BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are transcribing a melody and hear scale degree 4 raised by a half step. This chromatic alteration most strongly implies motion toward:
- Tonic
- The dominant chord (Correct answer)
- The subdominant
- The leading tone
Correct answer: The dominant chord
Raised scale degree 4 (#4) functions as a secondary leading tone pointing toward scale degree 5 (the dominant), often part of a #IV° or V/V chord.
Question 2: Which type of motion between two voices always maintains a constant interval size?
- Contrary motion
- Oblique motion
- Parallel motion (Correct answer)
- Similar motion
Correct answer: Parallel motion
In parallel motion both voices move in the same direction by the same interval size, keeping the distance between them constant.
Question 3: In rhythm dictation, a passage is notated with a time signature of 5/4. The most common way to feel this meter is:
- As one group of five equal beats
- As 2+3 or 3+2 quarter-note groupings (Correct answer)
- As alternating 6/8 and 2/4 bars
- As five triplets per measure
Correct answer: As 2+3 or 3+2 quarter-note groupings
5/4 is typically felt as either 2+3 or 3+2 pulse groupings, which performers use to maintain rhythmic stability.
Question 4: A Neapolitan chord (N or bII) in C major consists of which pitches?
- D-F-A
- Db-F-Ab (Correct answer)
- Bb-D-F
- Ab-C-Eb
Correct answer: Db-F-Ab
The Neapolitan is a major triad built on the lowered second scale degree; in C major that is Db–F–Ab.
Question 5: When dictating a melody, you notice every phrase ends on scale degree 1. This most likely indicates the piece is:
- Modal with an ambiguous tonic
- Strongly tonal with clear cadential closure (Correct answer)
- Atonal and uses set classes
- Written in whole-tone scale
Correct answer: Strongly tonal with clear cadential closure
Repeated phrase endings on scale degree 1 (tonic) signal strong tonal closure and clear cadential articulation.
Question 6: A major scale and its relative minor share the same key signature. The relative minor begins on which scale degree of the major scale?
- 5th
- 4th
- 6th (Correct answer)
- 7th
Correct answer: 6th
The relative natural minor scale starts on scale degree 6 of the major scale and shares all the same pitches and key signature.
Question 7: In four-voice dictation, the soprano and alto sing the same pitch. This texture is called:
- Voice crossing
- Unison doubling (Correct answer)
- Parallel octaves
- Oblique motion
Correct answer: Unison doubling
When two voices sing the same pitch (zero interval), it is called a unison, and writing them on the same pitch is unison doubling.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Dictation 4
You are transcribing a melody and hear scale degree 4 raised by a half step.
This chromatic alteration most strongly implies motion toward: