LMS Music Vocabulary Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• Which ensemble is known for a large string section and is often associated with symphonic repertoire?
• What sign directs the performer to return to the place marked by the 'segno' symbol in a score?
• Which term is used when sounds or parts of a song are repeated?
• Which dynamic marking indicates a gradual increase in volume?
• Which section typically introduces new material or a contrasting idea before returning to the main theme?
• What is the term for a rest that occupies the entire measure in 4/4 time?
• What does a key signature specify?
• Which term describes a recurring main theme heard throughout a composition, returning after episodes?
• Which symbol lowers a note in musical notation?
• What is sonata form?
• What term refers to a short ornamental note printed smaller than the main notes, to be played quickly before the main note?
• Which ensemble is commonly associated with rock or pop music and features electric guitars?
• What does marcato indicate?
• Which term describes a small note printed smaller than the main notes, played quickly before the main note?
• The piano is part of which instrument group?
• Which term is used for the sequence of pitches forming the tune of a composition?
• What is binary form?
• Which symbol marks the division between two bars?
• What do you call an instrument that creates sound by vibrating air?
• Which term denotes a set of differently stated forms built around a central musical idea?
• What is a round?
• Con brio is an instruction to perform with what?
• What is the term for the tonal center or 'home' note of a scale?
• What is the difference between a slur and a tie?
• If a composer repeats a melody exactly as it first appeared, this is called?
• Pattern of sound played to the beat.
• What does staccato indicate about note duration?
• Connect identical pitches to sustain a note?
• Which cadence ends with a V-I progression in root position?
• What term designates an instrument that produces sound via a vibrating membrane?
• The relative major of A minor is which key?
• What is an imperfect authentic cadence?
• Which scale starts on the tonic and uses seven distinct pitches with a pattern of whole steps and half steps?
• Which term best describes a contrast between two sections in tempo, key, or mood?
• A medium size group of musicians that plays dance music.
• Which term describes spontaneous creation of music?
• What defines parallel major/minor?
• What is the name of a seventh chord built on the dominant with a minor seventh above the root?
• The tempo marking meaning 'at a fast yet not too fast' commonly used to describe a bright, quick tempo?
• What is articulation?
• Which instrument family includes trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba?
• What is portato?
• Which term indicates gradually speeding up the tempo?
• Which cadence typically ends on the dominant (V) chord, creating a resting point that feels incomplete?
• Which term refers to how notes are attacked and released?
• Steady count of the music.
• Which cadence moves from IV to I in traditional harmony, often described as plagal?
• Which term writes the words to a song?
• If notes are played smoothly and connected with no gaps, which articulation is used?
• Which instrument makes sound with strings?
• Which symbol raises a note in musical notation?
• In music terminology, what pace does the term andante describe?
• What does sforzando (sf or sfz) mean?
• Which term describes a short musical idea that recurs and helps unify a work?
• Which dynamic marking indicates soft playing?
• Which best describes a perfect authentic cadence?
• What term refers to the first beat of a measure?
• Which term describes a curved line used to indicate legato between notes?
• What are the written words of a song called?
• The beginning of a song.
• Which term is the person who helps musicians and recording artists to make singles and albums?
• What Italian tempo marking indicates a moderately fast pace?
• What is heterophony?
• What is the name of a triad built from root, minor third, and diminished fifth?
• Which instrument family produces sound primarily from vibrating solids such as wood or metal?
• Which term describes the recurring part of a song that is often repeated with same melody and lyrics?
• What is imitation in counterpoint?
• What does relative major/minor describe?
• In modern music notation, the symbol C typically indicates which time signature?
• Which instrument family includes violin, viola, cello, and double bass?
• What term describes a musical form where a main theme returns in the course of a composition in a recurring manner?
• Which group includes piano, organ, and harpsichord?
• Part of a song that contains hook or title (appears more that once).
• Which term describes someone who sings or plays by themselves?
• Which term describes the rhythmic-melodic technique where a tune is repeated with variations?
• What term refers to the part of a song that is different from the chorus and verse and is usually heard once?
