Music is a universal language that connects people across cultures and time. Riddles about music test your knowledge about music theory, composers, instruments, songs and more. Here are 97 riddles about many aspects of music to challenge your brain.
General music riddles
Let’s start with some general music riddles that cover a wide range of musical topics.
Q: I have keys but no locks and space but no room. You can enter but not go outside. What am I?
A: A keyboard.
Q: I make you move when you hear me, even if you’re standing still. What am I?
A: Music.
Q: People buy me to play, but never actually use me. What am I?
A: A musical instrument.
Q: I have a head and a tail but no body. What am I?
A: A musical note.
Q: I come in treble and bass and you can find me all over the place. What am I?
A: Clefs.
Q: I’m a symbol that tells you to be quiet when performing. What am I?
A: Rest.
Q: Stick with me and you can go places. I’ll lead you all over the staff. What am I?
A: Time signature.
Q: I’m found at a concert but I’m not on stage. The performers couldn’t do without me. What am I?
A: Sheet music.
Q: I live in bars but never drink. I love to hang out with sharps and flats. What am I?
A: Musical notes.
Q: You hear me again and again, repeating rhythmically in every song. What am I?
A: The beat.
Riddles about composers
Let’s see how well you know famous composers throughout music history with these riddles.
Q: I’m a Baroque composer who went blind at a young age but mastered the organ and harpsichord. Who am I?
A: Bach.
Q: I’m a Romantic era composer known for my nine symphonies and being deaf near the end of my life. Who am I?
A: Beethoven.
Q: I composed operas like Carmen and symphonic suites like The Arlesienne. Who am I?
A: Bizet.
Q: My compositions included The Four Seasons violin concertos and sacred choral works. Who am I?
A: Vivaldi.
Q: I was a leading composer of the early Classical period and composed over 600 works, including The Magic Flute. Who am I?
A: Mozart.
Q: I composed Pictures at an Exhibition and Night on Bald Mountain. Who am I?
A: Mussorgsky.
Q: I was an influential Baroque composer who created concertos grossi and the Water Music suites. Who am I?
A: Handel.
Q: I was a Polish composer who specialized in mazurkas and polonaises for piano. Who am I?
A: Chopin.
Q: I composed the ballets The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring. Who am I?
A: Stravinsky.
Q: My famous works include the Requiem mass, The Magic Flute opera, and Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Who am I?
A: Mozart.
Riddles about instruments
How well do you know the instruments of the orchestra? Test yourself with these instrument riddles.
Q: I have 88 keys but I’m not a piano. You can play me with your fingers. What am I?
A: A harpsichord.
Q: I’m normally made from maple wood and played with mallets. You’ll find me in a marching band. What am I?
A: A xylophone.
Q: I’m a hollowed gourd covered with beads or shells that you shake or scrape. I’m an African percussion instrument. What am I?
A: A shekere.
Q: I’m a double reed woodwind instrument played by blowing through a reed at the end. You’ll find me in classical ensembles. What am I?
A: An oboe.
Q: I’m a brass instrument coiled into looping tubes. You have to buzz your lips to play me. What am I?
A: A French horn.
Q: I’m a mallet percussion instrument like a xylophone but my bars are set over resonators to amplify the sound. What am I?
A: A marimba.
Q: I’m a wooden African percussion instrument that makes a popping sound when you squeeze and twist me. What am I?
A: A kalimba or thumb piano.
Q: I’m a string instrument played upright by pulling a bow across my strings. What am I?
A: A cello or double bass.
Q: I’m a brass instrument with piston valves and a flared bell. You’ll find me in jazz bands and marching bands. What am I?
A: A trumpet.
Q: I’m a percussion instrument made of metal bars laid out like a keyboard. You play me by hitting the bars with mallets. What am I?
A: A glockenspiel.
Riddles about musical symbols
These riddles cover the symbols used in musical notation – see if you can name them.
Q: I’m a wiggly line that indicates pitch fluctuation. What am I?
A: A vibrato marking.
Q: I’m a circle placed above or below a note to indicate pitch. What am I?
A: An octave marking.
Q: I’m a symbol resembling a comma that tells you to pause briefly. What am I?
A: A caesura mark.
Q: I’m a dot that increases the duration of a note by half. What am I?
A: An augmentation dot.
