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Simple Music Theory Trivia Quiz

I spent several years in my teens learning to play the piano. This quiz will target the basic stuff that I learned.

A multiple-choice quiz by ozzz2002. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
ozzz2002

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
394,072

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
419

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

Last 3 plays: Guest 50 (10/10), MacaroniTree (9/10), Guest 5 (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Most notations for piano music are in Italian, and that even includes the word 'piano' itself. What does 'piano' translate to in English? Hint

Soft

Keyboard

Music

Orchestra

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Question 2 of 10

2. Most pianos have 88 keys, with 52 white and 36 black notes. What is the interval between a white key and the adjacent black one called? Hint

Chord

Octave

Pizzicato

Semitone

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Question 3 of 10

3. One of the more basic exercises on a piano was playing scales, and there are several different types. What would be the first scale that a new pianist would learn? Hint

Chopsticks scale

A Minor

C Major

2-handed chromatic

4. The first note learned is usually Middle C (technically known as C4). It is located in the centre of a keyboard. Notes to the right-hand side of this key are called 'treble notes', but what are the notes to the left called? Hint

Low notes

Deep notes

Bass notes

Presto notes

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Question 5 of 10

5. Tone is one aspect of a piano piece, but there are several others. What term is used for the speed that a tune is played at? Hint

Diminuendo

Tempo

Wavelength

Ragtime

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Question 6 of 10

6. Loudness is another variable when playing a piano. Which of these symbols would be used to instruct you to play very loudly? Hint

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Question 7 of 10

7. Not all musical instructions are indicated by letters or words, with a whole range of symbols being used, too. If you see a sign that looks like a long 'V' turned on its side, with the opening facing right, what would you do? Hint

Gradually decrease the tempo

Gradually play softer

Gradually play louder

Gradually increase the tempo

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Question 8 of 10

8. Every white note on a piano keyboard is named and denoted by one of the first seven letters of the alphabet. The dark notes are also named, relative to the nearest white note(s). What two words are used to denote black notes? Hint

Crotchets and quavers

Ups and downs

Sharps and flats

Xs and Ys

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Question 9 of 10

9. The length of each individual note also has its own set of words and symbols, too. Playing a key or set of keys quickly or slowly will define a whole tune. Which of these is the 'whole note', meaning that it is held for a whole bar in common time? Hint

Semiquaver

Rest

Minim

Semibreve

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Question 10 of 10

10. What term is used for a set of notes (2 or more), played together? Hint

Chord

Secant

Tangent

Radius

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Most notations for piano music are in Italian, and that even includes the word 'piano' itself. What does 'piano' translate to in English?

Answer: Soft

When Bartolomeo Cristofori built his first instrument in 1700, he named it 'un cimbalo di cipresso di piano e forte' which is quite a mouthful. The literal translation was 'a keyboard of cypress with soft and loud', which was shortened to 'pianoforte', or 'soft-loud'.

2. Most pianos have 88 keys, with 52 white and 36 black notes. What is the interval between a white key and the adjacent black one called?

Answer: Semitone

A semitone can also be called a 'half-tone'. An octave is an interval of eight full tones (or 13 semitones), and a chord is a group of notes played at the same time. Pianos cannot be played 'pizzicato'- that term means to pluck the strings on a violin.

3. One of the more basic exercises on a piano was playing scales, and there are several different types. What would be the first scale that a new pianist would learn?

Answer: C Major

Major scales are named for their starting note and cover an whole octave. The C-major scale is played on the eight white notes only, and consists of the pattern C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. Minor scales are similar, but start in the middle of a major scale. They sound a bit discordant compared to their major counterparts.

A chromatic scale plays every note in an octave, a total of 13 (eight white and five black keys).

'Chopsticks' is a simple composition written in 1877, and one of the first actual tunes learned by beginners.

Answer: Bass notes

The further to the left you go, the deeper in tone the sound becomes. The reason is that the strings in the workings of the piano become thicker, producing a lower frequency, and therefore a lower-sounding tone.

5. Tone is one aspect of a piano piece, but there are several others. What term is used for the speed that a tune is played at?

Answer: Tempo

'Tempo' is Italian and simply means 'time'. There are many words used to measure tempo, but all relate back to BPM (the number of Beats Per Minute). Older sheet music would have a number near the start defining the BPM, but some of the more descriptive terms include 'lento' (slowly, about 45 BPM), 'andante' (walking pace, 80 BPM), up to prestissimo (very fast, over 200 BPM).

6. Loudness is another variable when playing a piano. Which of these symbols would be used to instruct you to play very loudly?

Answer: ff

'ff' means 'fortissimo', or 'very loud'. 'pp' is the exact opposite and means 'very soft' (pianissimo). The other answers are figments of my imagination.

Answer: Gradually play louder

This symbol is called 'crescendo' (Italian for 'increasing'). The rate of increase depends on the length of the symbol.

Answer: Sharps and flats

For example, the black notes on either side of the D note are known as 'D sharp', or D# and 'D flat' (Db). The symbol for a flat looks similar to a lower-case letter-b. Playing a sharp or a flat increases or decreases the note by a semitone.

Xs and Ys are used to refer to chromosomes, and are not used in musical terminology!

Answer: Semibreve

The semibreve is represented on a musical score by a hollow oval, and counts as a full bar in 4/4 time. A minim is half the length of a semibreve, and its symbol is a hollow oval with a vertical line attached. There are 16 semiquavers in a semibreve and is a solid oval with a tail AND two flags. They are played very quickly.

A 'rest' can be any length (eg, a quaver rest'), and denotes a period of silence.

10. What term is used for a set of notes (2 or more), played together?

Answer: Chord

Chords turn simple tunes into music! The size of the chord is only limited by the number of fingers that the player has, but are usually a combination of 2,3 or 4 notes played simultaneously.

The wrong answers are all parts of a circle.

Source: Author ozzz2002

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