Music: High School: 9th and 10th Grade Quiz - Jazz Improvisation (Questions)

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Blues music is synonymous with jazz. The word 'jazz' began as a West Coast slang term and was first used to refer to music in Chicago in about 1915.

This Music quiz looks specifically at the basics of Jazz, Blues, Jazz Improvisation, Scales, Structures, Chord patterns etc.

1. Blues music originated in .......
[ ] African-American communities (USA) in late 19th century
[ ] France - in the 1970s in revolt to mainstream rock
[ ] London - in the 1960s
[ ] USA - 1999, as a new music to celebrate the millennium
2. A blue note is a .......
[ ] dynamic function
[ ] note played a bit lower than its pitch in a major scale
[ ] rhythmic function
[ ] special painted key on a keyboard instrument
3. What best describes a motif (or 'motive')?
[ ] A type of sheet music printing font
[ ] A type of 18th century dance
[ ] A short and recurring characteristic musical fragment
[ ] None of the above
4. In that case, what best describes a riff?
[ ] A repeated backing progression/melodic figure
[ ] A swishing sound generated by an electric guitar
[ ] A type of Indian flute
[ ] None of the above
5. Music derived from modes and transpositions of the 'white note scale' is commonly referred to as .......
[ ] balugan
[ ] diatonic
[ ] ionian
[ ] melorhythmic
6. 'Call and response' is a succession of .......
[ ] different dynamics
[ ] different key signatures over 8 bars
[ ] different time signatures over 4 bars
[ ] two distinct phrases often played by different musicians
7. Which chord symbols move from tonic to dominant?
[ ] I - IV
[ ] I - II
[ ] II - V - I
[ ] None of the above
8. Which chord/bar structure is common in blues/jazz?
[ ] 1-bar
[ ] 2-bar
[ ] 3-bar
[ ] 12-bar
9. Which instruments make up a rhythm section in a band?
[ ] Piano
[ ] Double-bass
[ ] Drums
[ ] All of the above
10. Which was a famous blues/jazz musician?
[ ] J.S. Bach
[ ] Lang Lang
[ ] Ludwig Van Beethoven
[ ] Miles Davis
Music: High School: 9th and 10th Grade Quiz - Jazz Improvisation (Answers)
1. Blues music originated in .......
[x] African-American communities (USA) in late 19th century
[ ] France - in the 1970s in revolt to mainstream rock
[ ] London - in the 1960s
[ ] USA - 1999, as a new music to celebrate the millennium
Particularly from the Deep south, it is derived from spirituals, work songs, chants, shouts and simple ballads
2. A blue note is a .......
[ ] dynamic function
[x] note played a bit lower than its pitch in a major scale
[ ] rhythmic function
[ ] special painted key on a keyboard instrument
Its function is entirely expressive and is a key element of the blues scale
3. What best describes a motif (or 'motive')?
[ ] A type of sheet music printing font
[ ] A type of 18th century dance
[x] A short and recurring characteristic musical fragment
[ ] None of the above
4. In that case, what best describes a riff?
[x] A repeated backing progression/melodic figure
[ ] A swishing sound generated by an electric guitar
[ ] A type of Indian flute
[ ] None of the above
A riff is an ostinato figure that forms the basis of a composition. It's very commonly found in rock and jazz music
5. Music derived from modes and transpositions of the 'white note scale' is commonly referred to as .......
[ ] balugan
[x] diatonic
[ ] ionian
[ ] melorhythmic
6. 'Call and response' is a succession of .......
[ ] different dynamics
[ ] different key signatures over 8 bars
[ ] different time signatures over 4 bars
[x] two distinct phrases often played by different musicians
Second phrase = often heard as commentary/'response' to the first
7. Which chord symbols move from tonic to dominant?
[ ] I - IV
[ ] I - II
[ ] II - V - I
[x] None of the above
Tonic to dominant = I - V. V - I = dominant to tonic!
8. Which chord/bar structure is common in blues/jazz?
[ ] 1-bar
[ ] 2-bar
[ ] 3-bar
[x] 12-bar
9. Which instruments make up a rhythm section in a band?
[ ] Piano
[ ] Double-bass
[ ] Drums
[x] All of the above
10. Which was a famous blues/jazz musician?
[ ] J.S. Bach
[ ] Lang Lang
[ ] Ludwig Van Beethoven
[x] Miles Davis