

There is also the chromatic scale, which includes every note between two endpoints, including sharps and flats. The individual notes within a scale are given numeric indications known as scale degrees, starting with “1” and moving up the scale note by note the most prominent of these are the first degree, or tonic (the “home” pitch), and the fifth degree, or dominant. While there is only one major scale, there are three common variants of the minor scale: natural, harmonic, and melodic.

Scales: The two most common types of scales are the major and minor scales, both of which are referred to as diatonic, meaning that they have seven notes between octaves and follow a repeating pattern of whole steps and half steps.“the Allegretto from Beethoven’s 7th symphony”) entire works may also be named for their tempo (e.g., Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings). Movements from larger works are often referred to by their tempo (e.g. Tempos are often modified with further Italian terms, such as allegro con fuoco (fast, with fire), which can make them more unique. A work’s tempo may also be indicated by a metronome marking, which indicates the number of a certain type of note per minute (e.g., quarter note = 120). Some of the most common tempo markings are largo (very slow), adagio (slow), andante (“walking speed”), allegro (fast), and presto (very fast). Tempo: Traditionally, the tempo, or speed, of a piece is indicated through the use of Italian-language terms.All quiz bowl players should have at least a rudimentary grasp of the following 10 categories of musical terminology. Knowing the basics of music theory isn’t just important for music theory questions it can also be helpful for questions on specific works in which the lead-in and early clues refer to score indications or memorable musical moments.
