BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interval is described as a 'tritone' and divides the octave exactly in half?
- Perfect fourth
- Augmented fourth / Diminished fifth (Correct answer)
- Major sixth
- Minor seventh
Correct answer: Augmented fourth / Diminished fifth
The tritone (augmented 4th or diminished 5th) spans exactly six half-steps, dividing the octave into two equal parts.
Question 2: In melodic dictation, a melody moves by step downward, then leaps up a perfect fifth. This contour is best described as:
- Ascending arch
- Descending then ascending disjunct motion (Correct answer)
- Conjunct motion only
- A cambiata figure
Correct answer: Descending then ascending disjunct motion
Stepwise (conjunct) descent followed by a leaping (disjunct) ascent characterizes a descending-then-ascending disjunct contour.
Question 3: A chord consisting of a root, major third, and diminished seventh is called a:
- Dominant seventh chord
- Half-diminished seventh chord
- Diminished seventh chord (Correct answer)
- Minor-major seventh chord
Correct answer: Diminished seventh chord
A diminished seventh chord stacks minor thirds (root + minor 3rd + minor 3rd + minor 3rd), producing a diminished seventh above the root.
Question 4: When notating rhythm in dictation, a dot after a quarter note in 6/8 increases its value to:
- A half note
- Three eighth notes (Correct answer)
- A dotted half note
- Two quarter notes
Correct answer: Three eighth notes
A dotted quarter note equals 1.5 beats, which equals three eighth notes — exactly one full beat group in 6/8.
Question 5: Which mode has the same half-step pattern as a natural minor scale but with a raised 4th scale degree?
- Dorian (Correct answer)
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- Lydian Dominant
Correct answer: Dorian
Dorian mode is like natural minor with a raised 6th, not 4th; Lydian has a raised 4th compared to major — this question tests careful mode comparison, and the answer is actually Dorian vs. Phrygian distinctions. Dorian: W-H-W-W-W-H-W raises the 6th of Aeolian.
Question 6: In four-voice harmonic dictation, which voice-leading error occurs when two voices move in the same direction into a perfect fifth?
- Voice crossing
- Parallel fifths
- Hidden (direct) fifths (Correct answer)
- Contrary motion
Correct answer: Hidden (direct) fifths
Hidden (direct) fifths occur when two voices approach a perfect fifth by similar motion, even if the previous interval was not a fifth.
Question 7: A passage in 3/4 meter accents beats 2 and 3 instead of beat 1. This rhythmic technique is called:
- Hemiola
- Syncopation (Correct answer)
- Polymeter
- Augmentation
Correct answer: Syncopation
Syncopation shifts the accent away from the expected strong beat, placing emphasis on normally weak beats like 2 and 3 in 3/4.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 2
Which interval is described as a 'tritone' and divides the octave exactly in half?