[Fishbulb25]

Does anyone find it REALLY difficult to follow a skeleton score and identify the chords within the piece? I'm really having trouble with this because the music moves too quickly and I just can't hear what they want me to hear! I also find it hard to sometimes identify the key...

Do any of you have any methods to recognise the chords? Any help will be appreciated.

[hughh20]

Get used to the sound of the chords through practice or recording them and having someone help you guess which one is played.

How is everyone feeling about this exam?

[Caitykinss]

I'm dreading this section of the exam. When it asks for 'Type of Chord' it's more than likely going to be something like a Neopolitan or Augmented 6th so I'm just going to guess one of those! I'm hoping it's quite slow to make the dictation bit easier!

[Kray]

(Original post by Caitykinss)
I'm dreading this section of the exam. When it asks for 'Type of Chord' it's more than likely going to be something like a Neopolitan or Augmented 6th so I'm just going to guess one of those! I'm hoping it's quite slow to make the dictation bit easier!

Diminished 7th is another common one. The thing I'll struggle with is writing the melody, really bad at all the aural stuff. :/

[Caitykinss]

(Original post by Kray)
Diminished 7th is another common one. The thing I'll struggle with is writing the melody, really bad at all the aural stuff. :/

I hate this entire section. I can do melody if it's quite slow and it's clear where it is in the piece, but otherwise I'm rubbish at it!
I'm just hoping I get enough marks in all the other sections and then just scrape a few here so I can get my A!

[Andy Denyer]

Can help me tell the difference between a "paraphrase mass" and a "motet"? They sound identical to me

[Debbie_xx]

Personally, I'm hoping for a relatively slow listening- I can do dictation if its slow and clear, but really struggle otherwise. Identifying chords can prove tricky, but I've narrowed it down to a list of likely combinations eg. Neopolitan 6th, Augmented 6th etc. just in case I have no idea in the exam!
What essay questions are people hoping will come up?

[JJTEASE]

I find the compare and contrast quite easy (as in practice ones i usually get 8/10ish) but the analysis......... F UCK!!!!! Dictation is HELL and overall I usually get about 8/18 Its an awful part of the exam!!!


I hope in the essays one about Morse and African drumming comes up for applied, not fussed about the compare and contrast! I think if I memorize all of the points for all 12 set works then you're pretty much guarenteed full marks in the essays??? What do other people think about this????

[Caitykinss]

(Original post by JJTEASE)
I find the compare and contrast quite easy (as in practice ones i usually get 8/10ish) but the analysis......... F UCK!!!!! Dictation is HELL and overall I usually get about 8/18 Its an awful part of the exam!!!


I hope in the essays one about Morse and African drumming comes up for applied, not fussed about the compare and contrast! I think if I memorize all of the points for all 12 set works then you're pretty much guarenteed full marks in the essays??? What do other people think about this????

I'm feeling pretty much the same as you. You have to memorise all the points for each set work as that's the only to write your essay! Although having the anthology in the exam is helpful if you can't remember a point and have a quick scan and think "ooh there's some imitation in bars 20-22" or something like that!

The dictation section is just horrific! Although, we've been doing the specimen papers set by Edexcel and been doing very badly - we did last year's exam question yesterday and all did quite well. I'm hoping the specimens are all generally harder than the actual exam.

[JJTEASE]

(Original post by Caitykinss)
I'm feeling pretty much the same as you. You have to memorise all the points for each set work as that's the only to write your essay! Although having the anthology in the exam is helpful if you can't remember a point and have a quick scan and think "ooh there's some imitation in bars 20-22" or something like that!

The dictation section is just horrific! Although, we've been doing the specimen papers set by Edexcel and been doing very badly - we did last year's exam question yesterday and all did quite well. I'm hoping the specimens are all generally harder than the actual exam.

I know, the essays are a bit pointless imo, I think we should do a listening test on our set works as well as the other tests, rather than a pointless essay which will never help me in later life But yerrr, having the anthology is really useful, I'm goin to learn each point with the anthology so I can use it as a memory jogger


Dictation is AWFUL lol!!! It makes me want to cry!!! We did last years test too, I think the compare question was easier than other specimens we had been given!!! I think generally specimens are made to be harder than the real thing, although my teacher thinks we're gonna get a pop song for one of the tests this year!!!

[Debbie_xx]

(Original post by JJTEASE)
I know, the essays are a bit pointless imo, I think we should do a listening test on our set works as well as the other tests, rather than a pointless essay which will never help me in later life But yerrr, having the anthology is really useful, I'm goin to learn each point with the anthology so I can use it as a memory jogger


Dictation is AWFUL lol!!! It makes me want to cry!!! We did last years test too, I think the compare question was easier than other specimens we had been given!!! I think generally specimens are made to be harder than the real thing, although my teacher thinks we're gonna get a pop song for one of the tests this year!!!

