NBCT Music Practice Exam

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• Which feature describes African music?
• Which technique involves playing near the end of the fingerboard to produce a light, airy sound?
• Which mode corresponds to the major scale?
• Which mode is described as flat 2, 3, 5, 6, 7?
• Which cadence features the final chord in inversion and the tonic not in the highest voice?
• Which hand-horn technique uses the hand flat with the palm forming a right angle and weight supported by the first knuckles and back of the hand?
• Which list is commonly associated with Neoclassical music?
• Which clef is traditionally used for viola notation?
• Which term means 'with bravery'?
• Which minor scale has a raised seventh degree?
• Which period spans 1600-1750 and is known for ornamentation and rational structure?
• What is the name of the cadence in which the roots of both V and I lie in the bass and the tonic is the highest sounding note of the last chord?
• Who is listed as the inventor of solfege?
• Which late 1940s style integrates Afro-Latin music with American jazz?
• AB denotes which form?
• Which statement best describes a perfect authentic cadence?
• In bowed string technique, which term implies playing with the wood end of the bow?
• Which cadence ends on a note other than the tonic?
• Ives, Harris, Gershwin, and Copland are associated with which nationalistic group?
• In movable do, what is considered tonic?
• Which label corresponds to the three vocal registers of women?
• Which combination of nationalities do Grieg and Sibelius represent?
• What is the typical tempo order for the four movements of a Classical symphony?
• Which scale degree is the mediant?
• Which term describes bowing two adjacent strings like tremolo?
• Which feature defines harmonic minor?
• Which genre originated from African work songs in the 19th and 20th centuries and features call and response?
• Which bowing technique is described as 'one note per bow stroke'?
• The dominant corresponds to which scale degree?
• Which term describes a secular musician from southern France?
• Rumba is a musical form from which country?
• Which timbre is described as having less vibrato and less palate control?
• Which texture is described as closely tied with meter and associated with patterns of duration, emphasis, and grouping?
• The late 1960s movement focused on process in music rather than a goal is known as which movement?
• Which hand-horn technique involves placing the second mallet between index and middle fingers while grasping the end of the second mallet with the right finger and pinky, resulting in higher tension?
• Which of the following terms is not a wood-based bowing technique?
• What is the baritone vocal range listed in the material?
• Which music education approach emphasizes play and learning by doing?
• Calypso music originates from which Caribbean island?
• Which progression is described as I, I, I, I, IV, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I?
• Which sequencing principle states that simple tasks go first?
• The treble clef with range G3-A7 is associated with which instrument's range and tuning?
• Calypso is described as which mood?
• The mezzo-soprano range is most closely associated with which broader voice category?
• Which term labels the medieval chant style described by features such as call and response, a cappella singing by male voices with no fixed meter and monophony?
• In a seventh chord, the inversion that places the seventh in the bass is called which inversion?
• ABA, second A is restatement of half of first A describes which form?
• Which texture consists of two or more independent melodies occurring at the same time?
• Ternary form consists of how many sections?
• The range E2-C4 corresponds to which voice type?
• Which articulation indicates a sudden emphasis on a note or chord?
• Which term describes Brazilian rhythms like samba integrated with European and American music?
• The bass clef sounding octave lower; tuned to EADG corresponds to which instrument?
• Which list contains composers commonly associated with Minimalist music?
• Which cadence ends on the dominant chord?
• Which sequencing concept implies content gets more detailed as progression occurs?
• Which technique involves playing with the wood part of the bow rather than the hair?
• Which term refers to the three vocal registers of the male voice?
• Which description matches piccolo transposition and range?
• The range E2-Bb4 corresponds to which voice type?
• Which term describes medieval polyphony with a preexisting chant as cantus firmus?
• Which texture is characterized by a melody with harmony accompaniment?
• The alto clef, C3-E6; tuned to CGDA corresponds to which instrument's range?
• Which term describes the rhythmic properties of the tonal system, including recurrence of tones and octave relationships?
• In organum, which term denotes the original chant notated on top?
• Which grip is known as the Musser/Stevens grip?
• A cadence formed by moving from the dominant (V) to any chord other than I describes which cadence?
• In melodic minor, the ascending form lowers the third while the descending form uses the natural minor.
• In a triad in first inversion, which scale degree is in the bass?
• Which musical tradition is described as having professional musicians and schools, used for religious ceremonies, where mistakes could be fatal?
