These eight questions are original, mixed and ramp from recall to a written comment. Try each one on paper before opening the answer.
The set belongs to SPM subjects and learning resources. To set a timer and shuffle questions, use the timed original practice session builder.
Questions
1. Match each term to its meaning: (a) staccato, (b) legato, (c) ritardando, (d) crescendo.
Answer
Staccato is short and detached. Legato is smooth and connected. Ritardando means gradually slowing. Crescendo means gradually getting louder.
If two of these confuse you, draw a small picture: dots for staccato, a long curved line for legato.
2. A piece has four beats in every bar. How many beats are there in six bars?
Answer
6 × 4 = 24 beats. Counting the beat is the basis of most rhythm questions, so always identify beats per bar first.
3. An original rhythm is written as: quarter note, quarter note, half note. In 4/4 time, how many beats does this use, and how many remain in the bar?
Answer
Quarter notes last 1 beat each and a half note lasts 2 beats, so 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 beats. Nothing remains, so the bar is full.
4. One guitar plays a tune while a second guitar strums chords beneath it. Name the texture.
Answer
Homophonic: one main melody supported by an accompaniment. Polyphonic would need two or more independent melodies at the same time.
5. Write one sentence describing a passage where a violin begins softly and gradually becomes louder. Use one term for dynamics and one for timbre.
Answer
A sample: “The solo violin begins at a soft dynamic and plays a crescendo, and its bright, thin timbre becomes more intense as the volume rises.” Any accurate sentence with a direction (gradually) and both terms earns full credit here.
6. A student writes: “The music was nice and happy.” Rewrite it in two steps: add the musical element, then add a place in the piece. Use an imagined excerpt.
Answer
Step one: “The fast tempo and major-sounding tune create a cheerful effect.” Step two: “In the opening section, the fast tempo and the detached staccato notes create a cheerful effect.” The mood is kept, but now it is tied to elements and a location.
7. Explain why “the drums are loud” is a weaker comment than “the drums play a sudden forte after the quiet opening”.
Answer
The second comment names the dynamic term, says it is sudden and places it after the quiet opening. The first only gives a general impression and could describe any piece.
8. You have twenty minutes to rehearse a short piece. Build a plan with three parts and an approximate time for each.
Answer
One good plan: 5 minutes warm-up and a slow play-through, 10 minutes on the hardest two bars at slow speed, 5 minutes playing the whole piece once and noting what still went wrong. The times add to 20, the practice is focused on a specific passage, and the ending includes a check.
If you got these wrong
- Questions 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7: read describing what you hear using precise terms.
- Question 8: read building a focused rehearsal log.
- Question 3: read connecting a short original rhythm to its notation.
After a revision session, check your written answers with the structured-answer self-review tool. For a teacher who can hear your own answers and respond, see online one-to-one Music tuition.