Q: I’m a spiral marking that indicates a rapid alternation between notes. What am I?
A: A trill marking.
Q: I’m a curved line above notes indicating they should be played smoothly connected. What am I?
A: A legato marking.
Q: I’m a symbol with a dot in the middle indicating quiet volume. What am I?
A: A piano dynamic marking.
Q: I’m a symbol resembling ‘mf’ for moderate volume. What am I?
A: A mezzo forte dynamic marking.
Q: I’m a symbol with ‘f’ inside indicating loud volume. What am I?
A: A forte dynamic marking.
Q: I’m indicated by an upward arrow meaning gradually get louder. What am I?
A: A crescendo marking.
Riddles about musical genres
Think you know your musical genres? See if you can figure out these music style riddles.
Q: I’m a genre developed by African Americans with roots in blues and jazz. Prominent artists include James Brown and Aretha Franklin. What am I?
A: Soul music.
Q: I’m a Latin music genre from Cuba popularized in the 1950s. I have syncopated rhythms and incorporate styles like mambo and cha-cha. What am I?
A: Salsa music.
Q: I’m a genre that emerged from the UK punk scene with bands like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees. I’m known for dark, gloomy moods. What am I?
A: Gothic rock.
Q: I’m a genre with five tones that originated in the mountains of Peru. I’m played on instruments like the quena, zampoña and charango. What am I?
A: Andean music.
Q: I’m a high energy electronic dance genre from the 1980s. Synthesizers and drum machines are some of my trademarks. What am I?
A: House music.
Q: I’m a popular music genre from Jamaica with skanking rhythms and offbeat accents. Prominent artists include Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. What am I?
A: Reggae.
Q: I’m a genre combining West African rhythms and American funk that became popular in the 1970s. Notable artists are Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade. What am I?
A: Afrobeat.
Q: I’m a genre of country music from the 1920s known for fiddle tunes and humorous, often mournful lyrics. What am I?
A: Bluegrass.
Q: I’m a fast, lively dance genre from Ireland and Scotland often played on fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán drum and more. What am I?
A: Celtic music.
Q: I’m a jazz subgenre with complex extended chords and elaborate melodies. John Coltrane helped pioneer me in the 1960s. What am I?
A: Modal jazz.
Riddles about music theory
Let’s move on to some music theory riddles – see if you can identify these key concepts.
Q: I’m seven letters from A to G used to name musical pitches. What am I?
A: The musical alphabet.
Q: I’m the distance in pitch between two notes. From C to D is a whole step, while C to C# is a half step. What am I?
A: An interval.
Q: I’m a series of stacked thirds forming chords like C major with the notes C, E and G. What am I?
A: Harmony.
Q: I’m the central pitch a piece of music revolves around. This establishes the key. What am I?
A: The tonic.
Q: I’m symbols like ♭, ♯, ♮that indicate whether a note should be flat, sharp or natural. What am I?
A: Accidentals.
Q: I’m the pattern of strong and weak beats that gives rhythm to music. What am I?
A: Meter.
Q: I’m a symbol like ‘4/4’ at the start of sheet music telling you the meter. What am I?
A: A time signature.
Q: I’m symbols like slurs, accents and dots used to indicate articulation and phrasing. What am I?
A: Articulation markings.
Q: I’m the central chord a key is based on like C major has a tonic chord of C major. What am I?
A: The tonic chord.
Q: I’m the pattern of whole steps and half steps that defines a scale. Different ones give scales distinctive sounds. What am I?
A: Intervals.
Riddles about songs
How’s your auditory memory? See if you can name these songs from their lyrics.
Q: “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
A: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Q: “I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known.”
A: Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
Q: “But I would walk five hundred miles and I would walk five hundred more.”
A: 500 Miles by The Proclaimers
Q: “You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.”
A: Lucille by Kenny Rogers
Q: “I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night.”
A: I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady
Q: “Singing don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be alright.”
A: Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
Q: “But you didn’t have to cut me off, make out like it never happened and that we were nothing.”
A: Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye
Q: “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”
A: Barbie Girl by Aqua
Q: “I bless the rains down in Africa.”
A: Africa by Toto
Q: “It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog.”
A: A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles
Riddles about music history
How familiar are you with key events and eras in music history? Find out with these riddles.