• Which group is commonly used for parades and field performances, focused on wind and percussion?
• An instrument that you hit to play?
• What is the name of a triad built from root, minor third, and perfect fifth?
• Which section commonly serves to connect other sections and may present new material?
• What does staccatissimo mean?
• What is the interval spanning eight diatonic steps from one pitch to the same pitch an octave higher?
• Accelerando meaning?
• Which articulation indicates a strong, sudden emphasis on a note?
• In a plagal cadence, the typical movement is from which chords?
• Which scale raises the 7th degree to create a leading tone, commonly used in harmony?
• What is a canon?
• In the melodic minor scale when ascending, which degrees are raised from the natural minor form?
• What term refers to the difference between parts of a song?
• What term means gradually getting softer?
• Which term describes taking a tune and repeating it in different ways?
• Which ensemble is larger than a quartet and is often associated with dance music and swing?
• What is sequence in melody?
• A symbol that raises a note in musical notation?
• How would you describe a motif vs a theme?
• What term describes a musical form based on imitation and a round, where a single tune is sung by others entering at different times?
• Music created on the spot without written music or preparation.
• Which term is the person who directs a musical group?
• What does a key signature indicate?
• A symbol that lowers a note in musical notation?
• Which description matches homophony?
• Which form features a recurring A section that alternates with B, C, etc.?
• A symbol that represents a pause in music?
• What is a musical phrase?
• Which statement best describes a motif?
• Which instrument family produces sound by vibrating a skin or membrane, like drums?
• What term describes how loud or soft music is played?
• What is the relative major of A minor?
• What is ternary form?
• Which statement defines polyphony?
• Which instrument family includes flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon?
• Which instrument category uses vibrating strings to produce sound?
• What is a cadence in music?
• Which wind instrument is made of brass or metal with a cupped mouthpiece?
• Two or more sections of a song with almost the same music but different lyrics.
• The recurring musical idea that is restated with minimal changes is known as?
• What is a deceptive cadence?
• What does a time signature specify?
• Which term means notes extremely short and detached?
• What term refers to music relating to the human voice?
• What term describes performing a melody with changes in rhythm, harmony, or texture?
• An imperfect authentic cadence is defined as what?
• Notes played at the same time that don't sound good together.
• Which term describes a section that typically carries the main hook and can appear multiple times throughout a song?
• Which instrument has keys like a piano?
• Which term describes smooth and connected playing of consecutive notes?
• Which term describes the repetition of a musical idea with little or no change?
• Which term refers to how high or low a note is on the staff?
• What is a tie in musical notation?
• Which articulation designates a sudden strong accent on a note or chord?
• Which term refers to the unique sound color of music?
• Which concept refers to the organization of pitches around a key center and its related scale?
• What musical symbol indicates holding a note or rest longer than its written value, often used for emphasis?
• What does the tempo marking andante indicate?
• What is the term for the distance in pitch between two notes?
• What is the name for an instrument that makes sound through a vibrating solid?
• Which group includes the piano?
• What does a cadence indicate?
• What is the term for the written notation of a musical composition?
• Which term describes the simultaneous sounding of two or more pitches?
• Which word describes the vocal part of a score or performance?
• Which triad type uses a major third above the root and a perfect fifth above the root?
• What symbol represents a sound to be played?
• Which symbol indicates how many flats or sharps are in a song?
• What term describes a meter with two beats per measure?
• In notation, what does a slur indicate about the performance of the notes it connects?
• What is rondo form?
• What is a plagal cadence?
• A large group of instruments playing together that includes a string section.
• What term refers to devices used to produce music?
• What does ritardando mean?
• What instruction tells the performer to go back to the beginning of the piece?
• What does crescendo indicate about dynamics?
• Which term indicates a strongly accented, emphasized note?
• Which term marks a gradual decrease in loudness?
• Which term describes a passage that introduces the song at the start?
• If notes are played smoothly and connected with no gaps, which articulation is used?
• Which section commonly follows the verse and chorus and often provides a departure from them?
• What dynamic marking indicates very loud playing?
