Music Theory, Alla Breve Trivia Quiz

Answer: notes of the scale

Using "A, B, C" to name the notes of the musical scale is the system used in the English- and Dutch-speaking world. In German-speaking countries, the "B" is sometimes substituted with an "H".

The "do (or ut), re, mi" system is called solfčge, which has historically been used by most other countries of the world. Solfčge, also called solfeggio, is typically used in the USA to teach sight-singing; pianists, in contrast, tend to stick with the English system. The first scale that anyone studying piano and many other instruments will learn is the C major scale, C D E F G A B C (all natural, no accidentals -- that is, no sharps or flats). In Gregorian times, the "do" was "ut".

Answer: degrees of the scale

A musical scale is a group of notes ordered by pitch, and 'degree' refers to the position of the note in the scale. A C-major scale is C D E F G A B C. The tonic is C, and the supertonic is D (2nd degree, one degree above the dominant.) The dominant is G (fifth degree), the subdominant is F (4th degree, or one degree below the dominant). E is the mediant (the third degree) and is halfway between the tonic and dominant while A is the submediant (6th) and is halfway between the tonic (at the other end of the scale) and subdominant. Lastly, B is the leading tone (7th) as it leads you right back to the tonic (C).

In some texts, the Roman numerals have been used to indicate the degree of the scale: I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°. The case of the Roman numeral reflects the quality of the triad (three-note chord) that can be built on them; namely, the upper-case Roman numerals are major triads, and lower-case are minor, while the ° indicates a diminished triad.

Answer: modes or "church modes"

Mode describes the tonality. In the nineteenth century mode had narrowed to mean whether a piece was in a minor key or a major key, or whether a scale was major or minor. However, there is something called church modes, which are modern takes on the old church modes of Gregorian times. The church modes can be grouped together as the major modes (Ionian, Lydian, Mixolydian) and the minor modes (Aeolian, Dorian, Phrygian), plus the lone diminished mode (Locrian).

You can hear the Dorian mode by playing a scale of all white keys on the piano, from D to D. The sequence of whole and half steps is what defines the Dorian mode, which can be transposed to start any other note you choose. In the case of Dorian, the half steps occur between the 2nd and 3rd degrees, and the sixth and seventh degrees (the rest being whole steps). Jazz makes frequent use of the Mixolydian, in which the half steps occur between the 3rd and 4th degrees, and between the 6th and 7th. The Ionian is identical to the major scale and can be played on all white keys from C to C -- revealing the half steps to be between the 3rd and 4th degrees, and between the 7th and 8th degrees.

For the rest, you can hear the step pattern of the Phrygian mode playing all-white keys E to E; Lydian, F to F; Aeolian, A to A; and Locrian, B to B.

Answer: kinds of minor scales

The natural minor scale corresponds exactly to the Aeolian mode. If you play all natural or white keys on the piano from A to A, you have A-natural-minor, the half steps being between the 3rd and 4th degrees, and the 6th and 7th degrees. The natural minor shares the same key signature with its relative major, in this case C major. Now, for color and harmonics you can play that A natural scale and add a sharp to the leading tone (the G). Then you get a harmonic minor scale. This is actually the most-used form of the minor scale in Western music. Now in the melodic minor, raise the 6th and 7th tones a half step going up, then lower them going down.

There are other kinds of "exotic" minor scales that are less common, including the Hungarian minor scale, which raises the 4th and 7th degrees, and the Freygish scale, which is the Phrygian mode with the third degree raised half a step, used in Klezmer and Flamenco music.

Answer: intervals

An interval is the difference in pitch between two notes. When naming intervals, one generally uses a quality (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished) and a number or distance (the distance counting from the bottom to the top note). We'll start with distance. If you go from Middle C to D, that's a second, from Middle C to E is a third, etc. If the interval is a unison (1st), 4th, 5th, or octave (8th), using notes in the major scale, it is perfect.

