Music is a universal language that connects people across cultures. Riddles about music provide a fun and challenging way to test your knowledge and appreciation of this artform. Below are 59 riddles about various aspects of music – from instruments and genres to composers and songs. See how many you can get right!
Riddles about musical instruments
Let’s start with some riddles about different musical instruments:
Riddle 1
I have strings but I’m not a racket, I have keys but I’m not a keyboard. What am I?
Answer: A guitar
Riddle 2
I’m not a bird but I have wings, I’m not an airplane but I can soar. What am I?
Answer: A violin
Riddle 3
You can play me softly or loudly, open or closed. I come in many sizes but am easy to carry. What am I?
Answer: A harmonica
Riddle 4
I’m a percussion instrument you can hit or shake me. You’ll find me in many sizes from large to small. What am I?
Answer: A maraca
Riddle 5
I’m long and hollow with holes you can cover to make different sounds. What am I?
Answer: A flute
Riddle 6
I’m not a church and have no bells, but ring me and you’ll hear my beautiful swells. What am I?
Answer: A glockenspiel
Riddle 7
Hit my stretched skin and I’ll make quite a sound, move your hands up and down to vary the tone. What am I?
Answer: A drum
Riddle 8
I’m the smallest member of the orchestra, tiny yet so important. High notes are my forte. What am I?
Answer: A piccolo
Riddles about musical genres
Let’s switch gears to some riddles about different musical genres:
Riddle 9
I may use a banjo or fiddle to croon a folksy tune, you’ll tap your toes as I sing beneath the moon. What genre am I?
Answer: Country
Riddle 10
With poetic lyrics and acoustics often mild, I’m a gentle genre for the sensitive child. What am I?
Answer: Folk
Riddle 11
You’ll hear me blasting out of big speakers at dances, I feature strong beats that you can sing and prance to. What genre am I?
Answer: Dance music
Riddle 12
I got my start in the neighborhoods of Detroit city, with funky beats and lyrics that are socially witty. What genre am I?
Answer: Hip hop
Riddle 13
I got my start down in New Orleans, played on trumpets and trombones. You can’t help but tap your feet when you hear my syncopated beats. What genre am I?
Answer: Jazz
Riddle 14
I peaked in the 80s with energetic pop songs, oversized hairdos, and neon fashion thongs. What genre am I?
Answer: Hair metal
Riddle 15
You’ll hear me played in coffee shops with mellow vocals and mild guitar strums, I’m folksy music great for relaxing hums. What genre am I?
Answer: Acoustic
Riddles about music composers
Now let’s try some riddles about famous composers:
Riddle 16
I’m a Baroque composer who went deaf near the end, yet still composed masterpieces amateurs recommend. Who am I?
Answer: Beethoven
Riddle 17
I’m a Polish composer of mazurkas and polonaises, known for my nationalistic classical pieces. Who am I?
Answer: Chopin
Riddle 18
I’m a Russian composer of ballets like The Firebird, my music is rhythmic, colorful and often absurd. Who am I?
Answer: Stravinsky
Riddle 19
I’m an Austrian composer who created many symphonies, I’m known as the “Father of the Symphony”. Who am I?
Answer: Joseph Haydn
Riddle 20
I’m a Baroque composer of concertos and oratorios, famous for Messiah’s Hallelujah choruses. Who am I?
Answer: Handel
Riddle 21
I’m a Romantic era pianist and show-off composer, known for my Hungarian Rhapsodies and other dramatic works. Who am I?
Answer: Franz Liszt
Riddle 22
I’m an Austrian composer of over 600 lieder and nine symphonies – I aimed for purity in melody and form. Who am I?
Answer: Schubert
Riddle 23
I’m a Russian composer of intense ballets and symphonies, including The Rite of Spring with its violent history. Who am I?
Answer: Stravinsky
Riddles about musical songs
How about some riddles based on famous musical songs and compositions?
Riddle 24
I’m a Queen song with lyrics “any way the wind blows” and a stone cold crazy guitarist solo. What am I?
Answer: Bohemian Rhapsody
Riddle 25
I’m a Beetles tune that starts with the lines “Picture yourself in a boat on a river”. What song am I?
Answer: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Riddle 26
I’m a song by The Clash about fighting for your rights in an urban slum. What am I?
Answer: Guns of Brixton
Riddle 27
I’m a jazz standard sung by Ella Fitzgerald about someone who brimgs spring wherever they go. What am I?
Answer: April in Paris
Riddle 28
I’m a Broadway tune about an optimistic orphan with a hard-knock life. What am I?
