Music · Unit 13

Harmony and Texture

Melody with harmony, and the layers of a piece

Texture is how many independent musical lines are sounding and how they relate, and it is one of the quickest ways to place a piece historically.

The unit covers melody with harmony, monophony through to polyphony, counterpoint, and accompaniment.

This unit breaks down into 23 short steps and 119 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 5. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps: 23
Questions: 119
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Melody and Harmony
Musical Texture
Monophony to Polyphony
Counterpoint
Accompaniment

Where this fits

Needs Intervals and Chords.

Where people slip

Harmony and counterpoint approach the same material differently. Harmony asks what chord is sounding; counterpoint asks what each line is doing, and a passage can be analysed both ways.

How the unit is structured

Harmony and Texture runs as 23 short steps that unlock in order. 17 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 5 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 23 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 119 in the unit altogether.

Accompaniment

Multiple choiceLevel 1
1. Accompaniment is...?
- the musical background that supports the main tunecorrect
- the main tune itself
- the words of the song
- the name of the singer
The accompaniment is the musical background that supports the main tune.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
2. Which of these are common ways an accompaniment supports a melody? Choose all that apply.
- playing chords under the tunecorrect
- playing a bass linecorrect
- keeping a steady rhythmcorrect
- singing the main tune louder than everyone
Chords, bass lines, and steady rhythms are all typical ways to accompany a tune.
Fill the blankLevel 2
3. The part that backs up and supports the melody is called the ____.
- accompanimentcorrect
- melody
- chorus
- title
Accompaniment is the supporting part that backs up the melody.
Odd one outLevel 2
4. Three of these usually make up the accompaniment. Which one is the main tune instead?
- the lead melodycorrect
- backing chords
- a bass line
- a steady drum part
The lead melody is the main tune, while chords, bass, and drums accompany it.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
5. Sort each part into whether it is usually the Melody or the Accompaniment.
Answer: the lead singer's tune = Melody; a solo violin playing the main theme = Melody; piano chords behind the singer = Accompaniment; the bass line under the tune = Accompaniment
The lead singer carries the melody, while backing chords and bass accompany it.
Match the pairsLevel 3
6. Match each accompaniment type to its description.
Answer: Arpeggio = chord notes played one at a time; Drone = a long held low note; Ostinato = a short repeating pattern; Alberti bass = a broken-chord keyboard pattern
Each of these is a way the background supports a melody in its own style.

Counterpoint

Fill the blankLevel 2
7. In counterpoint, each melodic line is ____ from the others yet still fits with them.
- independentcorrect
- identical
- silent
- louder
Counterpoint keeps each line independent while the lines still sound good together.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
8. Counterpoint is the art of combining...?
- two or more independent melodies that fit togethercorrect
- loud sounds and soft sounds
- fast beats and slow beats
- a melody with no other parts
Counterpoint weaves two or more independent melodies so they fit nicely together.
True or falseLevel 2
9. A round, where the same tune starts at different times, is a simple kind of counterpoint.
Answer: True
In a round the overlapping lines make independent melodies, which is counterpoint.
Type the answerLevel 2
10. What word means two or more independent melodies woven together?
Answer: counterpoint
Counterpoint is the technique of combining independent melodic lines.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
11. Which of these are examples of counterpoint, where independent lines weave together? Choose all that apply.
- a round like 'Frere Jacques'correct
- a canoncorrect
- a Bach fuguecorrect
- one singer alone with no backing
Rounds, canons, and fugues all layer independent melodic lines, which is counterpoint.
Match the pairsLevel 5
12. Match each type of motion between two voices to its description.
Answer: Parallel motion = both move the same way, same interval apart; Contrary motion = voices move in opposite directions; Oblique motion = one voice holds, the other moves; Similar motion = both move the same way, changing interval
Each motion type describes how two independent lines move in relation to each other.

