When taking a music test, there is (for piano, guitar, violin, and various instruments) a part called the listening test. This tests your ability to hear melodies, sing melodies, express information about a melody, and determine the rhythm of a melody. Some people are just born with natural talent, while others just don’t “get it” (if you’re reading this article, chances are you’re in this group!).
1. If I am faced with a question like, “Sing from memory a four-bar tune played twice by the examiner,” what I personally do is while the examiner plays the piece, just hum softly to yourself. When he plays it again, hum it again. Then when you ask him to sing it, just remember what he hummed. This is much easier than straining your ears trying to hear it. If you do well, you can get a lot of points in the Music Listening Test section.
2. When faced with a question like, “Clap the beat of a short excerpt played twice by the examiner and say whether it is 2, 3 or 4 beats” – simply clap your hands gently as he plays the excerpt, then remember what you have applauded. While you’re at it, just try all the different rhythms: silently count “1 and 2 and” and if that doesn’t fit, count “1 and 2 and 3 and” and if that still doesn’t work, try “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”.
Finding out if it “fits” is easy. Just listen for the downbeat (one note played a bit louder than the rest), and that should signal the start of a new bar. Use it to find out the time signature.
3. A question like “Sing the top part of a two-part phrase” – just focus on the top part only – ignore the other part. This tests your concentration and scores a lot of points on the listening test if done correctly.
4. Moving on to higher grades, you may be asked a question about cadences and whether they are perfect, imperfect, or interrupted. The way I decide if it’s perfect, imperfect, or interrupted is this: when it’s perfect, the song feels complete. You went on a trip and returned home. When it’s imperfect, you went on a trip, but ended up a bit lost and ended up at your friend’s house. When it stops (which is easy to say) is when you are completely lost.
5. In other words, perfect is when you stay in the same key, for example, you started the piece in C major and finished in C major.
Imperfect is when you go to a different key, but keep the same major/minor. For example, it started in G major, but ended in D major.
Interrupted is when you go to a completely different key, with a different specialty/mine. For example, you started in B major, but ended in C minor.
We hope this has been educational for you, if you have been struggling with the listening part of music tests. Enjoy your musical journey, best wishes for your exams!
