Stepwise melodies
Write down short melodies that move between neighbouring notes.
How to take a dictation
A melodic dictation means writing a melody you hear in notes. Don't try to catch it all the first time. Work in steps:
- On the first hearing, just memorise the melody and sing it in your head.
- On the second, follow the direction: up, down, staying put.
- On the third, check the spots that are still unclear.
The first note is usually given: count from it.
A stepwise melody in C major: up to F4 and back to the tonic
In this lesson the melodies move only to neighbouring notes of the scale. So all you need to hear is whether the next step goes up or down.
Practice: A one-bar dictation
The shape of a melody
Every melody has a shape, a contour: it may rise, fall, arch upward or dip downward. First work out the shape as a whole; then you are less likely to lose your way in single notes.
An arch-shaped melody from E4: it climbs to A4 and comes back