Level 5 (like Grade 5) · Unit 23 of 24

Dictation: hear it, write it

Write down music you hear – first rhythms, then tunes – using everything you have learned.

By the end you will be able to:

• write a rhythm you hear
• write a short tune you hear in a major key
• use the key, the first note and the shape to help

Learn

Rhythm first

Listen to the whole thing first, tapping the beat. Then listen again and tap the rhythm. Long notes are held over several beats; quick notes split a beat. Write the rhythm before you worry about the notes.

Then the shape

Is each note higher, lower or the same as the one before? Most steps are to the next note of the scale. Sing it quietly. The first note is given, and most tunes end on the key note.

Check it

Play your answer back and compare. Do the bars add up? Does it end where the tune ended? Any spelling of the right sounds is accepted, and tied notes that last the same are fine.

Your turn

Watch and listen, then practise with new questions every time – reading questions, and writing tasks you answer on the stave. Take the check when you are ready: 80% passes the unit.

Level 5 is like Grade 5 music theory. These are Classfern’s own levels, not an exam board’s. Questions are made and marked by rules in your browser.