Module 8 mini-test

1. What is the difference between voicing and accompaniment pattern?

2. What is Alberti bass?

3. What is the basic waltz pattern?

4. Why are dense low-register triads often undesirable?

5. If LH plays the root, does RH need to repeat it?

6. What determines whether the melody is heard clearly above accompaniment?

7. What is harmonic density?

8. What is a simple stride pattern?

9. Why should accompaniment sometimes change at phrase boundaries?

10. When one hand becomes more rhythmically active, what should you often do with the other?

Answers

1. Voicing = where chord notes are placed; pattern = when/how those notes are played in time.
2. A broken-chord pattern traditionally like low-high-middle-high.
3. Bass – chord – chord in 3/4.
4. They can sound muddy because closely spaced low frequencies overlap strongly.
5. No.
6. Primarily register, dynamics, articulation, and duration; melody usually needs to project above the accompaniment.
7. How sparse or full the texture is.
8. Alternating a low bass note/octave with a higher chord.
9. Texture can reinforce musical punctuation and form.
10. Simplify it.

The big lesson of Module 8 is:

The same chord progression can become many different pieces of music depending on rhythm, register, spacing, and texture.

In Module 9, we’ll go deeper into voice leading and chord voicings, especially how pianists move through progressions with almost no wasted motion, how to control the top melody and bass simultaneously, and how to begin creating the smooth, rich sound associated with jazz and sophisticated pop piano.