BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Melodic and Rhythmic Dictation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In a melodic dictation exercise, you hear a phrase that moves stepwise down from scale degree 5 to scale degree 1. Which term describes this type of melodic motion?
- Conjunct motion (Correct answer)
- Disjunct motion
- Oblique motion
- Contrary motion
Correct answer: Conjunct motion
Conjunct motion refers to melodic movement by step (seconds), while disjunct motion involves leaps (thirds or larger).
Question 2: You are transcribing a melody and hear the pattern: quarter note, two eighth notes, quarter note, half note. What is the total duration of this pattern in 4/4 meter?
- 4 beats (Correct answer)
- 5 beats
- 3 beats
- 6 beats
Correct answer: 4 beats
Quarter (1) + two eighths (1) + quarter (1) + half (2) = 5 beats — but in 4/4, this spans exactly one full measure plus one beat, so the pattern totals 5 beats.
Question 3: During dictation, you identify a leap from the tonic up to the dominant (scale degrees 1 to 5). This interval is a:
- Perfect fifth (Correct answer)
- Major sixth
- Perfect fourth
- Minor seventh
Correct answer: Perfect fifth
Scale degrees 1 to 5 span five letter names and form a perfect fifth interval.
Question 4: A rhythmic dictation passage in 3/4 uses a hemiola pattern. How does hemiola affect the perceived meter?
- It creates the feel of 2 beats instead of 3 (Correct answer)
- It doubles the tempo
- It adds a beat to the measure
- It switches to compound meter
Correct answer: It creates the feel of 2 beats instead of 3
Hemiola superimposes a grouping of 2 over the prevailing 3, creating a temporary feeling of duple meter.
Question 5: You hear a melody that ends with scale degrees 7-1. This gesture is best described as a:
- Leading-tone resolution (Correct answer)
- Deceptive cadence
- Plagal motion
- Retrograde
Correct answer: Leading-tone resolution
Scale degree 7 (the leading tone) has a strong tendency to resolve upward by half step to scale degree 1.
Question 6: In a melodic dictation, you detect a sequence where each motive repeats a step lower. This is called a:
- Descending melodic sequence (Correct answer)
- Retrograde inversion
- Augmentation
- Pedal point
Correct answer: Descending melodic sequence
A melodic sequence is the repetition of a melodic motive at a different pitch level; a descending sequence moves each repetition lower.
Question 7: When notating a rhythmic dictation in 6/8, a group of three eighth notes on a single beat is represented as:
- A dotted quarter note (Correct answer)
- A dotted half note
- A quarter note tied to an eighth
- Three separate quarter notes
Correct answer: A dotted quarter note
In 6/8, one beat equals a dotted quarter note, which subdivides into three equal eighth notes.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Melodic and Rhythmic Dictation 2
In a melodic dictation exercise, you hear a phrase that moves stepwise down from scale degree 5 to scale degree 1.
Which term describes this type of melodic motion?