabulary
Total questions: 100
Worksheet time: 50mins
Which term is defined as: 'A 12-bar blues progression is composed of three four-bar phrases, whilst a 16-bar blues progression is composed of four four-bar phrases. The chords are based on I, IV and V (e.g. jazz, rock, R&B etc).'
12 or 16 bar blues
Pentatonic scale
Syncopation
Walking bass
Which term is defined as: 'The performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. In DJing, this refers to vocal-only tracks.'?
A cappella
Harmony
Remix
Instrumental
Which term is defined as: 'Pieces written with an instrumental or vocal part designed to support or complement the melody.'?
Accompaniment
Harmony
Cadence
Motif
Which term is defined as: 'A note or sequence of notes which precede the first strong beat of a musical phrase, particularly at the start of a piece.'?
Anacrusis
Coda
Cadence
Ostinato
Which term is defined as: 'A vocal piece that has special importance for a particular group of people or a country, often performed on a special occasion (e.g. Coronation anthems).'?
Anthem
Ballad
Sonata
Cantata
Which term is defined as: 'A musical texture in which the musical ideas are passed between different groups of instruments or voices.'?
Antiphony
Monophony
Homophony
Polyphony
Which term is defined as: 'Diagrams, screenshots and written notes showing how the piece was composed, including aspects such as the use of instruments, harmonies, key etc.'?
Annotation
Improvisation
Performance
Orchestration
Which term is defined as: 'A structure of contrasting sections in the form A-B-C-B-A.'?
Arch-shape
Rondo
Binary
Strophic
Which term is defined as: 'An instruction given to string players to use the bow.'?
Arco
Pizzicato
Col legno
Sul ponticello
Which term is defined as: 'Specified genres, styles and traditions of music that must be studied.'?
Areas of study
Music notation
Performance practice
Improvisation
A composition for solo voice, usually contained within a larger musical work and which may be accompanied by instruments or a full orchestra (e.g. oratorios, operas). An _____ is usually sung after a recitative.
Aria
Sonata
Fugue
Chorale
A type of broken chord in which the notes that compose a chord are played or sung in an ascending or descending order (e.g. an ascending _____ of a C major chord is C, E and G).
Arpeggio
Glissando
Staccato
Legato
The effect on how the note is played (e.g. phrase mark, staccato, slur, accent and legato etc.) is called _____
Articulation
Dynamics
Tempo
Pitch
Music composed without a key or tonal centre is called _____
Atonal
Modal
Polyphonic
Homophonic
Sound recording of students’ final performances is called _____
Audio recording
Video recording
Script writing
Stage lighting
A compositional device where the time values of the notes of a melody can be lengthened, or the interval between two notes can be widened (e.g. _____ 4th).
Augmentation
Diminution
Syncopation
Inversion
_____ imitates the effect of doubling voices or instruments using double tracking, without the need for a musician to overdub their part (they perform their part only once).
Automated double tracking (ADT)
Flanging
Reverb
Compression
The relative volume levels between voices and/or instruments to achieve clarity of recording, as used in music production, is called _____
Balance
Tempo
Reverb
Compression
A strong rhythmic accent on the second and fourth beats of a bar of a piece in 4/4 time, used especially in jazz and popular music, is called _____?
Backbeat
Downbeat
Syncopation
Ostinato
A male voice with a range midway between tenor and bass is called _____
Baritone
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Using your voice to produce musical and rhythmic sounds (e.g. drum beats, hi-hat or cymbal noises, brass effects etc.) is called _____
Beatboxing
Yodelling
Scatting
Humming
Fill in the blank: The structure of a piece of music which is divided into two different sections. It is usually written as an AABB or AB form is called _______.
Binary
Ternary
Rondo
Sonata
Fill in the blank: A six-note minor pentatonic scale with the addition of a flattened fifth (e.g., a blues scale in C minor includes the notes C, E♭, F, G♭, G and B♭) is called a _______.
Blues scale
Major scale
Dorian scale
Harmonic minor scale
Fill in the blank: A flattened note (lowered in tone by a semitone), usually the third or seventh, used especially in blues music, is called a _______.
Blues note
Major chord
Sharp note
Natural note
Fill in the blank: The term that stands for 'beats per minute' and is used for measuring the tempo of a piece of music is _______.
BPM
Hz
dB
RPM
Fill in the blank: A short instrumental solo, often improvised and used in pop and jazz, is called a _______.
