How are intervals named?
Answer: By number (distance in letter names) and quality (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished).
Explanation
Unison, 4th, 5th, and octave are 'perfect'.
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Music Theory: Fundamentals (High School)
IntervalsExpressionHarmonyChordsNotationScalesRhythm
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Intervals
What is interval inversion?
Answer: Flipping the lower note above the upper; number pairs add to 9 (3rd ↔ 6th), major ↔ minor, perfect stays perfect.
Explanation
Major 3rd inverts to minor 6th.
How many half steps in a major third, perfect fifth, and octave?
Answer: Major third: 4. Perfect fifth: 7. Octave: 12.
Explanation
Minor third: 3; tritone: 6.
Expression
What are staccato and legato?
Answer: Staccato: short, detached notes (dot above the note). Legato: smooth and connected (slur).
Explanation
Accent (>) adds emphasis.
What do tempo terms mean: largo, andante, moderato, allegro, presto?
Answer: Very slow, walking pace, moderate, fast, very fast.
Explanation
Measured in beats per minute (BPM).
What do dynamics markings mean: pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff?
Answer: Pianissimo (very soft), piano (soft), mezzo-piano, mezzo-forte, forte (loud), fortissimo (very loud).
Explanation
Crescendo = gradually louder; decrescendo = softer.
Harmony
What is modulation?
Answer: Changing from one key to another within a piece.
Explanation
Often through a pivot chord shared by both keys.
What is the most common chord progression in pop music?
Answer: I–V–vi–IV (e.g., C–G–Am–F).
Explanation
Also ii–V–I in jazz.
What is a cadence, and what are the main types?
Answer: A chord progression that ends a phrase: authentic (V–I), plagal (IV–I), half (ends on V), deceptive (V–vi).
Explanation
Perfect authentic cadence has both chords in root position with tonic on top.
Chords
What is a chord inversion?
Answer: A chord with a note other than the root in the bass: first inversion (third in bass), second inversion (fifth in bass).
Explanation
Written with figured bass numbers 6 and 6/4.
What is a dominant seventh chord?
Answer: A major triad with a minor seventh (G B D F in C major), built on the fifth degree.
Explanation
Creates strong pull to the tonic.
What are the diatonic triads in a major key?
Answer: I major, ii minor, iii minor, IV major, V major, vi minor, vii° diminished.
Explanation
Roman numerals: uppercase major, lowercase minor.
Diminished and augmented triads?
Answer: Diminished: minor third + minor third (C E♭ G♭). Augmented: major third + major third (C E G♯).
Explanation
Diminished is unstable; augmented is symmetrical.
How is a minor triad built?
Answer: Root, minor third, perfect fifth (3 + 4 half steps).
Explanation
C minor: C E♭ G.
How is a major triad built?
Answer: Root, major third, perfect fifth (4 + 3 half steps).
Explanation
C major: C E G.
Notation
What are the lines and spaces of the treble clef?
Answer: Lines: E G B D F (Every Good Boy Does Fine). Spaces: F A C E.
Explanation
Middle C sits on a ledger line below the staff.
What is a key signature?
Answer: The sharps or flats at the start of a staff that apply throughout the piece.
Explanation
Order of sharps: F C G D A E B; flats reverse: B E A D G C F.
What do sharps, flats, and naturals do?
Answer: A sharp raises a note a half step; a flat lowers it a half step; a natural cancels either.
Explanation
Accidentals last for the rest of the measure.
What are the lines and spaces of the bass clef?
Answer: Lines: G B D F A (Good Boys Do Fine Always). Spaces: A C E G (All Cows Eat Grass).
Explanation
Middle C is on a ledger line above the bass staff.
Scales
What is a chromatic scale?
Answer: All twelve half steps within an octave.
Explanation
Pentatonic scales use five notes.
What is the circle of fifths?
Answer: A diagram arranging keys by ascending fifths, showing key signatures and closely related keys.
Explanation
Clockwise adds a sharp; counterclockwise adds a flat.
What is a relative minor and how do you find it?
Answer: The minor key sharing a key signature with a major key; it starts on the 6th degree of the major scale.
Explanation
G major → E minor.
Harmonic vs melodic minor?
Answer: Harmonic minor raises the 7th; melodic minor raises the 6th and 7th ascending and reverts descending.
Explanation
Harmonic minor creates a leading tone for a stronger cadence.
What is the natural minor scale pattern?
Answer: W H W W H W W
Explanation
A minor is the relative minor of C major (same key signature).
What is the pattern of whole and half steps in a major scale?
Answer: W W H W W W H
Explanation
C major uses only white keys.
Rhythm
What is a tie vs a slur?
Answer: A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer note; a slur connects different pitches to be played smoothly (legato).
Explanation
Both are curved lines.
What is syncopation?
Answer: Accenting beats or parts of beats that are normally weak.
Explanation
Common in jazz and popular music.
What is a triplet?
Answer: Three notes played in the time of two of the same value.
Explanation
Written with a 3 over the group.
Relative note values
Answer: Whole = 2 halves = 4 quarters = 8 eighths = 16 sixteenths.
Explanation
A dot adds half the note's value.
What do the numbers in a time signature mean?
Answer: The top number is beats per measure; the bottom shows which note gets one beat (4 = quarter note).
Explanation
4/4 is 'common time'; 3/4 is waltz time.
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