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Seven days of questions and answers

Music Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 9 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. What is an organized line of pitches heard as a tune?

    Answer: Melody

    Melody is the organized succession of pitches heard as a tune.

  2. What forms the two vibrating blades of an oboe reed?

    Answer: two bound pieces of cane

    Two bound pieces of cane form an oboe reed.

  3. From which language does adagio come?

    Answer: the Italian language

    The tempo word adagio comes from Italian.

  4. Which metal traditionally forms an orchestral timpano’s bowl?

    Answer: copper

    Orchestral timpani traditionally use bowl-shaped copper kettles.

  5. Which orchestral leader commonly coordinates the string section’s bowing?

    Answer: the concertmaster

    The concertmaster works with the conductor and string principals to coordinate bowing decisions.

Daily round

  1. What handheld tool may make those gestures easier to see?

    Answer: a baton

    A baton may make hand movements easier to see.

  2. How does adagio’s typical tempo compare with allegro?

    Answer: slower

    It is slower than allegro in ordinary usage.

  3. Which clef is normally used for lower-pitched staff notation?

    Answer: Bass clef

    Bass clef is the clef commonly used for lower-pitched notation.

  4. Which clef is normally used for higher-pitched staff notation?

    Answer: Treble clef

    Treble clef is the clef commonly used for higher-pitched notation.

  5. Which direction tells a musician to become gradually louder?

    Answer: Crescendo

    Crescendo is the instruction for a gradual increase in volume.

Daily round

  1. Which clef normally notates a modern bass choral part?

    Answer: bass clef

    Modern bass choral parts are normally written in bass clef.

  2. What naming feature do octave-separated pitches share?

    Answer: the same note name

    The pitches share the same note name.

  3. How many different pitch classes form a basic triad?

    Answer: three

    A basic triad contains three different pitch classes.

  4. What kind of beaters do timpani players use?

    Answer: specialized mallets

    Players use specialized mallets.

  5. Which pitched percussion instrument has tuned wooden bars?

    Answer: Xylophone

    Xylophone is the instrument with tuned wooden bars.

Daily round

  1. How does a cello’s usual register compare with a viola’s?

    Answer: below a viola

    Its pitch range lies below the viola.

  2. Which brass instrument is played by buzzing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece?

    Answer: Trumpet

    Trumpet is the instrument sounded by buzzing into a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

  3. Which related word also means gradually softer?

    Answer: decrescendo

    Decrescendo is a closely related term.

  4. What organizes durations, rests, and accents in music?

    Answer: Rhythm

    Rhythm is the organization of note lengths, rests, and accents.

  5. By what interval does one fret normally change a guitar string’s pitch?

    Answer: one semitone

    Adjacent frets on a standard guitar normally divide the octave into semitone steps.

Daily round

  1. How many semitones make a whole tone?

    Answer: two

    A whole tone contains two semitones.

  2. Which keyboard instrument sounds strings with felt-covered hammers?

    Answer: Piano

    Piano is the keyboard instrument whose strings are struck by felt-covered hammers.

  3. Does forte prescribe one exact sound-pressure level?

    Answer: No; it is relative to the instrument and context

    Forte is a relative dynamic instruction, so its actual loudness depends on the instrument, ensemble, and passage.

  4. What does melody organize in music?

    Answer: A sequence of pitched notes

    A melody is a perceivable sequence of pitched notes heard as a musical line.

  5. What rhythmic technique accents normally weak beats or offbeats?

    Answer: Syncopation

    Syncopation is the accenting notes where emphasis is not normally expected.

Daily round

  1. How does a cello’s usual register compare with a viola’s?

    Answer: below a viola

    Its pitch range lies below the viola.

  2. How many cents make one equal-tempered semitone?

    Answer: 100 cents

    Pitch measurement divides an equal-tempered semitone into 100 cents.

  3. Does forte prescribe one exact sound-pressure level?

    Answer: No; it is relative to the instrument and context

    Forte is a relative dynamic instruction, so its actual loudness depends on the instrument, ensemble, and passage.

  4. Which hardwood is commonly used for a professional oboe’s body?

    Answer: grenadilla

    Professional oboes are commonly made from dense grenadilla, also called African blackwood.

  5. Which orchestral bowed instrument is smaller than a viola?

    Answer: Violin

    Violin is the smallest standard member of the orchestral bowed-string family.

Daily round

  1. What do a trumpet’s valves change when pressed?

    Answer: the effective length of its tubing

    Pressing trumpet valves reroutes air through extra tubing and changes the instrument’s sounding pitch.

  2. How many keys does a standard modern piano have?

    Answer: 88

    A standard modern piano has 88 keys.

  3. What unit appears on a metronome setting?

    Answer: beats per minute

    Metronome speed is measured in beats per minute.

  4. How does a melody unfold through time?

    Answer: one note after another

    A melody unfolds one note after another.

  5. How many strings does a violin normally have?

    Answer: four

    A violin normally has four strings.