Music Theory Quiz
Practise the music theory basics with instant feedback. Name notes on the treble and bass staff, identify key signatures, intervals, chord qualities and scales, see every question on a staff and a piano keyboard, and hear the answer. Pick a difficulty, try the 60-second timed mode and track your scores.
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Name this note
Answer as many questions as you can in 60 seconds.
Score history
| Date | Topic | Level | Mode | Score | Accuracy |
|---|
How to use the Music Theory Quiz
- Choose a topic: note names, key signatures, intervals, chords, scales, or Mixed for a bit of everything.
- Pick a difficulty. Easy keeps to the treble staff and simple cases; Medium adds the bass clef and accidentals; Hard covers every key and less common chords, scales and intervals.
- Answer by clicking a button or pressing its number key. You see the right answer, an explanation, and you hear it.
- Turn on Timed mode and press Start timed round to see how many you can get right in 60 seconds.
- Press Finish & save round in practice mode to add your score to the history table.
Music theory cheat sheet
Intervals by semitones
| Semitones | Interval | Example from C | Also spelled as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minor 2nd | C–D♭ | Augmented unison (C–C♯) |
| 2 | Major 2nd | C–D | Diminished 3rd |
| 3 | Minor 3rd | C–E♭ | Augmented 2nd (C–D♯) |
| 4 | Major 3rd | C–E | Diminished 4th |
| 5 | Perfect 4th | C–F | Augmented 3rd |
| 6 | Tritone | C–F♯ / C–G♭ | Augmented 4th / diminished 5th |
| 7 | Perfect 5th | C–G | Diminished 6th |
| 8 | Minor 6th | C–A♭ | Augmented 5th (C–G♯) |
| 9 | Major 6th | C–A | Diminished 7th (C–B♭♭) |
| 10 | Minor 7th | C–B♭ | Augmented 6th |
| 11 | Major 7th | C–B | Diminished octave |
| 12 | Octave | C–C |
Key signatures and the circle of fifths
| Sharps / flats | Major key | Relative minor | Accidentals in order |
|---|---|---|---|
| none | C | A minor | – |
| 1 ♯ | G | E minor | F♯ |
| 2 ♯ | D | B minor | F♯ C♯ |
| 3 ♯ | A | F♯ minor | F♯ C♯ G♯ |
| 4 ♯ | E | C♯ minor | F♯ C♯ G♯ D♯ |
| 5 ♯ | B | G♯ minor | + A♯ |
| 6 ♯ | F♯ | D♯ minor | + E♯ |
| 7 ♯ | C♯ | A♯ minor | + B♯ |
| 1 ♭ | F | D minor | B♭ |
| 2 ♭ | B♭ | G minor | B♭ E♭ |
| 3 ♭ | E♭ | C minor | B♭ E♭ A♭ |
| 4 ♭ | A♭ | F minor | B♭ E♭ A♭ D♭ |
| 5 ♭ | D♭ | B♭ minor | + G♭ |
| 6 ♭ | G♭ | E♭ minor | + C♭ |
| 7 ♭ | C♭ | A♭ minor | + F♭ |
A handy memory aid: sharps are added in the order F C G D A E B ("Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle") and flats in the reverse order B E A D G C F.
Reading the staff
- Treble clef lines (bottom to top): E G B D F. Spaces: F A C E.
- Bass clef lines: G B D F A. Spaces: A C E G.
- Middle C sits on one ledger line below the treble staff or one ledger line above the bass staff.
- An accidental lasts until the end of the bar, and applies only to that line or space.
How to get better at music theory, fast
- Practise little and often: five minutes a day on one topic works better than an hour once a week.
- Start on Easy until you score above 90%, then move up. Accuracy first, speed second.
- Use Timed mode to build fluency once you know the material: the goal is to recognise, not to count.
- Always listen to the sound after you answer. Linking how an interval or chord looks to how it sounds helps both your reading and your ear.
Frequently asked questions
What topics does this music theory quiz cover?
Note names on the treble and bass staff, major and minor key signatures, intervals from a minor 2nd to an octave, chord qualities (major, minor, diminished, augmented and five kinds of 7th chord) and scales (major, the three minor forms, pentatonic, blues and four modes). The Mixed tab draws questions from all of them.
How can I quickly recognise key signatures?
For sharp keys, the major key is one half step above the last sharp: the last sharp in three sharps is G sharp, so the key is A major. For flat keys, the second-to-last flat names the major key: three flats end in B flat, E flat, A flat, so the key is E flat major. F major (one flat) has to be memorised. The relative minor is always three half steps below the major key.
How do I identify an interval on the staff?
First count the letter names from the lower note to the upper one, including both: C to E is a 3rd because C, D, E is three letters. Then count semitones to find the quality: 4 semitones makes a major 3rd, 3 a minor 3rd. Unisons, 4ths, 5ths and octaves are called perfect; 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths are major or minor, and one semitone more or less makes them augmented or diminished.
What is the difference between major, minor, diminished and augmented chords?
All four are triads built from stacked thirds. A major triad is a major 3rd plus a minor 3rd (C-E-G), minor is minor 3rd plus major 3rd (C-Eb-G), diminished is two minor 3rds (C-Eb-Gb) and augmented is two major 3rds (C-E-G#). Major sounds bright, minor darker, diminished tense and augmented unresolved.
Why is the same piano key sometimes called by two names?
Notes such as F sharp and G flat sound the same on a piano but are written differently because of the interval or key they belong to. A major 3rd above D is F sharp (D-E-F, three letters), while a minor 3rd above E flat is G flat. This quiz always spells answers correctly for their context, which is why Hard mode includes augmented and diminished intervals.
Is my score saved?
Yes. Finished rounds and timed rounds are stored in your browser's local storage on this device only, so nothing is uploaded and you do not need an account. Use Clear history to remove them.
Is this quiz suitable for music exams?
The questions cover the core written theory found in early grades of common music theory curricula: staff reading, key signatures, intervals, triads, 7th chords and scales. It is a practice tool, so use it alongside the specific syllabus of your exam board.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.