Break
Verse
Chorus
Bridge
Fill in the blank: A pair of chords in which the harmony marks the end of a musical statement (e.g., perfect, plagal, interrupted and imperfect) is called a _______.
Cadence
Interval
Scale
Motif
Fill in the blank: A passage usually towards the end of a solo piece, where a soloist plays an elaborate flourish or showy solo passage in a skilled way, is called a _______.
Cadenza
Sonata
Prelude
Fugue
Fill in the blank: A feature of instrumental and vocal music where the leader plays or sings a melody and the rest of the group plays or sings in response is called _______.
Call and response
Canon
Fugue
Ostinato
Fill in the blank: A musical texture in which a melody is played and then imitated (one or more times) after a short delay in another part is called a _______.
Canon
Fugue
Sonata
Chorale
Fill in the blank: A social gathering with music and dancing that is associated with Celtic folk music is called a _______.
Ceilidh
Tango
Opera
Fiesta
Fill in the blank: A musical ensemble of people who sing together. Different types of these include mixed, male, female, and a cappella choirs.
Choir
Band
Orchestra
Quartet
What is the meaning of the term 'Chord'?
The simultaneous sounding of two or more notes.
A musical instrument used in orchestras.
A type of musical scale.
A technique for tuning instruments.
What are 'Chord symbols' used for?
Specific symbols used to represent chords on musical notation (e.g. C7).
Symbols used to indicate tempo changes in music.
Marks that show the dynamics (loudness or softness) of a piece.
Signs that represent the key signature of a song.
What does 'Chorus' mean in music?
In Pop music, this is a repeated refrain in a verse-chorus structure. In Classical music, it refers to a large group of singers in a choral work or opera.
A solo instrumental section in a symphony.
A type of musical instrument used in orchestras.
A fast-paced dance movement in a suite.
What does 'Chromatic' mean in music?
Chromatic notes do not belong to the key of the music (i.e. they are not in the key signature) and are usually evident in the melody and/or harmony parts.
Chromatic notes are always played louder than other notes in the key.
Chromatic refers to music that is played only using black keys on the piano.
Chromatic means the music is played at a very fast tempo.
What is 'Clave' in music?
A name of an instrument and the name of a rhythm (called ‘son clave’) used in Cuban popular music. The latter is a repeating two bar pattern, where the first bar has three accented beats and the second bar has two accented beats.
A type of musical scale used in Indian classical music.
A traditional Japanese string instrument.
A style of singing in Gregorian chants.
What are 'Compatible tracks' in DJing?
Tracks of music that work well together in DJing (e.g. harmony, key, tempo etc).
Tracks that are from the same artist only.
Tracks that have the same lyrics.
Tracks that are always played at the same volume.
What is 'Compound time' in music?
A metre in which the main beat can be subdivided into three. The opposite is simple time.
A musical term for playing notes softly.
A type of musical instrument used in orchestras.
A style of music characterised by fast tempos.
What does 'Composing' mean in music?
Composing is the process of making or forming a piece of music by combining the parts, or elements of music. This could include notation, instrumentation, orchestration, musical montage and sound production.
Composing is the act of listening to music and identifying the instruments used.
Composing is the process of teaching music theory to students.
Composing is the act of performing a piece of music in front of an audience.
What is a 'Composing log'?
Record of how a composition has been developed.
A list of musical instruments used in a performance.
A diary of famous composers.
A log of concert ticket sales.
What does 'Composition to a brief' mean?
Composition produced in response to an AQA externally set brief.
A composition that is improvised on the spot.
A composition that is only performed live.
Composition created without any guidelines.
What does 'Conjunct' mean in music?
A melody that moves by step.
A melody that moves by leap.
A type of musical instrument.
A type of musical scale.
What does 'Con sordino' mean?
Played with a mute on the instrument.
Played very loudly.
Played with the bow.
Played with the fingers.
What is the term for making critical judgements about a piece of music by analysing, evaluating and comparing musical styles and genres in relation to the period in which it was written?
Contextual understanding
Melodic improvisation
Technical execution
Aural perception
What musical style involves intertwining two or more independent melodies, similar to polyphony?
Contrapuntal
Homophonic
Monophonic
Atonal
What is the term for notes that sound ‘pleasing’ when played together at the same time (e.g., 3rds and 6ths)?
Consonant
Dissonant
Chromatic
Atonal
What is the name of the accompanying part in Baroque music that includes a bassline and harmonies, typically played on a keyboard instrument and supported by a bass instrument?
