Reading a melody
Read it like a player
The music in context section shows a short melody and asks about it. Before reading the questions, look at the music the way a player would:
- The clef and the key signature. Which notes are sharp or flat?
- The time signature. How many beats in a bar?
- The words and signs. How fast, how loud, and in what style?
Worked example: questions on that melody
- The key: one sharp, F sharp, and the melody ends on G: G major.
- The time: 3/4, three crotchet beats in every bar.
- The speed: allegretto, fairly quick. The dynamic: mf, moderately loud.
- The staccato notes: all in bar 3.
- The highest note: the E in bar 3. The lowest note: the F sharp in bar 5.
- An interval: from the first G (end of bar 1) up to the D at the end of bar 2 is a 5th.
- A degree: the F sharp is the 7th degree of G major.
Tip: if a question names a bar, count the bars from the start of the melody, and remember the key signature for every note.
Questions that come up
- the highest or lowest note, or which bar it is in;
- the number of an interval between two marked notes;
- the degree of a marked note in the key;
- the time signature (if it is missing) or the beats in a bar;
- what a word, dynamic or sign on the music means.
This question is in Brainlag Plus