Melodic and Rhythmic Dictation Flashcards

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?

Answer: Conjunct motion

Conjunct motion refers to melodic movement by step (seconds), while disjunct motion involves leaps (thirds or larger).

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?

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.

During dictation, you identify a leap from the tonic up to the dominant (scale degrees 1 to 5). This interval is a:

Answer: Perfect fifth

Scale degrees 1 to 5 span five letter names and form a perfect fifth interval.

A rhythmic dictation passage in 3/4 uses a hemiola pattern. How does hemiola affect the perceived meter?

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.

You hear a melody that ends with scale degrees 7-1. This gesture is best described as a:

Answer: Leading-tone resolution

Scale degree 7 (the leading tone) has a strong tendency to resolve upward by half step to scale degree 1.

In a melodic dictation, you detect a sequence where each motive repeats a step lower. This is called a:

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.

When notating a rhythmic dictation in 6/8, a group of three eighth notes on a single beat is represented as:

Answer: A dotted quarter note

In 6/8, one beat equals a dotted quarter note, which subdivides into three equal eighth notes.