• Which term indicates gradually slowing down the tempo?
• Which scale degree functions as the leading tone in Western harmony?
• Which tempo term indicates gradually speeding up and is often followed by a return to the original tempo?
• Which term describes a round of singing where voices enter at different times with the same melody?
• What term describes the technique of combining two or more independent melodies into a coherent texture?
• Relative major and minor share what characteristic?
• Which interval named for its size spans seven semitones?
• Which term best describes a simple cyclic canon where voices enter in imitation?
• Three or more notes played at the same time.
• What is the term for playing notes smoothly and connected, often indicated by a curved line?
• Diminuendo meaning?
• What term describes a cadence that resolves from the dominant to the tonic in root position?
• What is the circle of fifths used for?
• Which term describes a texture characterized by multiple independent melodic lines sounding together?
• The trumpet belongs to which instrument family?
• What term means notes performed one after another as the main tune?
• A large group of people who play instruments and march at the same time.
• Which clef is used for higher-pitched notes and places G on the second line from the bottom?
• Which small group is typically focused on improvisation and features 4-5 players?
• Which term best describes a person who sings solo?
• What does con brio mean?
• Which term refers to an instrument with a keyboard interface?
• What is an ostinato?
• What is a motif in music?
• Which term refers to the written notes of music?
• When a theme is presented and then reshaped through changes in melody or rhythm, this is called?
• Common time is another name for which time signature?
• What term describes a meter with three beats per measure?
• A large group of people who play brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments, with no strings.
• Which interval spans seven semitones?
• What is a slur in musical notation?
• Which term refers to a group of singers?
• The bassoon belongs to which instrument family?
• What term describes the speed at which music should be played?
• What are notes and rests between two bar lines called?
• What term describes a short musical motif that repeats, often with slight variation?
• Structure of the song.
• Which family uses a reed or requires air to be blown into it?
• Which articulation is described as notes lightly detached, between staccato and legato?
• What term best describes the difference in musical elements between sections?
• Which term describes a repeating musical pattern that persists throughout a section?
• Which instrument family includes flutes, trumpets, and horns?
• What describes the unique sound quality of a person or instrument?
• What term describes a typical sequence of chords that supports a key, such as I–IV–V–I?
• What is a riff?
• Which statement best describes a riff?
• In meter, which note value gets the beat?
• What is a clef in musical notation?
• Playing or singing multiple notes at once that sound good together.
• Which articulation marks the note to be played detached from others?
• Which term describes an instrument that makes a sound by vibrating strings?
• What dynamic marking indicates very soft playing?
• Which clef is commonly used for lower-pitched notes, such as those in the bass register?
• What term describes the function of chords moving from a scale degree to a stable pitch, such as the subdominant?
• Which seventh chord is built on the dominant with a minor seventh above the root?
• What is a measure (bar)?
• Which statement best captures the mood difference between major and minor scales?
• What term describes a piece that remains in a constant change of theme and variation around a central idea?
• What do dynamic markings indicate in music notation?
• A small musical ensemble, most commonly jazz, typically 4 to 5 players.
• What is the key signature with no sharps or flats?
• What term describes two or more different pitches sounded together to create harmony?
• Which term describes a performance where multiple performers elaborate the same melody with variations?
• Which triad type is built from root, minor third, and diminished fifth?
• What characterizes monophony?
• Which term describes the steady pulse used for counting time?
• Which statement describes the staff in musical notation?
• What is the term for a collection of singers?
• Which term refers to the person who writes the music?
• Which term is used for the person who directs a musical group?
• What does syncopation involve?
• Which of the following describes the circle of fifths' primary use?
• What term indicates the number of beats in a measure?
• Which scale is formed by raising the 3rd, 6th, and 7th degrees when ascending?
• Which term refers to the person who plays music?
• What describes singing without any instrumental accompaniment?
• Which term refers to the person who writes the words to a song?
• A small group of musicians that play rock or popular music.
• What is a musical scale?
• What is the name of a triad built from root, major third, and perfect fifth?
• How do major and minor scales differ in sound and structure?