BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You hear a progression I–V–vi. The move from V to vi is called a:
- Authentic cadence
- Plagal cadence
- Deceptive cadence (Correct answer)
- Half cadence
Correct answer: Deceptive cadence
A deceptive cadence occurs when V resolves to vi (or another chord) instead of the expected I, 'deceiving' the listener.
Question 2: In melodic dictation, a melody uses only whole tones (every adjacent pitch is a whole step apart). This suggests the melody is drawn from a:
- Pentatonic scale
- Octatonic scale
- Whole-tone scale (Correct answer)
- Dorian mode
Correct answer: Whole-tone scale
The whole-tone scale consists entirely of whole-step intervals, producing the distinctive, floating sound associated with Impressionist composers.
Question 3: Scale degree 7 in a harmonic minor scale differs from natural minor because it is:
- Lowered a half step
- Raised a half step (Correct answer)
- The same as in natural minor
- Replaced by a whole step
Correct answer: Raised a half step
Harmonic minor raises scale degree 7 by a half step compared to natural minor, creating a leading tone that pulls toward tonic.
Question 4: In dictation, you must identify whether a meter is simple or compound. The clearest single cue is:
- The tempo marking
- Whether the beat divides into two or three equal parts (Correct answer)
- The key signature
- The dynamic level
Correct answer: Whether the beat divides into two or three equal parts
The defining difference between simple and compound meter is binary (÷2) versus ternary (÷3) beat subdivision.
Question 5: A passage you are transcribing modulates from C major to G major. The pivot chord most likely functions as IV in C major and __ in G major:
- I (Correct answer)
- V
- ii
- VII
Correct answer: I
The chord F–A–C is IV in C major and bVII in G major — but the more common pivot uses chords shared cleanly; here C–E–G is I in C and IV in G.
Question 6: When singing back a dictated interval of a minor sixth above middle C, you would sing:
- A-flat above middle C (Correct answer)
- A above middle C
- B-flat above middle C
- G above middle C
Correct answer: A-flat above middle C
A minor sixth above C spans 8 semitones, landing on Ab (A-flat), not A natural which would be a major sixth.
Question 7: In a rhythmic dictation exercise in 4/4, you hear: quarter, eighth, eighth, half. The number of beats accounted for in that measure is:
- 3
- 3.5
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 5
Correct answer: 4
Quarter (1) + eighth (0.5) + eighth (0.5) + half (2) = 4 beats, exactly filling one measure of 4/4.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 5
You hear a progression I–V–vi.
The move from V to vi is called a: