BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: During melodic dictation, you hear a melody that consistently uses the interval of a minor second above the leading tone resolving to tonic. This reinforces which tonal function?
- Subdominant to tonic
- Dominant to tonic (Correct answer)
- Supertonic to mediant
- Submediant to dominant
Correct answer: Dominant to tonic
The leading tone (scale degree 7) lies a minor second below tonic and creates dominant-to-tonic (VāI) pull when it resolves upward.
Question 2: Which rhythmic device groups three notes in the space normally occupied by two of the same value?
- Duplet
- Triplet (Correct answer)
- Hemiola
- Syncopation
Correct answer: Triplet
A triplet places three equal notes in the time of two, indicated by the numeral 3 above or below the beam.
Question 3: In harmonic dictation, you identify a chord as iiĀ°6 in minor. Which bass note do you notate?
- The root of the iiĀ° chord
- The third of the iiĀ° chord (first inversion) (Correct answer)
- The fifth of the iiĀ° chord
- The seventh of the iiĀ° chord
Correct answer: The third of the iiĀ° chord (first inversion)
The '6' in figured bass denotes first inversion, meaning the third of the chord is in the bass.
Question 4: A cadence that ends on the dominant chord, creating a sense of incompleteness, is called:
- Authentic cadence
- Plagal cadence
- Half cadence (Correct answer)
- Deceptive cadence
Correct answer: Half cadence
A half cadence ends on V, leaving the phrase harmonically open and requiring continuation.
Question 5: When sight-singing a passage in E-flat major, scale degree 6 is:
- B-flat
- C (Correct answer)
- D-flat
- F
Correct answer: C
In E-flat major (Eb-F-G-Ab-Bb-C-Db-Eb), the 6th scale degree is C.
Question 6: In dictation, you hear a chord built in thirds: rootāM3āP5āM7. This is a:
- Dominant seventh chord
- Major seventh chord (Correct answer)
- Minor seventh chord
- Augmented major seventh chord
Correct answer: Major seventh chord
A major seventh chord (maj7) has a major triad plus a major seventh above the root (rootāM3āP5āM7).
Question 7: Compound meter is best identified by the fact that each beat:
- Contains two subdivisions
- Contains three subdivisions (Correct answer)
- Is always silent
- Uses only quarter notes
Correct answer: Contains three subdivisions
In compound meter (6/8, 9/8, 12/8) each beat divides naturally into three equal parts, unlike simple meter which divides into two.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 3
During melodic dictation, you hear a melody that consistently uses the interval of a minor second above the leading tone resolving to tonic.
This reinforces which tonal function?