Music Transcription Melodic and Interval Dictation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You hear an interval that sounds dissonant and tense, spanning six half steps. What interval is this?
- Diminished fifth (tritone) (Correct answer)
- Perfect fifth
- Major third
- Minor sixth
Correct answer: Diminished fifth (tritone)
Six half steps produce a diminished fifth, also called a tritone, historically considered the most dissonant interval.
Question 2: A melody is dictated in G major. If the third note sounds like 'Ti,' what pitch letter do you write?
- F#
- F
- E
- B (Correct answer)
Correct 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#.
Question 3: Which strategy helps most when trying to identify the starting pitch of a dictated melody?
- Guess and check from the tonic
- Listen to the last note only
- Sing the tonic first, then find the interval between tonic and the first pitch (Correct answer)
- Write the rhythm before any pitches
Correct 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.
Question 4: An ascending perfect fifth is heard. If the lower note is D, what is the upper note?
- G
- A (Correct answer)
- B
- F#
Correct answer: A
A perfect fifth above D is A, spanning 7 half steps: D–E–F–F#–G–G#–A.
Question 5: In interval dictation, a 'compound interval' refers to what?
- An interval made of two different consonances
- An interval larger than an octave (Correct answer)
- An interval with both major and minor qualities
- An interval that spans exactly one octave
Correct answer: An interval larger than an octave
Compound intervals exceed an octave, such as a ninth (octave + second) or a tenth (octave + third).
Question 6: 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?
- A sharp
- A natural
- A flat (Correct answer)
- A double sharp
Correct 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).
Question 7: When recognizing intervals by ear, the interval of a minor second is best described as sounding:
- Open and stable
- Bright and energetic
- Tense and very close (Correct answer)
- Warm and rounded
Correct answer: Tense and very close
The minor second (half step) is the most tightly clustered interval, producing maximum acoustic tension.
Music Transcription Melodic and Interval Dictation 3
You hear an interval that sounds dissonant and tense, spanning six half steps.
What interval is this?