Continuo
Fugue
Sonata
Aria
What is the term for musical terms and concepts such as melody, accompaniment, and tonality?
Conventions
Dynamics
Improvisations
Textures
What is a secondary melody that is sung or played in counterpoint with the original melody called?
Countermelody
Harmony
Ostinato
Canon
What is the effect produced when two or more conflicting rhythms are heard together (e.g., two eighth notes played against triplet eighth notes)?
Cross rhythm
Syncopation
Polyrhythm
Ostinato
What type of structure in music involves a theme being heard, sometimes in a varied form, in more than one movement?
Cyclic
Binary
Strophic
Rondo
What is the name of the time effect that postpones the sound from playing for a number of milliseconds?
Delay
Reverb
Distortion
Chorus
What is the term for a technique used for achieving a particular artistic effect, which can include harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic devices such as ostinato, melisma, syncopation, and pedal notes?
Devices
Genres
Movements
Instruments
What term refers to chords or notes which exist within a given key in Western music?
Diatonic
Chromatic
Atonal
Modal
What is the term for reducing the length or value of a note in music?
Diminution
Augmentation
Syncopation
Staccato
A compositional device where the time values of the notes of a melody can be shortened, or the interval between two notes can be reduced (e.g. diminished 5th) is called _______.
Diminution
Augmentation
Modulation
Inversion
Sometimes called ‘direct input transformer’, this refers to recording or playing directly into a mixing desk or computer without the use of an amplifier. What is this called?
Direct Input (DI)
Line Out
Aux Send
Speaker Out
A melody that moves in leaps using larger intervals than a 2nd is called _______.
Disjunct
Conjunct
Legato
Staccato
Notes that sound harsh or unpleasant when played together at the same time (e.g. augmented 4th) are called _______ notes.
Dissonant
Consonant
Harmonic
Melodic
Distortion and overdrive are sounds created to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments (e.g. electric guitars). What is this effect called?
Distortion
Reverb
Chorus
Flanger
Using turntables to manipulate tracks and demonstrate an understanding and a range of techniques specific to DJing is called being a _______.
DJ
Producer
Vocalist
Dancer
A term used to describe the fifth note of any diatonic major or minor scale (e.g. G in C major) or the fifth triad, the chord built in thirds from the fifth note (e.g. G-B-D in C major) is called the _______.
Dominant
Subdominant
Tonic
Mediant
A term used to describe a chord built on the fifth note of any major or minor diatonic scale and including the root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh (e.g. G-B-D-F in C major). In roman numerals it is written as V7. What is this chord called?
Dominant 7th
Major 7th
Minor 7th
Diminished 7th
The process of recording two different performances of the same material to thicken a musical line is called _______.
Double tracking
Overdubbing
Reverb layering
Phase shifting
Two or three notes played together at the same time on a string instrument is called _______.
Double and triple stopping
Pizzicato
Vibrato
Glissando
A harmonic effect or accompaniment where two notes are continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece is called a _______.
Drone
Cadence
Ostinato
Arpeggio
Used to describe the volume or changes in volume in a piece of music (e.g. such as loud (f) or soft (p)), in a piece of music. What is this called?
Dynamics
Tempo
Melody
Harmony
______ is a type of reverb in which a sound is repeated.
Echo
Chorus
Flanger
Distortion
What is the term for these ways of changing sound?
Effects
Instruments
Notes
Beats
What is the term for this?
Enharmonic
Diatonic
Chromatic
Pentatonic
A group performance of two or more musicians (including DJing) is called an ______.
Ensemble
Solo
Duet
Recital
A short extract from a piece of music is called an ______.
Excerpt
Sonata
Concerto
Symphony
Representing in music a feeling, idea or situation using, for example, dynamics, tonality, articulation. What is this called?
Expression
Notation
Improvisation
Harmony
EQ: EQ is short for ______. It is the lessening or boosting of different frequencies to add more bass or treble to a musical track.
equalisation
emulation
equator
equilibrium
Falsetto: Male singing in a high register, the same range as an alto or soprano voice, is called ______.
Falsetto
Baritone
Tenor
Bass
Fusion: A fusion genre is music that combines two or more ______.
styles
instruments
languages
tempos
Free composition: Composition composed freely from a student's own idea is called a ______.