For example C to G is a perfect 5th. You can make it an augmented or diminished 5th by making the second note G-sharp or G-flat. Seconds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths are either major or minor. C to D is a major second (it's a whole step). C to E is a major third (two whole steps); if you change it to E-flat, it's a minor third.

There's a lot more, but those are the basics.

Answer: chord qualities

This is best explained by example. The C-Major scale is C D E F G A B C. Now, a C-major triad would be C-E-G played simultaneously. (This is also called the tonic triad since C is the tonic [1st] degree of the scale, and it can be notated with Roman numeral I). Change the E to an E-flat, and it is now a C-minor chord. In simple terms, the major chord will sound "happy" or "sanguine" and the minor chord will sound "sad" or "melancholic". If you flatten both the E and the G, you have a diminished chord.

The dominant degree (5th degree) of the C-Major scale is G. The dominant (V) triad is G-B-D. If you play G-B-D-F, you have a Dominant Seventh (V7) chord; Notice the F is natural as it would be in the C-Major scale, rather than sharped as in G-Major scale. In a Dominant Seventh chord (V7), you are putting a seventh (the interval from G to F) on top of the dominant triad (V) of a major scale. This chord produces tension and wants to resolve to the tonic chord, the C-Major triad. Now flatten the B, and it's a Minor Seventh chord, which sounds moodier. Flatten both the B and D, and you have a Half-Diminished Seventh. Flatten the F (which on a piano would be E-natural) as well as the B and D, and you have a Fully-Diminished Seventh, also just called Diminished Seventh in some texts. (Another to way describe it is that all the intervals are minor thirds.)

There are other chord qualities (Major Seventh, Suspended, etc.) but that's enough to get you started!

Answer: time signatures

Time signatures indicate the meter (the rhythmic pattern and shape) of music. In U.S. terminology, the upper number indicates the number of beats per measure, while the lower number indicates which note takes the beat. In 4/4 time, there are four beats to a measure, and the quarter note takes the beat.

Another name for 4/4 time is 'common time'; 2/2 time, where the half note takes the beat with two beats per measure, is called 'cut time' or 'alla breve'. Generally this is used in marches; in modern times the term 'alla breve' has also been used as a tempo mark to indicate playing twice as fast as normal, or at least at a fairly brisk tempo.

Answer: note durations

A whole note (semibreve) is written as a hollow oval note head and no note stem. It has the duration of four quarter notes. In common time, it would be held for four beats. A half note (minim), a hollow oval with a stem, has the duration of two quarter notes.

A quarter note is written as a filled oval with a stem. Two eighth notes equal the duration of a quarter note. To draw an eighth note, add a flag to the stem of a quarter note. If you put a dot in front of a note, you increase its duration by half. So a dotted half note in common time would be three beats (instead of the usual two for a half note), while a dotted quarter note would be one-and-a-half beats.

Answer: dynamic markings

Dynamic markings indicate the loudness and softness, and the variations of these between notes and phrases. "Piano" (represented with p) means soft; "forte" (represented with f) means loud. If you see "ff" then you play 'fortissimo' or "very loud". "Mezzo-piano" is "moderately soft". If you see 'pił p' that means "softer" than previous measures. Those are terraced dynamics and indicate sudden changes. For gradual dynamic changes, you have 'crescendo', which indicates "growing louder", while 'decrescendo' and 'diminuendo' indicate "growing softer". 'Sforzando' ('sfz') means to accent very forcefully.

Answer: tempo markings

Some tempo markings indicate the overall tempo at which a piece or section is played. 'Allegro' is a brisk, lively tempo, while 'allegretto' is a little slower than that. 'Presto' is very quick, while 'largo' is very slow. 'Andante' is sort of a walking pace, 'andantino' being a tad faster.

Some tempo marks, or expressive marks, indicate variation or change of tempo. 'Ritardando' and 'rallentando' refer to slowing down, while 'accelerando' indicates speeding up. 'Pił mosso' means to give just a little more movement or speed. 'Rubato' indicates the musician may freely adjust tempo for expressive effect (literally meaning time from one beat is "robbed" for another).