• Which accompaniment technique fills out texture and adds forward motion by repeating a motif?
• Which mode is listed as inventor of solfege?
• The bass, tenor, or treble clef with C2-C6 is associated with which instrument's range?
• In traditional voice leading, which term describes a tone that is approached by step and left by step in the opposite direction?
• Which tonal quality is described for movable do?
• Which term describes scale degree II?
• What is the effect of a straight mute on tone?
• Which doctrine asserts that music has power to influence human behavior and character?
• Which term describes equal level of sound from all voices in a choir?
• What term means reinforced; played with added strength and emphasis?
• Which theory differentiates audiation from aural perception and is associated with structuring music learning around the internal language of music?
• Which mallet technique emphasizes independence of movement with mallets not crossing?
• A3-F5 is commonly used to describe the vocal range of which voice part?
• In sonata form, which section presents the melodic and harmonic themes?
• In sonata form, what are the typical keys for the first and second subjects?
• The group Glinka, Borodin, Balakirev, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov is associated with which classification?
• Which vocal register corresponds to upper ranges and a lighter tonal quality?
• Which term denotes the acoustic property of audible tones involving different frequencies of a complex wave?
• Which counterpoint motion has one line staying at the same pitch while the other moves?
• Which group of composers is identified as Neoclassical?
• Which statement reflects the tongue position recommended for diction and vowel formation?
• Which statement describes fixed do?
• Which form includes exposition, development, and recapitulation?
• What term is used for the tritone?
• Which term indicates producing a soft, airy tone by bowing near the fingerboard?
• The term describing Cuban rhythms like mambo with elements of bebop and involving the clave is
• Which term is used for music as it is defined today, specifically in terms of instrumentality?
• Which style is commonly described as having syncopation on the second beat?
• Which phrase names the three vocal registers for women?
• Which concept describes music selection as a vessel for discovery that leads to comprehensive musicianship through performance?
• Which clef is traditionally used for viola notation?
• The leading tone corresponds to which scale degree?
• Which seating arrangement places parts in columns running front to back, aiding balance in polyphonic textures?
• What is the tenor vocal range listed in the material?
• What is the effect of a cup mute on tone?
• If a teacher instructs a student to produce sound by using the wood of the bow rather than the hair, which term is used?
• In bowed string technique, which term literally means 'with the wood'?
• Which term describes the goal of achieving uniform vowel formation and tone quality across choristers?
• Which mode is described as natural minor; flat 3, 6, 7?
• Which tonal relationship shares the same key signature as its major counterpart and is easy to modulate to by using a shared chord?
• Debussy, Ravel, Messaien, Ligeti, and Crumb are described as which type of composers?
• A polyphonic setting of a sacred Latin text is typical of which musical form?
• Which combination describes the air supply, vibrator, and resonator as the essential vocal components involved in producing sound?
• Which bowing term describes a light detaché performed without changing direction, often under a slur?
• The collection of intervals 1, 4, 5, and 8 are typically categorized as which type of intervals?
• Which term denotes cosmic music in the sense of the order of the cosmos?
• Which mode is associated with flat seven?
• Albeniz, Granados, de Falla are associated with which nationalistic group?
• Which term refers to the uniformity of vowel formation and tone across singers?
• In a triad, if the lowest sounding pitch is the root, the chord is in which position?
• Which term describes the basic building blocks of a tone formed by multiple frequencies in a complex waveform?
• Ternary form is characterized by how many sections?
• Which theory differentiates audiation from aural perception?
• The mediant corresponds to which scale degree?
• What meter is typical of Merengue?
• In musical terminology, a repeating bass line across sections is called what?
• Which scale is defined by a lowered third and seventh degrees?
• Which term indicates playing near the bridge to produce a harsh tone?
• Bartok and Kodaly are associated with which nationalistic group?
• Which bowing technique yields a slight detachment of notes without changing the direction of the bow?
• Which mute uses a plunger to alter the instrument's sound?
• A triad in which the third is the lowest sounding pitch is called which inversion?
• Which term describes notes of a chord played in sequence rather than simultaneously?
• Which ornament is typically described as being approached by the same tone and resolved by stepping down?
• The submediant corresponds to which scale degree in a major scale?
• Which tonal relationship shares the same tonic pitch as the major key but uses a different key signature?
• The supertonic corresponds to which scale degree?
