Practice Test: Practice Test:

Answer Key and Explanation Answer Key and Explanation

1. True or False: Songs with a wide range are usually at a fast tempo.

FALSE!
-Range refers to PITCH and how HIGH or LOW they are.
-Remember to think back to your definition, if you see a word that doesnt fit (like
tempo here) than something is probably off.


2. The bassline would generally be in a ___________ range compared to the melody.

LOWER
Remember, the bass is provided by the lowest part of the harmony.

3. A low note and a high note played simultaneously would create:

A. Wide Interval
B. Small interval

WIDE INTERVAL
Think about the interval ladder, and remember that interval is all about the space
in between notes. Picture a low note at the lowest rung and a note on the highest
rung big space in between.

4. True or False: A scale is a random progression of chords.

FALSE
If you see words that look out of place and dont belong with the term, there is
probably something wrong with the statement. (Progression, chord and random do
not pertain to Scale)


5. A mode in specific order would be:

A. Scale
B. Wide Interval
C. Dissonant
D. A chord Progression

SCALE
Form a relation in your head between SCALE and SPECIFIC (as in specific
group in specific order)


6. Which of the following is always present in a performance:

A. Scales
B. Rhythm
C. Harmony
D. Modulation

RHYTHM
Rhythm is the only thing that is always present in a performance, because it is felt
even if it is not being played by an instrument.

7. Modulations always go from

A. Major to Minor
B. Minor to Major
C. Major to Major
D. None of the Above

NONE
Modulations can be any of the types we discussed in class. They dont have to be
the same thing all the time.


8. Generally, intervals that are close together sound ____________.

DISSONANT
Again, fall back to the rungs on the ladder. It is more difficult for our ear to
distinguish between closer intervals, therefore they sound dissonant.

9. Which of the following was one of the earliest developments of harmony:

A. Melody
B. Drone
C. Riffed bassline
D. Chord Progression

DRONE.
Remember, Drone is our OG bass line. The stagnant, single line created intervals
with the melody happening overtop, and thus created harmony that was not heard
before with a single line of chant.

10. True or False: Popular music is always 100% consonant.

FALSE
Dont get fooled! Although we said that popular music is generally consonant by
nature (so it is popular among most listeners), dissonances still occur (usually a
short burst or interlude in the middle of a song) in pop music.
-Words like Always and 100% of the time should be a red flag when taking a
test! Very few things are constant and if they are, we would mention it in class.

11. Which of the following best describes a chord progression:

A. A group or 3 or more notes stacked together
B. It is a Repetitive cycle
C. Has at least 6 chords
D. Has an underlying rhythm

REPETITVE
Repetitive is a key word to associate with progression!

12. A Drone is an example of a ____________ Bass line.

STAGNANT/SUSTAINED
A fill in the blank is almost always going to be one of the words we talked about in
class. Either one of the fundamentals, or a descriptive word we learned.

13. An example of thin/sparse orchestration would be:

A. A Jazz Band
B. A solo voice
C. An orchestra
D. A rock band

B.
Thin/sparse refers to the texture/amount of timbres happening simultaneously. In
this example, the less timbres happening, the sparser the testure.

14. Orchestration refers to the arrangement of ____________.

TIMBRES
Think back the acoustic versions of popular tunes we hear in class. This was the
same song but with the sounds re arranged or changed. Same song/Tune,
Different Timbres.


Listening:

This is the Listening portion of the test. Listen to the song excerpt, and answer the
following questions with information you learn from the example

Excerpt: John Legend, Lets get Lifted

What type of bass line is provided?
Riffed. Repetitive, Rhythmic and Melodic statement over and over in the bass.

Are there any modulations present?
No Modulations. The mode stays unchanged.

How would you describe the mode of this performance?

This is in a minor mode.

How would you describe the musical texture?

Texture is dense. Lead vox, background vox, wind instruments, guitars, synths,
piano, keyboard, bass. There is constant input from a large number of instruments. Very
little open space.