Melody and Harmony

Fill the blankLevel 1
13. The main tune that you whistle is called the ____.
- melodycorrect
- harmony
- drum
- rest
The melody is the tune, the single line of notes you can whistle.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
14. The part of a song you can hum or sing on its own is called the...?
- melodycorrect
- harmony
- tempo
- silence
The melody is the main tune, a line of notes you can sing all by itself.
True or falseLevel 1
15. Harmony is when two or more notes sound at the same time to support the melody.
Answer: True
Harmony means notes sounding together, adding depth beneath the main tune.
Odd one outLevel 2
16. Three of these are supporting parts that go underneath a tune. Which one IS the main tune?
- melodycorrect
- chords
- bass line
- backing harmony
The melody is the main tune, while chords, bass, and backing notes support it.
Type the answerLevel 2
17. What word means notes sounding together to support a tune?
Answer: harmony
Harmony is notes played at the same time to back up the melody.
Fill the blankLevel 3
18. A higher harmony line sung above the main tune, often in a hymn or carol, is called a ____.
- descantcorrect
- bass
- drone
- rest
A descant is a decorative harmony part sung above the main melody.

Monophony to Polyphony

Fill the blankLevel 1
19. The prefix 'mono' means one, so monophony is music with ____ melodic line.
- onecorrect
- two
- many
- no
'Mono' means one, so monophony has just one line of melody.
Match the pairsLevel 2
20. Match each texture word to how many melodic lines it has.
Answer: Monophony = one melodic line; Polyphony = many independent lines; Homophony = a tune with chords under it
Monophony has one line, and polyphony has many independent lines at once.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
21. Monophony means music that has...?
- one single melodic line with no accompanimentcorrect
- many different tunes at once
- a melody with chords under it
- no sound at all
Monophony is a single melodic line on its own, with no supporting parts.
True or falseLevel 2
22. In monophonic music, everyone sings or plays the same single melody together.
Answer: True
Monophony is just one melody, even if many people perform that one line together.
Type the answerLevel 2
23. What word describes music with many independent melody lines at once?
Answer: polyphony
Polyphony means many melodies sounding together, each with its own path.
Put in orderLevel 3
24. Order these textures from the FEWEST layers to the MOST independent layers.
Answer: monophony -> homophony -> polyphony
Monophony has one line, homophony adds chords, and polyphony has many independent lines.

Musical Texture

Choose all that applyLevel 2
25. Which of these can add layers and make a musical texture thicker? Choose all that apply.
- more singers joining incorrect
- adding a harmony partcorrect
- adding more instrumentscorrect
- everyone stopping so one flute plays alone
Extra voices, instruments, and harmony parts all add layers to the texture.
Fill the blankLevel 2
26. Music that has only one or two layers of sound has a ____ texture.
- thincorrect
- thick
- loud
- fast
Few layers make a thin texture, while many layers make a thick one.
Guess the numberLevel 2
27. How many main texture types are usually named in Western music: monophony, homophony, and polyphony?
Answer: 3 textures
There are three main textures: monophony, homophony, and polyphony.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
28. In music, texture describes...?
- how the layers of sound fit togethercorrect
- how loud the music is
- how fast the beat goes
- the words of a song
Texture is about how many layers of sound there are and how they fit together.
Odd one outLevel 2
29. Three of these words are about musical texture. Which one is about volume instead?
- loudcorrect
- thick
- thin
- layers
Loud is about volume, while layers, thick, and thin all describe texture.
Put in orderLevel 2
30. Put these from the THINNEST texture to the THICKEST texture.
Answer: one singer alone -> a singer with a few piano chords -> a small group singing together -> a full choir with a whole orchestra
Each step adds more layers of sound, so the texture grows thicker.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 10 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

Choose all that apply
Fill the blank
Guess the number
Match the pairs
Multiple choice
Odd one out
Put in order
Sort into groups
True or false
Type the answer

Practise Harmony and Texture

119 questions across 23 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Harmony and Texture

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

More units in Music

See all 18 units in Music →