Q: I marked the transition from the Medieval to the Renaissance era when polyphony became mainstream. When was I?
A: The 14th century.
Q: I was an influential period when instruments like the harpsichord and violin family emerged. Composers like Vivaldi, Bach and Handel were active in this era. When was I?
A: The Baroque period.
Q: I saw the rise of public concerts and opera houses and the increased popularity of the piano. Haydn, Mozart and early Beethoven worked in this era. When was I?
A: The Classical period.
Q: Extravagance, emotion and national pride characterized me. Composers like Berlioz, Liszt and Mahler created lavish music in this period. When was I?
A: The Romantic era.
Q: Charles Ives, Claude Debussy and others moved away from traditional tonality during this period marked by large scale works. When was I?
A: The early 20th century.
Q: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others developed new improvisational styles during this hugely influential period of American music. When was I?
A: The Jazz Age.
Q: Musicals and big bands defined popular music during this period between the Great Depression and World War II. When was I?
A: The Swing Era.
Q: Rock n’ roll exploded in popularity during this decade with stars like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley. When was I?
A: The 1950s.
Q: Psychedelic rock, R&B, and protest music flourished during this socially and politically turbulent decade. When was I?
A: The 1960s.
Q: Disco dominated the pop charts while punk rock, hip hop, and electronic music emerged during this decade. When was I?
A: The 1970s.
Riddles about music videos
Can you name these classic music videos from their descriptions?
Q: I feature a band performing in an alley intercut with a storyline about crime and passion. I’m a gritty 1980s video for a Guns N’ Roses song.
A: November Rain
Q: I depict the band dancing through the halls of a high school with elaborate choreography. I’m a 1990s video for a Janet Jackson song.
A: Rhythm Nation
Q: I have the band performing in a fake mental hospital with straitjackets and pills. I’m a trippy video for a Ramones song.
A: I Wanna Be Sedated
Q: I follow a young man trying to escape a small town and oppressive culture. I’m a symbolic video for a Bruce Springsteen song.
A: Thunder Road
Q: I have dancing felines and Egyptian imagery to match the song’s fantastical lyrics. I’m a quirky 1980s video for a single by The Bangles.
A: Walk Like an Egyptian
Q: I depict the singer’s struggles with fame through motifs like being pulled by ropes. I’m a surreal video for a Radiohead song.
A: Just
Q: I have the band performing choreographed dance moves in colorful marching band uniforms. I’m a playful 1980s video by a ska band.
A: Our House by Madness
Q: I feature the singer floating through space and fantastical landscapes. I’m a magical video for a David Bowie song.
A: Space Oddity
Q: I shift between black & white performance scenes and vivid color as the lyrics contemplate society. I’m an artistic video for a Childish Gambino song.
A: This Is America
Q: I depict an apocalyptic world and the longing for better days. I’m a powerful video for an Imagine Dragons song.
A: Believer
Riddles about music careers
Let’s wrap up with riddles about some careers in the music industry – can you name the jobs?
Q: I work with audio equipment to set sound levels and optimize audio quality at concerts and in studios. What am I?
A: A sound engineer.
Q: I represent musicians, negotiate contracts, and help manage careers and public image. What am I?
A: A talent agent.
Q: I transcribe, arrange, and compose music to match projects’ needs. I also coach vocalists and musicians. What am I?
A: A music director.
Q: I research and curate playlists for streaming and radio audiences based on data analytics. What am I?
A: A music programmer.
Q: I play piano, synth, or other instruments to accompany live and recorded performances. What am I?
A: A session musician.
Q: I direct and film music videos, concerts, and documentaries showcasing musical artists. What am I?
A: A music video director.
Q: I use software and audio samples to compose, edit and produce recordings. What am I?
A: A music producer.
Q: I design album covers, posters, merchandise and other visual elements that represent musicians’ brands. What am I?
A: A graphic designer.
Q: I promote new releases and tours through social media, interviews and other publicity. What am I?
A: A publicist.
Q: I write reviews, interviews and features about new music and industry trends. What am I?
A: A music journalist.
Conclusion
How did you do with these musical riddles? Music has so many fascinating aspects to explore, from theory and history to instruments, genres and careers. Testing your music knowledge with riddles is a fun way to learn more about this diverse art form. So keep listening, playing and learning more about the joy of music!
