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48 music trivia questions and answers

Instruments and voices, reading music, composers, bands and singers, and styles from jazz to reggae.

48 questions · Music trivia questions and answers · answers included

Updated

Music trivia questions and answers

Choose a score button to add a point. Scores last for this page visit.

Space shows the answer, then the next card. Arrow keys move. With scores on, keys 1 to 6 add a team point. F fills the screen. Escape closes play.

Questions 1–20

  1. 1

    How many strings does a standard guitar usually have?

    easy

    Answer

    Six

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar?oldid=1363122781#Standard

  2. 2

    By what title is Michael Jackson known?

    easy

    Answer

    King of Pop

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson?oldid=1365789727

  3. 3

    What family of instruments includes the violin and cello?

    easy

    Answer

    String instruments

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_instrument?oldid=1358450490#Bowing

  4. 4

    Which band recorded Hey Jude?

    easy

    Answer

    Beatles

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude?oldid=1364208072#Trident_Studios_recording

  5. 5

    What is the highest female classical singing voice?

    medium

    Answer

    Soprano

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soprano?oldid=1352922856

  6. 6

    How many black and white keys do modern pianos usually have?

    easy

    Answer

    88 black and white keys

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano?oldid=1355393921

  7. 7

    Who sang Rolling in the Deep?

    easy

    Answer

    Adele

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_in_the_Deep?oldid=1362147209

  8. 8

    Which symbol tells a musician to play a note one semitone higher?

    medium

    Answer

    The sharp symbol (♯)

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp_(music)?oldid=1365904422

  9. 9

    What is a piece for two pianists on the same piano called?

    easy

    Answer

    Piano duet

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duet?oldid=1364473217

  10. 10

    Which brass instruments use a slide instead of valves?

    medium

    Answer

    Trombones

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombone?oldid=1360776099

  11. 11

    Freddie Mercury is associated with which band?

    easy

    Answer

    Queen

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)?oldid=1363286202#1980%E2%80%931982%3A_The_Game%2C_Hot_Space_and_stadium_tours

  12. 12

    Which singer released the album 21?

    easy

    Answer

    Adele

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_(Adele_album)?oldid=1365033642

  13. 13

    What instrument consists of a collection of percussion instruments arranged for one musician?

    easy

    Answer

    A drum kit

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_kit?oldid=1365098324

  14. 14

    Whose Fifth Symphony opens with the famous da-da-da-dum?

    easy

    Answer

    Ludwig van Beethoven

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._5_(Beethoven)?oldid=1364875978

  15. 15

    What Italian dynamic marking means "soft"?

    medium

    Answer

    Piano

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamics_(music)?oldid=1363925464#Purpose_and_interpretation

  16. 16

    By which decade had compact discs gained a larger market share than records?

    medium

    Answer

    The 1980s

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph_record?oldid=1363388406#Overview

  17. 17

    What genre grew from African American communities in New Orleans?

    medium

    Answer

    Jazz

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz?oldid=1366037228

  18. 18

    Which U2 member has received 22 Grammy Awards?

    hard

    Answer

    Bono

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bono?oldid=1363616445

  19. 19

    What is Taylor Swift’s global fanbase called?

    easy

    Answer

    Swifties

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Swift?oldid=1366009985

  20. 20

    What does a conductor use to guide an orchestra besides hand gestures?

    easy

    Answer

    A baton

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_(conducting)?oldid=1350406264

Questions 21–40

  1. 21

    Which instrument did Louis Armstrong famously play?

    easy

    Answer

    Trumpet

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong?oldid=1365359824#Horn_playing_and_early_jazz

  2. 22

    When did five-line musical staves appear in Italy?

    hard

    Answer

    The 13th century

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staff_(music)?oldid=1365949333#History

  3. 23

    Which four musicians comprised the Beatles?

    easy

    Answer

    John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles?oldid=1365620680

  4. 24

    Which pop group included Ginger, Sporty, Posh, Scary, and Baby?