Answer: Tomorrow from Annie
Riddle 29
I’m a rock ballad by Bon Jovi about being there for someone when they need you. What am I?
Answer: I’ll Be There for You
Riddle 30
I’m a showtune about the hot winds and sights of Morocco. What am I?
Answer: Africa from Wicked
Riddle 31
I’m a piano tune used in cartoons that sounds like galloping horses. What am I?
Answer: The William Tell Overture by Rossini
Riddles about music theory and reading music
Let’s switch to some music theory and reading music riddles:
Riddle 32
I’m the symbol called the “backbone of music” and indicate the pitch and duration of notes. What am I?
Answer: The staff
Riddle 33
I’m the distance between two musical pitches, the space between notes. What am I?
Answer: An interval
Riddle 34
I’m the written symbol that tells you to play softly. What am I?
Answer: Piano
Riddle 35
I’m the symbol that looks like a fancy E and tells you to gradually get louder. What am I?
Answer: Crescendo
Riddle 36
I’m the symbol that looks like a fancy D and tells you to gradually get softer. What am I?
Answer: Diminuendo
Riddle 37
I’m the repetitive rhythm that underlies a piece of music. What am I?
Answer: Ostinato
Riddle 38
I’m the written symbol that tells you to pause briefly in the music. What am I?
Answer: A rest
Riddle 39
I’m the basic unit of musical time – the steady pulse that underlies music. What am I?
Answer: Beat
Riddle 40
I’m the speed at which music moves based on beats per minute. What am I?
Answer: Tempo
Riddles about music history
Let’s explore some music history in the next set of riddles:
Riddle 41
I’m a period from 1600-1750 known for ornate Baroque music with terraced dynamics. What am I?
Answer: The Baroque era
Riddle 42
I’m an influential composer born in 1685 who created concertos and fugues. Who am I?
Answer: Bach
Riddle 43
I’m a Classical era composer born in 1756 who created symphonies and sonatas. Who am I?
Answer: Mozart
Riddle 44
I’m an early keyboard instrument with strings plucked by quills that was popular in the 1600s. What am I?
Answer: The harpsichord
Riddle 45
I’m a brass instrument invented around 1500 that was very prominent in Bach’s compositions. What am I?
Answer: The trumpet
Riddle 46
I’m an opera term meaning an elaborate solo passage showing off the singer’s vocal skills. What am I?
Answer: Coloratura
Riddle 47
I’m an 1800s movement striving for freer musical expression led by composers like Chopin. What am I?
Answer: Romanticism
Riddle 48
I’m an early 1900s musical movement featuring dissonance, rhythm, and modernist experimentation. What am I?
Answer: Modernism
Riddles about musical roles and professions
Let’s move on to some music career riddles:
Riddle 49
I stand in front waving a baton – it’s my job to interpret the music for all. What am I?
Answer: A conductor
Riddle 50
I play keyboard instruments and am a coach and accompanist to singers and soloists. What am I?
Answer: A pianist
Riddle 51
I’m an expert at tuning and repairing pianos, harps, and other string instruments. What am I?
Answer: A piano tuner
Riddle 52
I’m a singer who performs operas – I have strong lungs and loud vocal power. What am I?
Answer: An opera singer
Riddle 53
I’m a musician who improvises and performs jazz solos. Skilled fingers and creative flair are my tools. What am I?
Answer: A jazz musician
Riddle 54
I write and arrange music, often for orchestras and musical theatre. What’s my job?
Answer: Composer
Riddle 55
I play melodies and harmonies on a keyboard instrument with pedals and pipes. What am I?
Answer: An organist
Riddles about miscellaneous music concepts
Finally, a few more music riddles for fun:
Riddle 56
I’m a curved marking that indicates the volume and intensity of the music. What am I?
Answer: Dynamics
Riddle 57
I’m a musical pause or breath mark notated by a comma-like symbol. What am I?
Answer: Caesura
Riddle 58
I’m the highness or lowness of musical pitch. What am I?
Answer: Register
Riddle 59
I’m the overall quality of sound of a song or composition. What am I?
Answer: Timbre
Conclusion
How’d you do with these musical riddles? Riddles provide a fun way to engage our brains and appreciate the diverse world of music more deeply. Whether it’s instruments, theory, history or songs, there’s always more to discover in this complex artform that connects us all.
Next time you listen to a piece of music, consider creating a riddle to describe it. Getting friends and family to guess the answer is a great way to spark meaningful discussions about music. With an open and curious mind, there’s always more to appreciate in the musical notes that fill our lives!
