Music Basics for Kids Trivia Quiz

Answer: Woodwind

This instrument isn't a horn at all. It's a member of the oboe family. It's pitched a fifth lower than the oboe and is larger. The English horn, as well as the oboe, evolved from the shawm, an instrument played during the Middle Ages.

Answer: Flute

Not all woodwind instruments are made of wood. The flute and saxophone are good examples. When playing a brass instrument like the trumpet, the sound that's produced comes from vibrating the lips. Not so with a flute. Sound is produced by blowing air over the embouchure hole.

Other wind instruments, like the clarinet, are played using a single reed or, in the case of the bassoon, two reeds.

Answer: 4/4

In 4/4 time, the quarter note gets the beat. There are four beats to a measure. Sometimes common time is represented by a C instead of numbers. C with a line through it means the time signature is 2/2, or cut time. In other words, the half note gets the beat and there are two beats to each measure.

Answer: The instrument itself

The word "acoustic" relates to sound and its properties. The sound from an acoustic guitar comes from the vibration of the strings which in turn causes the soundboard to vibrate and produce sounds. Electric guitars use a pickup, or electromagnetic device built into the instrument, that amplifies the sound of the string vibrations through loudspeakers.

Answer: Hold the note longer than the time value

How long the note is held is left up to the player. In Italian, the word "to stop" is 'fermare' which comes from the Latin word 'firmare' which means "make firm."

Answer: Conductor

The job of conductor looks easy but it's harder than it looks. Conductors keep a musical group together. For example, when violins are playing a musical passage in an orchestral work, it's critical that they keep time with each other, starting and stopping together. Conductors must know a score inside and out and interpret the score in such a way that audiences will enjoy the musical experience.

Answer: Organ

The organ is centuries old. There are different types of organs. Reed, pipe, electric, and chord organs have all been played at one time or another. Organs are not just played in churches. They have been a part of baseball games since the early 1940s. Rock bands have been known to use pipe organs along with synthesizers to enhance a particular sound.

Answer: Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is also known as a double bassoon. It's pitched an octave lower than written. It also looks different from the bassoon. It coils around like a snake whereas the bassoon is upright. It also rests on a peg. Large reeds and blades cause the vibrations needed to produce sounds in the lowest register.

Answer: Lochian

Mode refers to a type of scale where notes are arranged by whole steps and half-steps within an octave. There are seven musical modes. The major scale is known as Ionian and the natural minor scale is known as Aeolian.

Answer: Three

Generally the pattern of the three movements follows fast, slow, fast. Concertos feature a soloist accompanied by an orchestra. Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" is an example of a well-known concerto.