BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Sight-Singing 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student hears a major scale but notices that the seventh scale degree is lowered by a half step. Which scale has been heard?
- Harmonic minor
- Lydian mode
- Mixolydian mode (Correct answer)
- Dorian mode
Correct answer: Mixolydian mode
Mixolydian mode is identical to a major scale except that the seventh scale degree is lowered by a half step (♭7).
Question 2: During harmonic dictation, a student identifies the progression I–IV–V–I in a major key. If the key is G major, which chords did the student hear?
- G–C–D–G (Correct answer)
- G–A–D–G
- G–C–E–G
- G–B–D–G
Correct answer: G–C–D–G
In G major, the I chord is G, IV is C, and V is D, making the progression G–C–D–G.
Question 3: A student is asked to identify an interval by singing it mentally before playing. They mentally sing up a major second and then up a minor third from a given pitch. What compound interval have they outlined?
- Perfect fourth (Correct answer)
- Augmented fourth
- Perfect fifth
- Major third
Correct answer: Perfect fourth
A major second (2 half steps) plus a minor third (3 half steps) equals a perfect fourth (5 half steps).
Question 4: When sight-singing a syncopated rhythm, a student struggles to maintain the pulse. Which practice technique is most recommended?
- Slow down whenever syncopation occurs
- Tap or conduct the beat while singing the syncopated rhythm (Correct answer)
- Skip the syncopated measures and return to them later
- Sing only the downbeats and add syncopation after memorizing pitches
Correct answer: Tap or conduct the beat while singing the syncopated rhythm
Tapping or conducting a steady beat while singing syncopated rhythms is the standard technique for maintaining the pulse against off-beat patterns.
Question 5: In an ear-training exam, a student hears an ascending leap followed by a stepwise descent in a minor key. The leap spans from scale degree 1 up to scale degree 6. In A minor, what pitches are heard?
- A up to F (Correct answer)
- A up to F♯
- A up to G
- A up to E
Correct answer: A up to F
In A natural minor, scale degree 6 is F natural, so the leap from A (scale degree 1) up to scale degree 6 is A to F.
Question 6: A student is sight-singing and encounters the dynamic marking 'mp' at the start of a phrase, changing to 'f' at the climax. In terms of aural skills training, what does proper dynamic shaping demonstrate?
- Accurate rhythm reading only
- Integration of expressive nuance with pitch and rhythm accuracy (Correct answer)
- Ability to sing louder on command without musical context
- Memorization of the dynamic markings without musical understanding
Correct answer: Integration of expressive nuance with pitch and rhythm accuracy
In aural skills, proper dynamic shaping demonstrates the integration of expressive performance with accurate pitch and rhythm reading.
Question 7: A student hears a chord spelled (from bottom to top) E–G–B–D in C major. Which Roman numeral analysis correctly identifies this chord?
- I7
- iii7 (Correct answer)
- V7
- vii°7
Correct answer: iii7
E–G–B–D is built on the third scale degree of C major, forming a minor seventh chord: iii7.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Aural Skills and Sight-Singing 5
A student hears a major scale but notices that the seventh scale degree is lowered by a half step.
Which scale has been heard?