Aural Skills and Listening
This domain tests interval, rhythm, cadence, texture, timbre and memory. Excerpts may be heard twice. Use a stable reference: the tonic, the pulse, or a known song. Write what you actually hear, not what you expect from the score.
Intervals and pitch
Sing back the tonic first. A major 3rd is the first interval of When the Saints. The first leap of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is a perfect 5th. A minor 3rd opens Greensleeves. For descending intervals, reverse the song. If unsure between a 4th and a 5th, count scale steps.
Rhythm and meter
Tap the beat, then divide it. 6/8 has two dotted beats; 3/4 has three. For dictation, write the rhythm before the pitch. Mark bar lines after identifying the first strong beat.
Cadence and texture
Perfect sounds final; imperfect sounds unfinished; plagal has a softer amen effect; interrupted surprises on vi. Texture: monophonic is one line; homophonic is melody plus chords; polyphonic has independent lines.
Worked example
You hear a short phrase: three notes rise from tonic to mediant, then a chord progression ends V-I with the melody on the tonic. The interval is a major 3rd if the key is major; the cadence is perfect. If the final melody note is the 3rd of I, call it imperfect.
Traps
Do not guess from the first hearing. Do not confuse tempo with meter. A repeated bass note is not necessarily an ostinato; check whether the pattern repeats. Do not label a perfect cadence if the final chord is inverted.