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How to compose music
Contributed by: Sadler
  • 1. What is the fundamental building block of music?
A) Chord
B) Note
C) Rhythm
D) Scale
  • 2. What is the term for the speed of music?
A) Tempo
B) Harmony
C) Dynamics
D) Pitch
  • 3. What is a sequence of notes that creates a recognizable unit?
A) Harmony
B) Timbre
C) Melody
D) Rhythm
  • 4. What is the term for how high or low a note sounds?
A) Rhythm
B) Pitch
C) Tempo
D) Dynamics
  • 5. What is the organization of beats into regular patterns?
A) Melody
B) Meter
C) Timbre
D) Harmony
  • 6. What is the term for the loudness or softness of music?
A) Dynamics
B) Harmony
C) Tempo
D) Pitch
  • 7. What is the art of combining multiple voices or instruments to create chords and progressions?
A) Timbre
B) Rhythm
C) Harmony
D) Melody
  • 8. What is a series of chords that create a musical progression?
A) Motif
B) Scale
C) Chord Progression
D) Arpeggio
  • 9. What is the unique sound quality of an instrument or voice?
A) Timbre
B) Harmony
C) Pitch
D) Rhythm
  • 10. What is a recurring musical idea or fragment?
A) Motif
B) Inversion
C) Scale
D) Cadence
  • 11. Which element creates a sense of tension and release in music?
A) Dissonance and Consonance
B) Tempo and Dynamics
C) Timbre and Texture
D) Melody and Rhythm
  • 12. What is a resting point in music, often marking the end of a phrase?
A) Arpeggio
B) Inversion
C) Motif
D) Cadence
  • 13. What is the structure of a musical piece, including sections and their arrangement?
A) Form
B) Texture
C) Timbre
D) Dynamics
  • 14. Which of these is NOT a common musical form?
A) Rondo
B) Hexagon
C) Sonata
D) Theme and Variations
  • 15. What is the layering of different musical lines or voices?
A) Timbre
B) Dynamics
C) Texture
D) Form
  • 16. What does counterpoint refer to?
A) Sudden dynamic changes
B) Independent melodic lines
C) Use of silence
D) Repetitive rhythmic patterns
  • 17. What is improvisation in music?
A) Strict adherence to a score
B) Creating music spontaneously
C) Playing very loudly
D) Repeating a single note
  • 18. What is a scale?
A) A chord with many notes
B) Ordered series of notes
C) A type of drum
D) A loud dynamic marking
  • 19. What is the purpose of modulation in a composition?
A) Change Timbre
B) Change key
C) Change Dynamics
D) Change Tempo
  • 20. Which is a common way to develop a musical idea?
A) Variation
B) Destruction
C) Rejection
D) Silence
  • 21. What does it mean to invert a chord?
A) Remove a note
B) Play it backwards
C) Change the bass note
D) Play it louder
  • 22. Which of these is a musical key?
A) Purple
B) C Major
C) Square
D) Triangle
  • 23. What is the role of a bridge in a song?
A) Introduce the melody
B) Provide contrast
C) Repeat the chorus
D) End the song
  • 24. What is orchestration?
A) Tuning instruments
B) Writing lyrics
C) Creating rhythms
D) Assigning parts to instruments
  • 25. What is a common songwriting technique?
A) Ignoring Feedback
B) Color by Numbers
C) Call and Response
D) Random Note Generation
  • 26. What should a composer consider when choosing instruments?
A) Color and size
B) Weight and cost
C) Timbre and range
D) Popularity and brand
  • 27. What is the best way to deal with 'writer's block' when composing?
A) Experiment with new ideas
B) Wait for inspiration to strike
C) Copy another composer
D) Give up completely
  • 28. What is MIDI used for in music composition?
A) Printing sheet music
B) Controlling electronic instruments
C) Creating acoustic spaces
D) Amplifying sound
  • 29. What is the significance of using silence in music?
A) Create suspense or emphasis
B) Save ink on the score
C) Indicate a problem with the instrument
D) Confuse the listener
  • 30. What is a good practice for revising a composition?
A) Only listen to it once
B) Destroy the original draft
C) Get feedback from other musicians
D) Never change anything
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