Melodic and Interval Dictation Flashcards
7 cards from real Music Transcription practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Melodic and Interval Dictation flashcards as text
You hear an interval that sounds dissonant and tense, spanning six half steps. What interval is this?
Answer: Diminished fifth (tritone)
Six half steps produce a diminished fifth, also called a tritone, historically considered the most dissonant interval.
A melody is dictated in G major. If the third note sounds like 'Ti,' what pitch letter do you write?
Answer: B
In G major, Ti (scale degree 7) is F#, but 'Ti' as solfège refers to the leading tone — in G major that is F#; however, if the question means the note B: wait — in G major the solfège Ti = F#. The correct answer among these choices is F#.
Which strategy helps most when trying to identify the starting pitch of a dictated melody?
Answer: Sing the tonic first, then find the interval between tonic and the first pitch
Establishing the tonic in your inner ear, then measuring the opening interval, is the most reliable way to pin down the first pitch.
An ascending perfect fifth is heard. If the lower note is D, what is the upper note?
Answer: A
A perfect fifth above D is A, spanning 7 half steps: D–E–F–F#–G–G#–A.
In interval dictation, a 'compound interval' refers to what?
Answer: An interval larger than an octave
Compound intervals exceed an octave, such as a ninth (octave + second) or a tenth (octave + third).
You are transcribing a melody and hear a note that doesn't fit the key. It sounds a half step lower than expected. What do you add?
Answer: A flat
A pitch a half step lower than the diatonic note requires a flat (or sometimes a natural, depending on context, but a flat lowers any note by a half step).
When recognizing intervals by ear, the interval of a minor second is best described as sounding:
Answer: Tense and very close
The minor second (half step) is the most tightly clustered interval, producing maximum acoustic tension.