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Music TheoryQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every United States Music Theory syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Unit 1: Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements
- Topic 1.10 Dynamics and Articulation: interpret dynamic levels, gradual dynamic changes, and articulation markings as expressive elements.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.3 Half Steps and Whole Steps: identify, construct and correctly spell half steps and whole steps, including diatonic and chromatic half steps.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.5 Major Keys and Key Signatures: identify and notate major key signatures, order the sharps and flats, and use the circle of fifths.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.4 Major Scales and Scale Degrees: construct a major scale using the whole and half step pattern, and identify scale degrees by number, name and solfege.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.7 Meter and Time Signature: interpret time signatures, identify the meter type, and relate the numbers to the beat and its division.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.1 Pitch and Pitch Notation: identify and notate pitches using the staff, clefs, ledger lines, octave designations, and accidentals.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.8 Rhythmic Patterns: identify and notate rhythmic devices such as the anacrusis, syncopation, hemiola, and borrowed divisions (triplets and duplets).2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.2 Rhythmic Values: identify and notate the relative durations of notes and rests, including dotted values, ties and beaming.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.6 Simple and Compound Beat Division: distinguish simple from compound beat division and relate the beat unit to its subdivisions.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 1.9 Tempo: interpret tempo markings, metronome (beats per minute) indications, and terms that change the tempo.2Q&A pairs
Unit 3: Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords
- Topic 3.5 Roman Numerals and SATB: label diatonic chords with Roman numerals showing root and quality, and arrange chord tones in the SATB four-voice texture.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 3.4 Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures: identify the four positions of a seventh chord and label them with figured-bass symbols (7, 6/5, 4/3, 4/2).3Q&A pairs
- Topic 3.3 Seventh Chords: build a seventh chord by adding a seventh above the root, and identify its quality (major, dominant, minor, half-diminished, fully diminished).2Q&A pairs
- Topic 3.2 Triad Inversions and Figures: identify root position, first inversion and second inversion triads, and label them with figured-bass symbols (no figure, 6, and 6/4).2Q&A pairs
- Topic 3.1 Triads: build a triad as three pitches stacked in thirds (root, third, fifth), and identify its quality as major, minor, diminished or augmented.2Q&A pairs
Unit 4: Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase
- Topic 4.3 Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences: explain tonic, predominant and dominant function, the normal direction of progressions, and the four cadence types.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 4.2 SATB Voice Leading: apply the rules of range, spacing, doubling, smooth motion and tendency-tone resolution when writing four-part harmony.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 4.1 Soprano-Bass Counterpoint: write and identify the four kinds of motion between the outer voices and avoid parallel perfect intervals.3Q&A pairs
- Topic 4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions: part-write inverted seventh chords (6/5, 4/3, 4/2), resolving the seventh down by step and choosing bass motion to suit the inversion.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 4.4 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords: part-write the dominant seventh and other seventh chords in root position, resolving the chordal seventh and leading tone correctly.2Q&A pairs
Unit 5: Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
- Topic 5.1 Adding Predominant Function IV (iv) and ii (ii diminished): use the subdominant and supertonic chords to prepare the dominant and part-write them smoothly.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.7 Additional 6/4 Chords: identify and part-write the passing six-four and the pedal (neighbor) six-four as embellishing chords over a stationary or stepwise bass.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.5 Cadences and Predominant Function: build complete cadential progressions with predominants and harmonise a given melody so it cadences correctly.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.6 Cadential 6/4 Chords: use the cadential six-four (I6/4 to V) and part-write its suspension-like resolution of the sixth and fourth above the bass.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.3 Predominant Seventh Chords: use ii7 (ii diminished 7) and IV7 as predominant sevenths and resolve their chordal sevenths down by step into the dominant.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.4 The iii (III) Chord: use the mediant as a connecting chord between I and IV (or vi) and part-write it within a diatonic progression.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 5.2 The vi (VI) Chord: use the submediant as a tonic substitute and as the goal of a deceptive cadence, and part-write V to vi correctly.2Q&A pairs
Unit 6: Harmony and Voice Leading III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices
- Topic 6.4 Identifying and Writing Suspensions; Identifying Retardations: recognize and write suspensions by their three stages and number them (4-3, 7-6, 9-8, 2-3 bass), and identify retardations.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 6.3 Identifying Anticipations, Escape Tones, Appoggiaturas, and Pedal Points: recognize these embellishing tones by how they are approached and left.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 6.1 Identifying Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones: locate passing and neighbor tones in a melody and distinguish them from chord tones.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 6.2 Writing Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones: add passing and neighbor tones to a part-writing texture correctly and without creating parallels.2Q&A pairs
Unit 7: Harmony and Voice Leading IV: Secondary Function
- Topic 7.2 Part Writing of Secondary Dominant Chords: part-write secondary dominants, resolving the raised leading tone up and the chordal seventh down into the tonicized chord.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 7.4 Part Writing of Secondary Leading-Tone Chords: part-write secondary leading-tone chords, resolving the borrowed leading tone up and the diminished and seventh intervals correctly.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 7.1 Tonicization through Secondary Dominant Chords: identify secondary dominants (V/V, V7/IV, and so on) and the tonicization they create.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 7.3 Tonicization through Secondary Leading-Tone Chords: identify secondary leading-tone chords (vii diminished/V, vii diminished 7/ii, and so on) and the tonicization they create.2Q&A pairs
Unit 8: Modes and Form
- Topic 8.4 Binary and Ternary Form: identify binary (AB), rounded binary, and ternary (ABA) forms by their sections, key scheme and returns of material.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 8.3 Melodic and Harmonic Sequence: identify melodic sequences and the common harmonic sequences (descending fifths, ascending and descending stepwise) by their repeating pattern and interval of transposition.3Q&A pairs
- Topic 8.1 Modes: identify and construct the seven diatonic modes by their characteristic altered scale degrees and their final.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 8.5 Other Common Formal Structures: identify strophic, through-composed, theme and variations, and compound forms, and analyze how a whole piece is organized.2Q&A pairs
- Topic 8.2 Phrase Relationships and Motivic Transformation: analyze phrases, periods (antecedent and consequent), and the transformation of motives.2Q&A pairs