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Easy Piano Quiz for Dummies

I'm hoping this will be easy for everyone who has ever played the piano, and not too hard for those who haven't played. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by cannedcorn. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
cannedcorn

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
151,757

Updated
Jan 10 23

# Qns
20

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
15 / 20

Plays
5867

Last 3 plays: Guest 70 (0/20), Guest 172 (8/20), Guest 41 (7/20).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 20

1. The standard piano has 120 keys.

True

False

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Question 2 of 20

2. The black keys are used to play: Hint

vibrato

sharps and flats

sustained notes

baseball

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Question 3 of 20

3. On an organ, some notes are played with the feet. Similarly, on the piano, the pedals are used to play very low notes.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 4 of 20

4. This famous Hungarian composer was a very showy piano player, and is known for being the first to play a concert by memory. Roger Daltry played him in a movie loosely based on his life. Hint

Chopin

Liszt

Beethoven

Bach

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Question 5 of 20

5. Sound on the piano is produced when ______ hit the strings. Hint

keys

dampers

fingers

hammers

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Question 6 of 20

6. What were the keys of a piano originally made from? Hint

stone and bone

plastic and bone

ebony and ivory

sugar and spice

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Question 7 of 20

7. His famous piano sonatas include the "Moonlight Sonata" and the "Pathetique". Hint

Beethoven

Bach

Mozart

Handel

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Question 8 of 20

8. We all know that the full name of the piano is the "Pianoforte." What does this name mean? Hint

Hammerkeys

Loudsoft

Softloud

Hammerstrings

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Question 9 of 20

9. Which of these famous jazz musicians was best known as a pianist? Hint

Thelonious Monk

Dizzy Gillespie

Charlie Parker

Benny Goodman

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Question 10 of 20

10. When reading music for the piano, the music will generally be written in the bass and treble clefs.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 11 of 20

11. The first song a person learns to play on the piano is usually in this key, which has no sharps or flats in its key signature. Hint

e-flat minor

A major

D major

C major

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Question 12 of 20

12. Name this famous classical pianist. He was Canadian, born in 1932, lived in Toronto and was famously eccentric. A movie was made about him, called "Thirty-Two Short Films About _____."

Answer: (Two Words, both words begin with G)

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Question 13 of 20

13. If you're going to see a piano concerto performed at the symphony, what type of piano is the pianist most likely to play? Hint

Concert Grand

Upright

Baby Grand

Apartment-size

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Question 14 of 20

14. What famous piano making company did Engleherd Steinweg found? Hint

Steinway

Williams and Sons

Yamaha

Roland

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Question 15 of 20

15. Is it important to tune your piano, or to have it tuned for you?

Yes

NEXT>

Question 16 of 20

16. Can the piano be considered to be a percussion instrument?

Yes

17. Okay here's a tougher one. You're playing the piano. You play a white key. There's a black key to the right of this key, but not to the left of it. If the key signature tells you to play this note as a flat, you would play an E natural. What root note are you playing? Hint

E-flat

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Question 18 of 20

18. In regards to pianos, what did Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush have in common? Hint

they are the only presidents who owned pianos

they both owned gold plated Steinway Grands

they were both virtuoso pianists

they did not own pianos while in the White House

NEXT>

Question 19 of 20

19. It is rumoured that Mozart once composed a piece that required the player to use both hands and his/her nose.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 20 of 20

20. It's a good idea to have very long fingernails if you're going to play a piano recital.

Yes

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The standard piano has 120 keys.

Answer: False

No no no - it has 88 keys! However, some smaller pianos have been built with fewer keys, and the Bosendorfer Imperial Concert Grand is built with nine extra keys. On a standard piano, the lowest note is an A, the highest a C, and the exact middle falls between the E and F above middle C.

2. The black keys are used to play:

Answer: sharps and flats

The key signature will determine how many sharps or flats you will encounter in a piece.

3. On an organ, some notes are played with the feet. Similarly, on the piano, the pedals are used to play very low notes.

Answer: False

The pedals are used to sustain notes, or to make the piano play more softly. The action of the pedals varies depending on the model of piano, but the results are generally the same - sustained or softer playing depending upon which pedal is depressed.

4. This famous Hungarian composer was a very showy piano player, and is known for being the first to play a concert by memory. Roger Daltry played him in a movie loosely based on his life.