    easy

    Answer

    The Spice Girls

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spice_Girls?oldid=1365604517

  5. 25

    What does practicing with a metronome help a musician keep?

    easy

    Answer

    A steady tempo

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metronome?oldid=1362031250

  6. 26

    What is an album released after an artist’s death called?

    medium

    Answer

    A posthumous album

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album?oldid=1365601226#Posthumous_album

  7. 27

    Which composer wrote The Four Seasons?

    medium

    Answer

    Antonio Vivaldi

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(Vivaldi)?oldid=1364836830

  8. 28

    Which woodwind instrument is usually made of metal and played with a single reed?

    medium

    Answer

    The saxophone

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone?oldid=1363300049

  9. 29

    Which musical dynamic symbol opens to the right?

    medium

    Answer

    Crescendo

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamics_(music)?oldid=1363925464#Changes

  10. 30

    Who wrote and first recorded Jolene?

    medium

    Answer

    Dolly Parton

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolene?oldid=1362915604

  11. 31

    Which country is strongly associated with the musical style reggae?

    easy

    Answer

    Jamaica

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggae?oldid=1365962231#Cultural_connections

  12. 32

    What do you call singing with no instruments at all?

    easy

    Answer

    A cappella

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_cappella?oldid=1365603117

  13. 33

    Which Fleetwood Mac album was released on 4 February 1977?

    medium

    Answer

    Rumours

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumours_(album)?oldid=1365838700

  14. 34

    Who composed the opera The Magic Flute?

    medium

    Answer

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Flute?oldid=1365787361

  15. 35

    What is it called when a DJ moves a record back and forth under the needle to make rhythmic sounds?

    medium

    Answer

    Scratching

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratching?oldid=1354392180#Turntablism

  16. 36

    Which electronic instrument is played without physical contact by moving the hands near antennas?

    hard

    Answer

    The theremin

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin?oldid=1365072161

  17. 37

    What is the lowest standard adult male singing range?

    medium

    Answer

    Bass

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_(voice_type)?oldid=1360000167

  18. 38

    Which composer continued writing music after becoming profoundly deaf?

    easy

    Answer

    Beethoven

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven?oldid=1366046655#Deafness

  19. 39

    How many strings does the kokyu usually have?

    hard

    Answer

    Three

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koky%C5%AB?oldid=1353068207

  20. 40

    Where does the direction da capo tell a performer to resume?

    hard

    Answer

    From the beginning

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_capo?oldid=1250876939

Questions 41–48

  1. 41

    What 1961 album of Robert Johnson recordings did Columbia release?

    hard

    Answer

    King of the Delta Blues Singers

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson?oldid=1363801381

  2. 42

    What kind of dance is the waltz?

    easy

    Answer

    A ballroom and folk dance

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltz?oldid=1360223344

  3. 43

    Which instrument provides the opening solo in George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue?

    hard

    Answer

    Clarinet

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue?oldid=1361743493#Form_and_analysis

  4. 44

    What is a short musical phrase called that returns with a particular character, place or idea?

    hard

    Answer

    A leitmotif

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitmotif?oldid=1365638282

  5. 45

    What themes do troubadour songs deal with mainly?

    hard

    Answer

    Chivalry and courtly love

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubadour?oldid=1361415168

  6. 46

    Under the A440 standard, how many hertz is the A above middle C?

    hard

    Answer

    440 Hz

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A440_(pitch_standard)?oldid=1364018345

  7. 47

    Which singer-songwriter released Fast Car as her debut single in 1988?

    medium

    Answer

    Tracy Chapman

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Car?oldid=1365482441

  8. 48

    What musical term means a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in one voice?

    hard

    Answer

    Ostinato

    Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostinato?oldid=1354202678

How to play

Don't sing or hum a tune unless you do it for every question. When a question describes a music symbol, read it as written and don't draw it in the air.

Timer and team scores

8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.

60

Pause whenever the group needs more time.

Team Lime's turn

Team Lime: 0

Team Violet: 0