• In a triad in second inversion, which note is in the bass?
• The treble clef with G3-A7, tuned to GDAE, is associated with which instrument's range and tuning?
• Which movement is defined as the 20th-century version of the late Romantic period, featuring light textures and a transparent melody line?
• Using the upper third of the bow to bounce on the down bow corresponds to which term?
• Which term involves bouncing the bow on the upper third for rapid articulation?
• Which concept is described as tessitura?
• Which term describes a secular musician from northern France?
• Which term denotes music as it is defined today, focusing on instrumental sound production?
• Which mode has the interval alteration flat 2, 3, 6, 7?
• Which Polish dance emphasizes the second or third beats and has several stylistic forms?
• Which nationalistic group includes Bartok and Kodaly?
• Which term corresponds to flute transposition and range?
• Which theory is primarily associated with differentiating audiation from aural perception and guiding music literacy development?
• Which term describes lines moving in the same direction but not maintaining the same interval?
• Which sequencing concept involves analyzing content for main idea and ranking by hierarchy?
• Grieg and Sibelius are best described as which national group?
• The triad in which the fifth is the lowest sounding pitch is known as which inversion?
• Which ancient philosopher is associated with the use of weighed hammers to discover musical intervals?
• Which mute is placed inside the bell to produce a muffled sound?
• Tenor line derived from plainchant with upper voices in French or Latin is typical of which medieval form?
• Which term describes a light detaché without changing bow direction?
• Which term refers to cosmic music, the idea of universal order in music?
• The triad in which the seventh is the lowest sounding pitch is called what inversion?
• Which concept emphasizes using performance as the central vehicle for comprehensive musical learning?
• Which style emerged in the late 1940s as a fusion of Afro-Latin music with American jazz?
• The term for a light, connected detaché produced without changing the bow direction is:
• Which term refers to the concept of movement of spirits within humans in early music theory?
• The double bass is tuned to which tuning?
• Which term describes scale degree V?
• Which mute is listed without a descriptive tonal effect?
• Which vocal register is associated with lower ranges and a heavier tonal quality?
• Which set lists tempo markings from slowest to fastest?
• Which cadence is characterized by both chords in root position and the tonic in the highest voice?
• Which term describes lines moving in the same direction while maintaining the same interval?
• Which mode is described as flat 2, 3, 5, 6, 7?
• In chord theory, what is the term for a triad in which the root is the lowest sounding pitch?
• In counterpoint, what is the term for two melodic lines that move in opposite directions?
• What term describes a musical form where the same melody is used for multiple verses with different text?
• Which texture uses chords played together, closely aligned with meter?
• Which section features modulation and tension building toward recapitulation?
• Which tonal relationship shares the same key signature as its major counterpart but has a different tonic?
• What is the effect of ostinato in accompaniment?
• A cadence that resolves from V to I with the tonic in the soprano and in root position is called a
• Which melodic figure is described as being approached by a leap and left by step?
• Which instrument is commonly linked to Calypso music?
• In organum, which term denotes the harmony written a perfect fifth away from the cantus?
• Which mallet technique uses the first mallet between the thumb and index fingers and the second between the middle and ring fingers, with mallets not crossing and the greatest independence of movement?
• Which technique is described as bouncing notes with the middle of the bow?
• Which phrase names the three vocal registers for men?
• If a major interval is lowered by two half steps, what is the resulting quality?
• The cadence formed by V to I or V to i is called which term?
• Which accompaniment structure features a repeating bass line with the upper figures staying constant?
• Which term names the philosophy that music shapes moral character and behavior?
• Which term means with fire?
• Which term refers to medieval polyphony with a precomposed Gregorian chant and one or more additional lines?
• Which technique involves playing near the bridge to produce a harsh, grating sound?
• Which term literally means 'with the wood' in bowed string technique?
• If a major interval is raised by a half step, what is the resulting quality?
• Which style uses the clave rhythmic device?
• Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Holst are associated with which national group?
• Which section resolves tension back to tonic, sometimes with a coda?
• Who is associated with breaking kinesthetic experiences into individual units?
• Which seating arrangement features parts separated front to back, best for homophonic textures where singers cannot hear other parts?
• Which term refers to Brazilian rhythms such as samba integrated with European and American music?
• Which movement is described as having no strict harmonic rules, soft colors with constant movement, and no sectional border?