Answer: Liszt

Born in 1811, he has long been considered the greatest piano player of all time. He was somewhat of an idol among the aristocracy. Towards the end of his life, Liszt became an abbe, devoting his life to the church. The Roger Daltry film is called "Lisztomania," and is a very odd film indeed.

5. Sound on the piano is produced when ______ hit the strings.

Answer: hammers

When a key is depressed, it activates the hammer, causing it to hit the strings, which vibrate, producing sound. (This, of course, is a very simplified version of the production of sound in the piano.) The piano contains around 7500 parts, each of which plays a role in getting the hammers to hit the strings, and then to pop back up again quickly.

6. What were the keys of a piano originally made from?

Answer: ebony and ivory

Due to bans on the importation of ivory, and the expense and rarity of ebony, keys now are mostly made from plastic. Plastic has been used since around the 1950s.

7. His famous piano sonatas include the "Moonlight Sonata" and the "Pathetique".

Answer: Beethoven

These are some of the best loved piano pieces of all time.

8. We all know that the full name of the piano is the "Pianoforte." What does this name mean?

Answer: Softloud

It was given this name because, unlike the harpsichord and other similar instruments of the time, the pianoforte could play, as the name suggests, both loudly and softly. This name was given to the piano by its inventor, Bartolomeo Cristoforti, who built the first practical piano in the 1700s.

9. Which of these famous jazz musicians was best known as a pianist?

Answer: Thelonious Monk

Parker played the saxophone, Gillespie the trumpet and Goodman the clarinet. Monk was an eccentric fellow, and can often be heard humming along to the music on such famous songs as "Tinkle Trinkle" and "Straight No Chaser."

10. When reading music for the piano, the music will generally be written in the bass and treble clefs.

Answer: True

The left hand usually plays the notes written in the bass clef and and right hand usually plays those in the treble clef.

11. The first song a person learns to play on the piano is usually in this key, which has no sharps or flats in its key signature.

Answer: C major

The first song I learned on the piano was called "Stepping Up" and basically featured a five note scale from C to G.

12. Name this famous classical pianist. He was Canadian, born in 1932, lived in Toronto and was famously eccentric. A movie was made about him, called "Thirty-Two Short Films About _____."

Answer: Glenn Gould

Like Thelonious Monk, Gould can be heard humming along on his recordings. Perhaps this is the mark of a great pianist? Perhaps his most famous recording one he did of J. S. Bach's "Goldberg Variations."

13. If you're going to see a piano concerto performed at the symphony, what type of piano is the pianist most likely to play?

Answer: Concert Grand

The Grand piano is the largest of all pianos and has the richest sound. A Grand Piano is one that is 8'11" or longer. The model D Steinway Grand weighs over 1400 pounds, and the average concert grand contains over thirty tons of total string tension. You've got to have a big instrument to handle that!

14. What famous piano making company did Engleherd Steinweg found?

Answer: Steinway

He Anglicized the name in 1850. Steinway is perhaps the best known piano manufacturer.

15. Is it important to tune your piano, or to have it tuned for you?

Answer: Yes

Aside from the fact that an untuned piano sounds terrible, even the slightest changes in pitch can result in a huge change in string tension, which can have all sorts of consequences for the instrument. Keep your pianos tuned!

16. Can the piano be considered to be a percussion instrument?

Answer: yes

Although the piano contains around 230 strings, it is considered a percussion instrument. Thus, it lives in the same family as drums and xylophones.

Answer: F

Similarly, if you were asked to play a C-flat, you would press the key for B natural.

18. In regards to pianos, what did Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush have in common?

Answer: they did not own pianos while in the White House

The information regarding this question was published pre-George W. Bush, so I don't know if he's got a piano in the White House. Prior to the year 2000, Ford and Bush Sr. were the only American presidents not to own pianos while in the White House.

19. It is rumoured that Mozart once composed a piece that required the player to use both hands and his/her nose.

Answer: True

Apparently Mozart and Haydn were having a contest to see who could write the most difficult piece. Mozart won, playing a piece that ended with five Cs. Of course, this is impossible to play with only two hands, so Mozart played the middle of the five Cs with his nose. I can't find the name of the piece, although I've found this information on several websites. Perhaps this is an internet legend?

20. It's a good idea to have very long fingernails if you're going to play a piano recital.

Answer: No

Long fingernails can make your fingers slip on the keys and also cause an annoying "clicking" sound, among other problems. Keep your nails short if you play the piano.

Source: Author cannedcorn

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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