The exam board is Eduqas.
Parts of the exam:
Performance - 30%. One x solo (with backing track), 1 x ensemble. Both recordings submitted with the sheet music on google classroom. To be completed by Easter.
Composition - 30%. 1 x free composition, with written account. 1 x composition written to a brief set by the exam board, with written account. Each composition should be at least 2 minutes long. To be completed by Easter.
Listening (written) paper. 40%. 12 questions, including 1 question each on two set works - Bach Badinerie and Toto's Africa. In the questions, you are asked to use musical words to describe what you can hear.
Continue to listen to these podcasts as much as possible and ensure you have understood the key words mentioned. Please list the keywords under each heading, so you know which category they are in. For example - homophonic comes under texture. You need to be logged in to google to access them. You should be able to hear the sound of a trumpet and know it is a trumpet. You should be able to hear a particular tempo and know it is moderato, or presto.
1. Instrumentation - the names of instruments and what they sound like.
3. Different voice names and types
4. Keywords to describe a melody
5. Texture keywords - the layers in music
6. Ornamentation in music - the bits that add to the music - trills etc
7. Time signaturesĀ - such as 4 crotchet beats in a bar
Preparing for a listening exam
Rhythm
Syncopation (stress on weak beats)
DottedĀ
Even notes
Swung (in jazz, long short long short)
Off beat (in jazz/snare rock beat 2&4)
On beat (crotchets)
Triplets (3 notes equally divided into a crotchet - or other subdivisions)
pedal notes/inverted pedal
One note per barĀ
Anacrusis (upbeat)
Tonality and harmony
Major and minor
5ths
Octaves
3rds
7ths
6ths
Dissonant
Sus chords
Dominant 7ths
Diminished
One chord per bar/beat
Dynamics
Fortissimo (ff)
Forte (f)
Mezzo forte (mf)
Mezzo piano (mp)
Piano (p)
Pianissimo (pp)
Crescendo (<)
Diminuendo (>)
Sforzando (stab chords) (sfz)
Texture
Homophonic (all instruments playing one melody - church choir)
Monophonic (one line of music)
Melody and accompaniment (musical theatre)
Polyphonic (romantic classical)
Contrapuntal (basically polyphonic but a more classical term)
Tempo
Largo-very very slow
Andante- slow
Lento- very slow
Moderato- moderate
Allegro- quick
Presto- make you want to die fastĀ
Vivace- very very fast
Ritenuto- slowing down
Ritardando- slowing down
Accelerando- getting faster
Rubato- pulled time
Cadences
Perfect (most common) 5-1
Imperfect 1-5
Plagal 4-1
Interrupted anything else
Playing techniques
Pizzicato (strings)
Tremolo (strings)
Col legno (strings)
Strumming (guitar)
Arco (strings)
Palm muting (guitar)
Crash choke (drums)
Distortion (guitar)
Slide on guitar (guitar)
Mutes (brass, strings)
Vibrato (wind, Strings)
Pitch bend (guitar, wind)
Portamento (strings)
Glissando (all but especially harp)
Flutter tonguing (wind and brass)
Falsetto (voice)
Acapella (just singing by itself)
Spoken (e.g lyrics before song)
Parlando (expressive)Ā
Double stopping (strings)
Con sordino (strings)
Reverb (guitar)
Pavillon en lāair (brass)
Ornamentation
Trills
Acciaccatura
Appoggiatura
Turns
Mordence
Grace notes
Describing a melody - what to describe
Rhythm
Pitch
Instrument
Playing techniques
conjunct/disjunct
ascending/descending
diatonic/chromatic
arpeggios/scales
Sequences
Ornamentation (trills, turns etc)
Anacrusis (upbeat)Ā
Describing a melody - what NOT to describe
Tonality
Dynamics
Cadences
Accompaniment
Texture
Time signature
Describing an accompaniment- what to describe
broken/block chords/alberti bass
Rhythm
Instrumentation
Texture
ascending/descending
chromatic/diatonic
scales/arpeggios
Pedal notes
Describing an accompaniment- what NOT to describe
Tonality
Dynamics
Cadences
Melody
Texture
Time signature
Compositional devices
Repetition
Sequence
Imitation
Texture
Cadences
Tonality
countermelody
OstinatoĀ
What does a 2 mark question mean?
A 1 mark question with an added mark for naming a change and where it happen from a certain bar.
List 2 key terms
What does a compare and contrast question mean?
similarities and differences
Relevant listening to two pieces of musicĀ
If you are asked to describe instrumentation, how should you do this?
List the instruments you can hear
What is the instrument(s) playing (e.g melody & rhythm keywords, techniques etc)
What it suggests within the music
The instruments following and making the melody