• Which vocal technique involves singing with an open throat and a relaxed, freer sound that eases register transitions?
• In functional harmony, the tonic corresponds to which scale degree?
• The intervals 2, 3, 6, and 7 are typically major intervals that become certain qualities when altered; which statement best describes them?
• The bass clef with range Bb1-Bb4 corresponds to which instrument's typical range?
• Which harmonic device involves a note held from the previous chord into the next, creating a temporary dissonance?
• The movement associated with a shift toward clarity and order in music during the 20th century is known as which movement?
• Which term means 'with grace'?
• In traditional voice leading, which term describes a tone that is approached by step and left by step in the same direction?
• The bass, tenor, or treble clef, C2-C6; tuned to CGDA corresponds to which instrument's range?
• Which texture is defined as a single melodic line with no accompanying music, i.e., one line with one sound?
• Which term describes a secular musician from Germany?
• The subdominant corresponds to which scale degree?
• The six activities listed (creating, performing, presenting, producing, responding, connecting) correspond to what framework?
• Which description matches call and response, a cappella, male voices, no fixed meter, and monophonic texture?
• Which tonal relationship shares the same tonic pitch as its parallel major and is often contrasted with the relative minor?
• Which style originated from Afro-Cuban movement and is defined by distinctive riffs in rhythm and bass sections with syncopation on the second beat?
• Which technique is used for a percussive, hammered bow stroke?
• The era described as 476-1450; marked by the fall of Rome is called what?
• Which mode has a sharp 4?
• Hammered bow stroke corresponds to which term?
• The submediant corresponds to which scale degree?
• Which description best characterizes the group Debussy, Ravel, Messaien, Ligeti, and Crumb?
• Which term means with spirit?
• Which concept describes the movement of spirits inside humans as related to music theory?
• Which accompaniment technique involves playing the notes of a chord in sequence rather than all at once?
• Which mode is associated with the interval alteration flat 3 and flat 7?
• Smetana, Dvorak, and Janacek are best described as which group?
• What is the term for motion in which one line remains stationary while the other moves?
• Which technique is described to improve choral intonation?
• Which dance form is commonly associated with 3/4 time?
• The Ionian mode is another name for which scale type?
• Merengue is associated with which region?
• Which instrument's transposition and range is described as piccolo transposition and range?
• What term describes rhythm that is independent of meter?
• C4-G5 is commonly used to describe the vocal range of which voice part?
• Ives, Harris, Gershwin, and Copland are associated with which nationalistic group?
• Which term literally translates to 'with the wood' and describes a wood-bow technique?
• In organum, which term refers to the voice that carries the original chant?
• Which term refers to the added voice sounding a fifth away from the cantus?
• Which technique describes a tremolo-like effect on two adjacent strings?
• Which mute is known for its bright, buzzy timbre and is widely used in jazz?
• If a major interval is lowered by a half step, what is the resulting quality?
• Which bowing term describes a light detaché produced without changing bow direction?
• Which of the following is a wood-based bowing technique?
• Which timbre is described as having a high palate, open sound, vibrato, and pure vowel tones?
• Which mute produces the wah-wah effect?
• Which style started in Rio in the late 1950s, with the acoustic guitar as principal instrument and a duple rhythm that starts on the downbeat and is swung?
• Which term describes a light, detached bow stroke without changing the bow direction?
• A cadence that ends with the V chord is called a ...
• In the fixed do system, what is the treatment of Do?
• Which statement describes movable do?
• Which Polish dance emphasizes the second or third beats?
• What term refers to the range in which a vocal part resonates best?
• In rounded binary form, the B section must be contrasting.
• Which bowing term indicates a light, even stroke without changing bow direction?
• Which minor scale has lowered 3rd ascending and natural minor descending?
• Which mallet technique describes the second mallet held between index and middle fingers, with the end underneath all four fingers?
• Which list comprises commonly cited Minimalist composers?
• Which dance associated with southern Germany and Austria emphasizes the downbeat, includes an intro and coda, and is typically fast?
• In traditional voice leading, which term describes a tone that is approached by step and left by leap in the opposite direction?
• Which warm-up method is described for the bass range?
• In sonata form, what is the transitional passage between the first and second subjects called?
• Which mode has a flat 7?
• Which voice type is described as having the highest ranges with a breathy and airy tonal quality?
• Which pedagogy emphasizes making the body the instrument of musical learning?