Free composition
Guided composition
Dictation
Summary
Fugue: A contrapuntal composition in two or more voices, built on a theme that is introduced at the beginning and used in imitation throughout the composition, is called a ______.
Fugue
Sonata
Canon
Suite
A category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions (e.g. jazz, hip hop, folk, rock, etc) is called a ______.
Genre
Melody
Tempo
Chord
What is the definition of 'Glissando'?
A pitch sliding from one note to another, including all the chromatic notes in between. In music notation, a line between the two notes will be added.
A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes.
A musical ornament consisting of a rapid succession of notes.
A technique where a note is held for its full value.
What is the definition of 'Ground Bass'?
A short theme played in the bass which constantly repeats with changing harmonies.
A rapid scale passage played in the treble clef.
A melody that is sung without instrumental accompaniment.
A type of drum pattern used in jazz music.
What is the definition of 'Grove'?
Refers to a rhythm that deviates from the straight beat of the music (eg funk, rock, swing, fusion etc).
A type of musical instrument used in orchestras.
A technique for tuning string instruments.
A style of vocal performance in opera.
What is the definition of 'Guide recording'?
A recognised recording submitted in place of a score.
A live performance recorded for archival purposes.
A rehearsal session recorded for practice.
A demo track used for promotional purposes.
What is the definition of 'Hammer-on'?
A technique guitarists use where the finger is ‘hammered’ on a fretboard, causing a note to sound.
A type of guitar used for heavy metal music.
A musical term for playing notes softly.
A device used to tune a guitar.
What is the definition of 'Harmony'?
A combination of simultaneous sounds including chords, accompaniment and counterpoint that can support a melody.
A single unaccompanied melody line.
A rapid alternation between two notes.
A gradual increase in loudness.
What is the definition of 'Hemiola'?
A musical figure in which two groups of three beats are replaced by three groups of two beats, giving the effect of a shift between triple and duple metre.
A rapid alternation between two notes that are a whole tone apart.
A technique where a melody is played backwards.
A musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between a note and the note above.
What is the definition of 'Heterophonic/heterophony'?
A musical texture in which two identical melodies are played simultaneously, but one is a decoration of the other.
A musical texture in which a single melody is performed without accompaniment.
A musical texture in which two or more independent melodies are played simultaneously.
A musical texture in which a melody is supported by chords.
What is the definition of 'Hook'?
A short melodic phrase used to catch the listener’s attention and make a song memorable (eg ‘Call Me Maybe’ by Carly Rae Jepsen).
A type of musical instrument used in orchestras.
A section of a song where the tempo slows down dramatically.
A device used to record music in a studio.
What is the definition of 'Homophonic/homophony'?
A musical texture that is chordal.
A musical form with repeated sections.
A type of scale used in jazz music.
A technique for tuning string instruments.
What is the definition of 'Improvisation'?
The spontaneous and creative performance of musical ideas.
A strict adherence to written musical scores.
The repetition of a musical phrase without variation.
The use of electronic devices to alter sound.
What is the definition of 'Imitation/imitative'?
A compositional device where a melody is played or sung and then repeated/copied in a different instrument/voice.
A technique where music is played only once and never repeated.
A method of composing where only percussion instruments are used.
A style of music that uses only electronic sounds.
Fill in the blank: Music composed for or performed by instrumentalists is called ________.
Instrumental
Vocal
Electronic
Choral
Fill in the blank: The mood and style of music using musical elements and techniques (e.g., phrasing, dynamics) is called ________.
Interpretation
Notation
Tempo
Harmony
Fill in the blank: The distance between two notes sounded simultaneously together or one after another is called an ________.
Interval
Chord
Scale
Melody
Fill in the blank: The accuracy of pitch in playing or singing is called ________.
Intonation
Rhythm
Dynamics
Timbre
Fill in the blank: The introductory section before the main section, often used in pop music, is called the ________.
Intro
Bridge
Chorus
Verse
Fill in the blank: The word ________ has different meanings. An inverted melody is a melody turned upside-down. An inverted chord is a chord which has a note other than its root note in the bass note.
Inversion
Progression
Cadence
Resolution
Fill in the blank: The scale on which the piece is based (e.g., G major) is called the ________.
Key
Chord
Tempo
Melody
Fill in the blank: A term referring to layers of sound within a piece of music and mostly used in association with texture (e.g., used in polyphony, melody and accompaniment etc) is called ________.
Layering
Dynamics
Tempo
Harmony