I really love the essay writing because it makes me think more about the possible connections between the pieces- just wish there wasn't a time limit as I'm always running short on time when I'm writing! As for listening... well, the dictation should be interesting Although, I agree, I think we should do listening on our set works as we did in AS- at least you could prepare more fully for what you could be asked!

[DoubleNegative]

When do you have to identify the chords??? I've done practice papers and it's been alright, but I can't remember that at all.
I feel so unprepared for this exam now, you guys sound so confident- all I've got are some notes my teacher gave us from the internet. We've only had like, 2 lessons a week with him and I'm feeling so insecure now.

[Debbie_xx]

(Original post by DoubleNegative)
When do you have to identify the chords??? I've done practice papers and it's been alright, but I can't remember that at all.
I feel so unprepared for this exam now, you guys sound so confident- all I've got are some notes my teacher gave us from the internet. We've only had like, 2 lessons a week with him and I'm feeling so insecure now.

Hi, don't know if you've seen these notes, but they are the ones that Edexcel have written and they're pretty good http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce...s/default.aspx

Identifying chords appears in the Aural Analysis section of the listening paper- its usually one of I/IV/V/Aug. 6th/Neopolitan 6th/Dim. 7th/Dom.7th (they can be in inversion as well).

Good luck, I'm sure it will turn out fine

[Fishbulb25]

and how are you meant to know when they want either I/IV/V or the actual type? they don't specify even when they say 'type' sometimes they mean something like II7b.

For the dictation, I really hope we get a slow piece without an opera singer!! I just can't hear what the melody is...

[Caitykinss]

Last year's dictation was a sequence of the previous bar so I'm really hoping it's something similar this year to make it a bit easier!

[DoubleNegative]

(Original post by Debbie_xx)
Hi, don't know if you've seen these notes, but they are the ones that Edexcel have written and they're pretty good http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce...s/default.aspx

Identifying chords appears in the Aural Analysis section of the listening paper- its usually one of I/IV/V/Aug. 6th/Neopolitan 6th/Dim. 7th/Dom.7th (they can be in inversion as well).

Good luck, I'm sure it will turn out fine

Thanks.

The chord should be alright, I had plenty of practice with my Grade 8 aural, I think I just need to brush up on my augmented and neopolitan chords. I'm useless at identifying inversions though, I didn't even get that sorted in time for my g8 exam. :|

I hope so, and the same to you! I just want a B in this exam, that's all I'm asking. :')

[gclark]

dictation is the worst bit of the exam!
and the fact that we only get to listen to the extract for i think 5 times? make it's worse! plus having to ask the other questions about it in that time!

but hopefully the essay questions should be fine plus it is a bonus we get an anthology in our exam

does anyone know the rough scores for the grade boundaries... i know they can change each year

[laurenlovespink]

I HATE music A Level with an absolute passion!

Luckily i got exactly 90% in AS which removes a small amount of pressure but I'm worried my composition will bring me down this year. My Bach Chorale went well, as did my performance (I'm a singer so it's very easy to get top marks compared to my poor instrument classmates). I am absolutely fine at the essay questions on the set works.....

But the dictation and generally that whole section KILLS me. Words can't even describe. I got 14/28 in my mock on last years and managed to still get an A overall as I got full marks on the essay section, but still.

My university offer is AAA - I already have an A* in English, in history I need a D in my A2 to get an A but it's just music! I'm so worried I will miss out on my offer (to study history) because I will get a B

If we got 90% last year and say 70% this year does that mean we would get an A overall?

I am so stressed to add to this stress....my school isn't running music A2 next year so I can't retake.


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[HawkStalk]

The only comfort I'm getting with dictation is that half marks are awarded for the rhythm so techincally, if it's really hard, you can just do the rhythm and centre it on one note :L. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. Are you guys just memorising loads of imformation for the set work essays or analysisng on the day? I've just memorised as much as I can...

[Caitykinss]

(Original post by HawkStalk)
The only comfort I'm getting with dictation is that half marks are awarded for the rhythm so techincally, if it's really hard, you can just do the rhythm and centre it on one note :L. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. Are you guys just memorising loads of imformation for the set work essays or analysisng on the day? I've just memorised as much as I can...

I'm memorising as much as I can. This exam annoys me so much because the essays don't test musical understanding, they test memory. I understand everything about the pieces, I just can't remember it all!