To become more familiar with difference dynamics and articulations, try practising scales or broken chords with these variations:
- Quietly on the way up, loudly on the way down (and vice versa).
- Begin quietly and gradually get louder on the way up, then gradually get quieter again on the way down (and vice versa).
- Play the whole scale either legato (smoothly) or staccato (detached).
It is helpful to know the relevant Italian terms for this test. If you are unsure of any of these words then take a look at our quick guide below:
Listen carefully to the wording of the question in pieces with more than one dynamic change. In Test 1D, Practice 1, the dynamics change first from quiet to loud and then from loud to quiet. When the examiner asks you to describe dynamic changes, make you you are describing the one specified!
First, the examiner will ask you about either dynamics or articulation, then you will be asked about tempo change. To revise your skills in identifying articulation and dynamic changes, refer back to the Grade 1 Practice Tests.
Thinking back to Test A: Pulse & Metre, we have already defined the following terms: pulse, metre and rhythm. Now, we must also think about tempo, which simply refers to the speed of the music.
Don’t be fooled by longer or shorter note values, they do not necessarily indicate that the music has sped up or slowed down. Instead, listen to the underlying pulse. If you detect the pulse quickening or slowing then that will indicate whether or not the tempo has changed.
When answering the question on tempo change, you only need to say whether the speed of the music changed or if it stayed the same. At this stage, you do not yet have to describe any changes you may have heard.
To revise questions on dynamics and articulation, refer to the Grade 1 practice tests. To revise questions on tempo change, refer to the Grade 2 practice tests.
You should be familiar with major and minor keys through your scales and arpeggios. Awareness and recognition of major and minor keys is a fundamental aspect of aural perception, with practical as well as theoretical applications.
The notion that major keys are “happy” and minor keys are “sad” is something of an oversimplification, however it can be a useful distinction to make to begin with. Alternatively, you can compare major and minor keys to “bright” and “dark” sounds.
Listen carefully to the ending of the piece, as this will be decisive in determining the tonality of the piece. Grade 3 tests will not modulate between major and minor keys.
The first question on previously covered features will be slightly more challenging than in earlier grades. For instance, you may be asked to simply describe the dynamics, rather than being asked a more specific question such as whether the first half was louder than the second half.
The new element in Grade 4 is that you will be asked to describe the character of the music. To a certain extent the character of music is a subjective matter, as everyone responds to music individually. However, the piece in the exam will have a distinct musical character that should be easily recognisable.
It is important to build a ready vocabulary of useful words to describe musical character. Have a look at the list below for some ideas on where to start:
The best answers to Test 4C (i) are ones that link the musical features heard to the percieved character. Candidates often bein aswering this question by describing the features which have been most noticeable to them, which then leads them to a conclusion about the music’s overall character.
Features from earleir grades are more challenging at Grade 5. Expect some questions to be more open, and others to be focussed on specific parts of the music (for instance, questions about articulation might now focus on a specific part of the texture, such as accomapnying chords or the melodic line). You will need to know the appropriate Italian terms for dynamics, articulation and tempo.
Answering questions on style and period can be difficult if you haven’t encountered them before. It is helpful (but not essential) to listen regularly to unfamiliar music across a range of genres and time periods. This will help to develop your stylistic awareness.
The music played will be either from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic or 20th Century periods. Below are some stylistic hallmarks of each period, along with some suggested composers to listen to to build your familiarity with each period.