I'm having some troubles with the Aural part especially for 6A

For 6A , I find it difficult to distinguish between the upper part of the phrase and and the fact that I have to memorize the phrase. I usually count the numbers of notes i can hear in the upper part first and for the second time, I listen to the notes carefully. But unfortunately , whenever i do this, i often miss some notes or even forget how the phrase was like !

Anyone has tips or advices how i can perform better in Aural?
Thanks!

What I try and do for tests like that is block out the part I'm not supposed to listen to (generally unsuccessfully ) and the first time, I try to memorise the melody, and the second time I try to sing along in my head. I find that when I sing along I realise where I make mistakes from how I remembered it and try to correct it when I sing it out loud to the examiner.

This is what my teacher told me :

Always remember the first note! If you can't remember it, you may forget the whole tune!
Try and slur the notes, it may be easier for you to land on the right notes!

Good luck!

And don't worry, I most likely struggle as much as you!

Hi! Thanks Music... & kingsley13 for your advices!

I'm now a bit panicked with the aural thing For the part 6C (identify the cadence and the major or minor key) , the cadence part is Ok but the major-minor...Which part of the phrase generally helps you to recognize if it's a major or minor key? Is it when you hear the key chord and then the first note of the phrase and see if it's the same ? Like , if the key chord is CEGC ,then the 1st note is a G, is it definitely a minor key?

And for part 6D, when describing the features of a piece, it says :To answer questions on the features of a piece played by the examiner, including the general perception of texture, form (including phrase structure), style and period of which the examiner will select one or two and advise the candidate accordingly before playing the piece . Is the texture about the tonality and dynamics or something totally different? The phrase structure is about what ? Finally, the period part, how can i recognize when the piece was written or even a possible composer? I should therefore be capable of having a knowledge of previous composers and the period they existed?

Thanks!

If the key chord is CEGC that's major.
Think about the difference between your major and minor arpeggios (I'm guessing you play a single line instrument). Listen to the difference between major and minor in the music you play.

Musical time periods (in chronological order) and examples of composers:
Baroque - Bach, Handel, Vivaldi
Classical - Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven
Romantic - Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Brahms
Impressionist (or late romantic?) - Debussy, Ravel
Modern/Contemporary/20th Century - Bartok, Stravinsky

I'm not sure if you'll need to know all that for Grade 6. I did get asked. I do know how to differentiate between musical styles, by the way it sounds, but I don't know how to put it into words, so I'll leave that to the experts!

I'm not an expert, but in my head:

if it sounds like it should be played on a Harpsichord it's probably Baroque
if it sounds like it should be played after dinner, on the piano in a Jane Austen period drama - it's probably classical
if it sounds like it should be played on a grand piano by Heathcliffe throwing his hair around - it's probably romantic
if it sounds like the aural equivalent of a Damian Hirst work of art it is probably contemporary.

More seriously, have a look at the composers suggested for each period on YouTube In prep for my last exam I would listen to Classic FM on my way to work and try to guess what period each piece of music fell into. It doesn't take long to get a feel for it.

Also, I always think of Beethoven as on the cusp of classical/ romantic so would probably stick to Mozart or Haydn as an example of classical.

Good luck.

I think I understand what you mean.If it was a C Eb G C , then it is a minor. (Am I right?) Therefore it is the key chord which mostly indicates whether it is minor or major .Thanks for your advice!



Thanks for the list , and i try to memorize it for tomorrow!