Episode 22 is all about practicing dictations. You will practice with five listening exercises.
Episode 22 is all about practicing dictations. You will practice with five listening exercises: melodic (1:02) rhythmic (2:12) melodic & rhythmic (4:15) harmonic (5:55) and harmonic & rhythmic (7:23).
Question of the day: Where will a dictation appear in the exam, and how long will it last?
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Hi and welcome to the APsolute Recap: Music Theory Edition. Today’s episode will recap Melodic, Rhythmic, and Harmonic Dictation.
Lets Zoom out:
We’re in Unit 1-4
Topic 1.1-4.5
Our Big ideas are pitch, rhythm, form, and musical design.
This episode’s purpose is to give you practice on the skills you’ve been learning since the beginning of the course. Use this episode to gauge what aspects you need to give more attention to in your practice. You will have five dications: melodic, rhythmic, melodic and rhythmic, harmonic, and finally a harmonic and rhythmic dictation.
Lets Zoom in:
Here is your melodic dictation. For this exercise, use a treble clef staff in the key of Ab major. Focus just on putting in noteheads as they come to you, and perhaps any ideas of solfege or intervals that you want to check on when going through each of the four listenings.
(Four listenings of Dictation #1)
The answer is: Ab4, Eb4, F4, G4, Ab4, F5, Eb5, C5 and Ab4. The key signature should have four flats, Bb Eb Ab Db, which can be remembered as BEAD.
For your rhythmic dictation, don’t worry about any of the pitches. Simply jot down stems of notes, and fill in noteheads afterwards. You don’t even need a staff. Determine the time signature after listening four times.
(Four listenings of Dictation #2)
The answer is: dotted quarter, three eighth notes, quarter, eighth, quarter, eighth, eighth, quarter, dotted quarter, dotted half. The time signature is 6/8.
Next up is a melodic & rhythmic dictation. You will need a treble clef staff with the key of A major. I suggest that you budget your four listenings, meaning use the first for rhythm by drawing stem markings above your staff. Use the second and third for melody. Attach the rhythm you wrote in, to your note heads. Use the last listening to check over all your work and edit. Don’t forget the time signature and key signature.
(Four listenings of Dictation #3)
The answer is: C#5 eighth note, E5 eighth note, A4 half note, G#4 quarter note, A4 quarter note, F#4 quarter note, E4 half note, D5 eighth note, B4 eighth note, E5 eighth note, B4 eighth note, A4 half note. The key signature should have three sharps, F# C# and G sharp, and the time signature was ¾.
Here is a harmonic dictation. Do not worry about any rhythm, just note heads and roman numeral analysis. I will award you a thousand Stanley nickels if you decided to add arabic numerals to indicate the inversions, macro analysis, and any labels of the cadence. We’ll be in the key of G minor.
(Four listenings of Dictation #4)
The answer is: g minor in second inversion, d minor in root position, Bb major in first inversion, Eb major in root position, c minor in first inversion, and G major in second inversion. They were all triad chords, and the key signature should have Bb and Eb.There was a plagal cadence and picardy third at the end of the phrase.
When you are studying for an exam, it is always good to push yourself to complete exercises that are more difficult than what you really need. Use all of the strategies we have discussed so far, and any other chicken scratches that help you get the job done. So as one last exercise, here is a harmonic & rhythmic dictation in the key of C major.
(Four listenings of Dictation #5)
The answer is: C major triad in first inversion, F major triad in root position, d minor triad in first inversion, b diminished triad in second inversion, G major triad in root position, d minor triad in first inversion, G major in second inversion with a doubled fifth, C major in root position with a doubled root. There was an imperfect authentic cadence, going from dominant to tonic with the third scale degree highlighted in the soprano part. There are no sharps or flats in the key signature, and the time signature is 4/4.
To recap……
Study for the AP Music Theory Exam by practicing the dictation of rhythms, melodies, and harmonies. Do exercises that highlight each element of music, and ones with different combinations of dictations. Use solfege, note names, rhythm stems, Roman numeral analysis, macro analysis and even chicken scratch to get the job done.
Coming up next on the Apsolute RecAP Music Theory Edition: The vi (VI) chord
Today’s Question of the day is about the AP Music Theory Exam
Question: When will a dictation appear in the exam, and how long will it last?