Music Theory

What is Rhythm?

The pattern of long and short notes in a piece of music.

What is Pulse?

The steady, continuous beat throughout the piece; likened to a heartbeat.

What is Tempo?

The speed of the pulse in music.

Crochet note value

1

Minim note value

2

Semibreve note value

4

Quavers note value

½

What are the lines on the Treble Clef?

E, G, B, D, F.

What are the spaces on the Treble Clef?

F, A, C, E.

What are the lines on the Bass Clef?

G, B, D, F, A.

What are the spaces on the Bass Clef?

A, C, E, G.

What is the space that we write the musical notes on?

Stave.

What is Notation?

Visually representing music through symbols and words.

What is Ornamentation?

Decoration of the melody by adding extra notes.

What is a reel?

A common type of Irish dance tune with a fast tempo and 4/4 time signature.

What is a hornpipe?

A popular type of Irish dance song characterized by a dotted and jerky rhythm, 4/4 time signature, and slow tempo.

What is a found sound?

A sound that is not made by a conventional instrument; an exciting way of creating music.

Name two musicians that used found sounds.

Pierre Bastien and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Name two instruments used in found sound music.

Glass harmonica and glass harp.

What is Pitch?

How we describe how high or low a note is in music.

Why is music important in films?

It creates moods, sets scenes, and depicts characters' emotions.

What is a theme tune?

The music played during the opening and closing credits of a movie or TV show.

What is a soundtrack?

A collection of music that appears on a film or TV show.

What is a film score?

Music composed specifically for a film.

What is diegetic music?

Music within a film that the characters can hear.

What is illustrative music?

Music that tries to illustrate a scene, character, mood, or image.

What is Leitmotif?

A recurring theme or melody associated with a person or situation.

How do composers set the scene?

By creating a suitable atmosphere and portraying the mood or emotion of the characters using expressive elements of music.

What are expressive elements of music?

Instrumentation, texture, tempo, dynamics, and mood.

Name an example of a composer for a movie.

John Williams.

Name an example of a composer for a TV show.

Danny Elfman.

What is a jingle?

A short catchy piece of music that usually contains a slogan.

Name examples of famous advertisements.

McDonald's, John Lewis, and GoCompare.

What is Music Technology?

Any technology that can make, perform, play, record, or edit music.

What is Inputting in music technology?

Creating sounds, uploading existing sounds or recording sounds on an app or computer program.

What is a loop?

A short melody or rhythmic pattern that repeats continually.

What are processing effects?

Mechanical or technological effects that can be added to modify sounds.

What is reverb?

An echo effect added to sounds to recreate the natural effect of room reverberation.

What is distortion?

An effect where the volume is increased, creating fuzzy or distorted sounds.

What is compression?

An effect used to control dynamics in a track.

What is delay?

An effect used to postpone the playback of a sound.

What is an orchestra?

A large group of musicians playing various instruments.

What are the four instrument families?

String, Brass, Woodwind, and Percussion.

In the string family, name any five instruments.

Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp.

Name any four instruments in the brass family.

Trumpet, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba.

In the woodwind family, name any four instruments.

Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon.

In the percussion family, name any four instruments.

Timpani, Xylophone, Triangle, Cymbal.

Who is the Conductor?

The person who directs the performance of an orchestra.

Name some traditional Irish Instruments.

Fiddle, Uilleann Pipes, Wooden Flute, Tin Whistle, Button Accordion, Harp, Banjo, Bodhrán.