Quiz me for my music theory class

santucci218 · #1 08-30-2007, 11:39 AM

im not doing too great in my music theory class guys.

we are doing key signatures, triads, scales and intervals right now

so if you guys could link me to a site that could help me pratice, or even just make up questions to ask me, please help me out. Also, if you have any tips for helping me grasp this stuff more easily, let me know. Thanks a lot, Paul.

HaVIC5 · #2 08-30-2007, 11:47 AM

www.musictheory.net

Great stuff there, and its free.

santucci218 · #3 08-30-2007, 11:49 AM

that helped a little, but it doesnt really quiz me at all, just shows me concepts i understand already.

i just want to pratice the concepts i know, get me? like...to put them to the test, if you will.

DocBop · #4 08-30-2007, 12:04 PM

You need to quiz yourself that is how I drilled in this stuff. I used quiz myself driving to school and other places. I would spell all the triads and do them in the order of the Circle of Fifths. I would repeat the Circle of Fifths and ask myself the related key signature. For intervals I would use the bass in my head and see a major scale fingering and work out the intervals between the root. Also sing the major scale and then sing sequences and intervals. If I wasn't sure of the pitches I would sing simple nursury rhymes or songs I knew the intervals of to check myself. Funny how we can screw sing intervals if asked to do it, but can remember them when in context of a song.

I would make up drills like above on what ever I needed to work on and use anytime that normally would be wasted as time to drill myself. Forcing myself to have figure out the answers the stuff really sticks. I also came of with ways to check myself like trouble spelling a scale, well I could spell the Maj7 chord of the scale, so there were half the notes. Reverse it can't spell the chord but know the scale okay think the scale and drop every other note. Circle of Fifths I would use the bass in my head and "see" the V down to I and figure out the answer.

There are quizes and practice test around, but just drill your self I think works best. Also the best way to learn something is to teach it. Find someone who is trying to learn this stuff and teach it to them or just talk about it and explain this stuff to them. If you can explain it you know it. Also sometimes in explaining it you discover a new way to look at things that helps you too.

Quiz thyself grasshopper!

santucci218 · #5 08-30-2007, 07:50 PM

lol, thank you much Doc.

PocketGroove82 · #6 08-31-2007, 11:39 AM

Here is one for ya:

What is the inversion of a Major4th?

DocBop · #7 08-31-2007, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

Here is one for ya:

What is the inversion of a Major4th?

Not sure where you are going with that one. Up a 4th becomes down a 5th, up a 3rd down a 6th, up a 7th down a 2nd are the intervals flipped?

Also note to OP one of the things you learn from drilling, notice how all the intervals up and down add up to 9. One of those tricks you can use to check yourself with. Music is math.

Or PocketGroove82 thinking Tritone and the notes repeat?

goolimari · #8 08-31-2007, 02:10 PM

I am kinda surprised at why people do not stress learning scale degrees..I feel it's probably the most important aspect of learning scales..learning degrees will help you in construction chords, doing chord progressions etc etc a breeze..

I wrote a simple microsoft excel program to quiz me on scale degrees.. its quite simple..the first column is all the scales, and the second column is all the degrees..

just click the button and a random scale appears below , with three random degrees. you have to name those 3 degrees of that scale.

for e.g., when you click the button and get

C II IV VII

you need to name the second, fourth and seventh degrees of C scale (which would be D, F and B)

you can start simple by having just one scale in the first column. delete all the scales and just put the scale you want. You can do the same with degrees .like put only C in first column, and II, IV in second column. once you have mastered this add more degrees. Once you have all the degrees of a scale, add the second scale..then a third..

its quite frustrating in the beginning, but believe me, if you do this for about half an hour a day for 3 weeks, i can BET you will be a pro..

once you have the degrees, then chords is a breeze (major chord?? no problem! that'd be I, III and V notes of the scale.. for F# scale that would be F#, A# and C#! )

here's the file

http://www.mediafire.com/?5mmwww9cc4c

NOTE: If you get a message box in the beginning saying "do you want to run macros?" click on enable macros..i have a macro in there to generate random numbers..dont worry its safe..i wont hack your computer and steal all your porn!)

-gooli

TheBassBetween · #9 08-31-2007, 09:39 PM

Practica Musica is the program that my AP Music Theory class used. It's really a great program for aural as well as written exercises.

JimmyM · #10 08-31-2007, 10:09 PM

OK, here's a question...name three types of chords that go well with Aeolian mode.

!Rob! · #11 08-31-2007, 10:11 PM

explain the following symbol:

15va-----------

PocketGroove82 · #12 08-31-2007, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

Here is one for ya:

What is the inversion of a Major4th?

Ok..here is the answer.

It's a trick question.

You can't have a major 4th, and if you say major 4th (or 5th) to your teacher, he will probably cringe! 4ths and 5ths can be Perfect/Diminished/Augmented, but you won't be coming across any major or minor 4ths or 5th, ever.

!Rob! · #13 08-31-2007, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

Ok..here is the answer.

It's a trick question.

You can't have a major 4th, and if you say major 4th (or 5th) to your teacher, he will probably cringe! 4ths and 5ths can be Perfect/Diminished/Augmented, but you won't be coming across any major or minor 4ths or 5th, ever.

I was waiting for you to do that.

Nice one, even though he answered with the right idea, he was still wrong.

I give my students that "trick" question all the time.

Well Done!

PocketGroove82 · #14 08-31-2007, 10:21 PM

lol...i hear ya rob.
I had a teacher who made students run to the open window in the back of the classroom and yell,
"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAJOR 5TH!"...any time they accidentally said it during a class period. haha.

Evo 911 · #15 08-31-2007, 11:03 PM

Ok I got one... Name the intervals of an Am6 chord.

DocBop · #16 08-31-2007, 11:34 PM

Okay want to go that way...

Write out an ascending and decending A Melodic Minor scale.

Write out an F# harmonic minor scale.

What note is a minor 7th above Db?

Okay off topic, but fun... Who was first composer to write bass part that required a low C and the 5-string bass was created to handle it?

!Rob! · #17 08-31-2007, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

Okay want to go that way...

Write out an ascending and decending A Melodic Minor scale.

Write out an F# harmonic minor scale.

What note is a minor 7th above Db?

Okay off topic, but fun... Who was first composer to write bass part that required a low C and the 5-string bass was created to handle it?

Great questions, I wish he was online (oh well) I'll check his answers later, but the trivia question is interesting, I think I know, but I'd be guessing. Can I PM you my guess?

JimmyM · #18 09-02-2007, 01:27 AM

So this dude blows us off without answering the questions? Whut up wid dat?

KayCee · #19 09-02-2007, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

Write out an ascending and decending A Melodic Minor scale.

That one could have two correct answers, since the descending is often the same as the ascending in modern music.

I assume that, though, you mean in "traditional" harmony.

KayCee · #20 09-02-2007, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

Who was first composer to write bass part that required a low C and the 5-string bass was created to handle it?

Frankie Goes To Hollywood?