Music · Unit 12

Intervals and Chords

Intervals, triads and how chords are built

An interval is the distance between two notes, and once you can hear intervals, chords stop being shapes to memorise and become things you can reason about.

The unit covers intervals, triads, major and minor chords, harmony basics, and chord progressions.

This unit breaks down into 24 short steps and 124 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: 24
Questions: 124
Difficulty: 1-5

What this unit covers

Intervals
Triads
Major and Minor Chords
Chord Progressions
Harmony Basics

Where this fits

Needs Scales and Keys. Required for Harmony and Texture.

Where people slip

The difference between a major and a minor triad is one note moving by a semitone. That single change accounts for most of the emotional difference people hear.

How the unit is structured

Intervals and Chords runs as 24 short steps that unlock in order. 18 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 24 · 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 124 in the unit altogether.

Chord Progressions

True or falseLevel 1
1. A chord progression is made of just one single chord.
Answer: False
A progression needs several chords in a row; one chord alone is not a progression.
Multiple choiceLevel 2
2. A chord progression is best described as what?
- A series of chords played in ordercorrect
- A single note held for a long time
- The name of a fast tempo
- A drum pattern with no pitch
A chord progression is a series of chords played one after another.
Choose all that applyLevel 3
3. Which chords belong to the key of C major with no sharps or flats? (Choose three.)
- C majorcorrect
- F majorcorrect
- G majorcorrect
- F sharp major
- E flat major
C major, F major, and G major all fit the C major scale, which uses only white keys.
Fill the blankLevel 3
4. The tonic chord in a key is written with the Roman numeral ____.
- Icorrect
- V
- IV
- vi
The tonic, or home chord, is chord number one, written I.
Match the pairsLevel 3
5. In the key of C major, match each Roman numeral to its chord.
Answer: I = C major; IV = F major; V = G major; vi = A minor
Each numeral names the chord built on that scale degree in C major.
Odd one outLevel 4
6. Which of these is NOT a type of cadence?
- Arpeggiocorrect
- Authentic
- Plagal
- Half
Authentic, plagal, and half are cadences; an arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time.

Harmony Basics

Fill the blankLevel 1
7. Three or more notes played at the same time make a ____.
- chordcorrect
- rest
- scale
- tempo
A chord is three or more notes sounding together.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
8. Harmony happens when what occurs?
- Two or more notes sound at the same timecorrect
- One note is played very loudly
- The music suddenly stops
- A drum is hit once
Harmony is created when two or more notes sound at the same time.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
9. Which of these involve more than one note sounding together? (Choose two.)
- A chordcorrect
- Harmonycorrect
- A single held note
- A silent rest
A chord and harmony both need two or more notes sounding at once.
Match the pairsLevel 2
10. Match each music word to its meaning.
Answer: Melody = One note at a time; Harmony = Notes sounding together; Chord = Three or more notes at once; Interval = Distance between two notes
These are the basic building blocks of melody and harmony.
Sort into groupsLevel 2
11. Sort each item into 'One note at a time' or 'Notes together'.
Answer: A melody = One note at a time; A single voice singing alone = One note at a time; A chord = Notes together; Harmony = Notes together
Melody and a single voice are one note at a time; chords and harmony stack notes together.
True or falseLevel 2
12. A melody is one note at a time, while harmony is several notes stacked together.
Answer: True
Melody moves one note at a time; harmony adds notes stacked underneath or above.

Intervals

Multiple choiceLevel 1
13. In music, what is an interval?
- The distance between two notescorrect
- A loud drum beat
- The name of a song
- A silent pause
An interval is simply the distance in pitch between two notes.
Odd one outLevel 1
14. Which one of these is NOT the name of an interval?
- Drumcorrect
- Third
- Fifth
- Octave
Third, fifth, and octave are intervals; a drum is an instrument, not an interval.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
15. Which of these are names of intervals? (Choose three.)
- Thirdcorrect
- Fifthcorrect
- Octavecorrect
- Drumroll
- Verse
Third, fifth, and octave all name distances between two notes.
Fill the blankLevel 2
16. Going from one note up to the next note with the same name is an interval called an ____.
- octavecorrect
- second
- rest
- clef
An octave connects two notes that share the same letter name.
Guess the numberLevel 2
17. How many letter names does a fifth span, counting both the bottom and top notes (as in C up to G)?
Answer: 5 notes
C, D, E, F, G is five letters, which is why the interval is called a fifth.
Match the pairsLevel 4
18. Match each interval to its number of half steps.
Answer: Minor third = 3 half steps; Major third = 4 half steps; Perfect fifth = 7 half steps; Octave = 12 half steps
Counting half steps: minor third is 3, major third is 4, perfect fifth is 7, and an octave is 12.

Major and Minor Chords

Multiple choiceLevel 1
19. A major chord usually sounds how?
- Bright and happycorrect
- Sad and gloomy
- Scary and tense
- Silent and empty
Major chords tend to sound bright and happy.
Odd one outLevel 1
20. Which word does NOT describe the usual mood of a minor chord?
- Cheerfulcorrect
- Sad
- Dark
- Gloomy
Minor chords usually sound sad, dark, or gloomy, not cheerful.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
21. Which three notes belong in a G major chord? (Choose three.)
- Gcorrect
- Bcorrect
- Dcorrect
- C
- F
A G major chord is built from G, B, and D.
Fill the blankLevel 2
22. The note that decides whether a chord is major or minor is the ____.
- thirdcorrect
- root
- fifth
- octave
The third of the chord is what makes it sound major or minor.
Match the pairsLevel 2
23. Match each chord to its three notes.
Answer: C major = C, E, G; G major = G, B, D; A minor = A, C, E
Each triad is spelled from its root by stacking the correct thirds.
Sort into groupsLevel 3
24. Sort each chord as Major or Minor.
Answer: C, E, G = Major; G, B, D = Major; A, C, E = Minor; D, F, A = Minor
Major chords use a major third; minor chords use a minor third above the root.

Triads

Fill the blankLevel 1
25. Three notes stacked in thirds make a chord called a ____.
- triadcorrect
- melody
- scale
- beat
A triad is the three-note chord built by stacking thirds.
Multiple choiceLevel 1
26. A triad is a chord made of how many notes?
- Threecorrect
- Two
- Five
- Eight
The word triad comes from three, so a triad has three notes.
Choose all that applyLevel 2
27. Which of these are the three parts of a basic triad? (Choose three.)
- Rootcorrect
- Thirdcorrect
- Fifthcorrect
- Seventh
- Rest
A basic triad is made of a root, a third, and a fifth.
Odd one outLevel 2
28. Which one is NOT one of the three notes in a basic triad?
- Restcorrect
- Root
- Third
- Fifth
A basic triad has a root, third, and fifth; a rest is a silence, not a chord note.
True or falseLevel 2
29. A triad is built by stacking notes that are a third apart.
Answer: True
Triads are built in thirds: root, then a third above, then another third above that.
Match the pairsLevel 3
30. Match each triad quality to a chord that has it.
Answer: Major triad = C, E, G; Minor triad = A, C, E; Diminished triad = B, D, F
Each quality comes from the exact thirds stacked above the root.

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 Intervals and Chords

124 questions across 24 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Intervals and Chords

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 →