ILTS Music (212) cheat sheet

Major-key scale-degree pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H; natural minor: W-H-W-W-H-W-W. Harmonic minor raises 7; melodic minor raises 6 and 7 ascending, reverts to natural minor descending.

Interval quality decision rule: count diatonic steps for the number, then compare semitones to the perfect/major reference (P4 = 5 semitones, P5 = 7, M3 = 4, M6 = 9); one semitone narrower = diminished/minor, one wider = augmented/major.

Triad construction by thirds: major (M3 + m3), minor (m3 + M3), diminished (m3 + m3), augmented (M3 + M3). Seventh chords add a fourth third: MM7, Mm7 (dominant), mm7, half-diminished (dm7), fully diminished (dd7).

Roman numeral function: chords built on scale degrees ii, IV, and vi (in major) are predominant; V and vii° are dominant; I and vi are tonic substitutes. Secondary dominants are written V/x and resolve down a fifth to x.

Common-practice voice leading: resolve chordal sevenths down by step, resolve leading tones up to tonic, avoid parallel perfect fifths and octaves between any pair of voices, and avoid doubling the third of a major triad in root position.

Cadence identification: authentic (V–I), half (ends on V), plagal (IV–I), deceptive (V–vi), and Phrygian half cadence (iv6–V in minor). A cadence is named by its final chord, not its first.

Form labels: binary (AB or AABB), rounded binary (A B A' with return of opening material), ternary (ABA), sonata (exposition–development–recapitulation), rondo (ABACA), and theme and variations (A A' A'' ...).

Transposition rule: preserve exact interval content and diatonic spelling; when moving between transposing instruments, notate in the written key (e.g., B-flat clarinet sounds a major second lower than written, so written key is one whole step above sounding key).

Historical era markers: Medieval (plainchant, organum, modal), Renaissance (imitative polyphony, Josquin, Palestrina), Baroque (figured bass, ritornello, Bach, Vivaldi), Classical (sonata form, Haydn, Mozart), Romantic (expanded harmony, program music), and twentieth-century styles (impressionism, serialism, minimalism).

Aural interval reference anchors: ascending P4 = "Here Comes the Bride," ascending P5 = "Twinkle, Twinkle," ascending M6 = "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," descending M3 = "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," ascending octave = "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

Melodic dictation procedure: identify the tonic by singing the final pitch, determine mode from the third scale degree, then notate rhythm before pitch; check the result by singing it back against the given starting pitch.

Harmonic dictation cues: bass motion by fifths or fourths signals root-position progressions; a stepwise descending bass with chromatic inflection often signals a circle-of-fifths sequence or descending-fifths progression.

Score-reading transpositions: B-flat instruments sound a major second lower, E-flat instruments a major sixth lower (alto sax) or minor third higher (E-flat clarinet), F instruments (horn) a perfect fifth lower, and piccolo sounds an octave higher than written.

Error-detection scoring: compare the performed pitch to the notated pitch by letter name and octave, then compare duration to the meter; classify each discrepancy as pitch, rhythm, articulation, or balance error.

Balance and blend decision rule: the melody voice is heard above the accompaniment texture; inner voices tune to the bass, and the third of a chord is tuned slightly low in just intonation to align with the fifth.

Conducting pattern geometry: 2/4 is down–up; 3/4 is down–out–up; 4/4 is down–left–right–up; 6/8 is a two-beat pattern with subdivided ictus. The preparatory beat reflects tempo and articulation of the entrance.

Rehearsal diagnosis sequence: isolate the smallest failing unit (measure, then beat, then interval), slow the tempo until accuracy is achieved, then restore tempo incrementally while preserving the corrected element.

Analytical labeling: identify phrase boundaries by cadence and melodic contour, mark motives by recurrence with variation, and distinguish sequence (repetition at a new pitch level) from imitation (restatement in another voice).