En anglais

Scales, keys and mood

Arts & Music · Music · ages 11-13

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which is a common description of major music, rather than a rule for every major tune?
- Dark and gloomy
- Bright and happy
- Always fast and loud
Which description explains what a musical scale is?
- Pitches in order with a pattern of gaps
- Pitches chosen freely without any set order
- One pitch repeated with changes in loudness
A tune that sounds sad must be in a minor key.
Circle one: True False
What is the name for the pitch that feels like home in a key?
- The pitch played with the greatest loudness
- The home pitch, called the tonic
- The pitch played for the shortest time
In standard major and minor key signatures, which pair shares a signature with no sharps or flats?
- G major or E minor
- D major or B minor
- C major or A minor
The ascending scale A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A has eight notes and eight gaps between neighbouring notes.
Circle one: True False
A song's high notes are uncomfortable for a singer. Which change lowers its pitches while keeping its note gaps and rhythm?
- Transpose all pitches down by the same distance
- Keep all pitches unchanged and play more quietly
- Lower just the highest pitches and keep the others
Zara builds a major scale from a new starting pitch. Which pattern of semitone gaps keeps it major?
- 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2
- 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
- 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Bright and happy · Bright and happy is a common impression of major music. A major tune can also have another mood.
Pitches in order with a pattern of gaps · A scale orders pitches using a pattern of gaps. It can provide notes for a tune without limiting every tune to those notes.
False · Mood alone does not prove the key. Major music can sound sad, and minor music can sound lively.
The home pitch, called the tonic · The tonic is a key's home pitch. Loudness and note length do not define it.
C major or A minor · C major and A minor share an empty key signature. Their home notes differ, so the signature alone does not choose between them.
False · Counting both As gives eight notes. There are only seven gaps between neighbouring notes, so the statement is false.
Transpose all pitches down by the same distance · Transposing downward moves every pitch equally. This lowers the song while preserving its note gaps and rhythm.
2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1 · A major scale keeps the gap pattern 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1 when its starting pitch changes.