Questions on texture, rhythmic devices, phrasing, cadences, metre, pulse, timbre, tonality, texture, melodic recognition, melodic dictation, melodic description, comparison question.
Great progressions built from 2 or 3 chords. These exercises are to get students used to the idea that they’re going to find themselves with knotty problems that need unravelling, re-working and rethinking. It’s also to get them recognising that each phrase connects with the one before and after it. No phrase is an island. Horizontal thinking is just as important as vertical thinking. There's a lot to consider, even when you’re just using primary triads.
Rooty progressions and same chord inversions. Three progressions that explore root chord progressions, adjacent root position chords and adjacent root and first inversions of the same chord.
Great double acts - V7d - Ib and friends. Because root V7 - root I is such a weighty partnership, it’s not a combination you want students using all over the place. The two chords have really strong bonds in certain inversion combinations too, and are endlessly useful for lightening mid-chorale cadences and for anacruses.
VIIb and the 'passing 6/4'. In 'A level' harmony mark schemes, you commonly find the use of the passing 6/4 penalised, unless it is used leading up to a cadence like this: IVb - Ic - II7b - V - I. These exercises illustrate Bach's use of VIIb between root and first inversion chord I.
Four exercises to help students establish a handful of solutions when harmonising the chord before the approach chord.
Suitable for students with a good grasp of the elements of music, and plenty of analytical listening experience.
Examples of films where pre-existing Art Music has been woven into the soundtrack, a look at the difference between a film score and a soundtrack, practice questions, extended writing training, exam style questions, moderation exercises, and single line scores for dictation practice featuring works by Mozart, Beethoven, J Strauss II, and Debussy. An additional wider listening playlist provides starting points for further questions to broaden and deepen students' understanding of the genre.
Exam style skeleton score questions and answers for Stravinsky 'The Rite of Spring' Augurs of Spring
Teaching materials covering key aspects of 1970s arcade games, chiptunes, a comparison of synthesised and acoustic timbre, approaches to melody and melodic writing, the importance of rhythm and the use of a range of compositional devices and cliches. This resource includes thumbprints of style, aural training, practice questions, extended writing training, exam style questions, moderation exercises, and single line scores for dictation practice. The composing task provides hands-on experience of stylistic melodic writing. An additional wider listening playlist provides starting points for further questions to broaden and deepen students' understanding of the genre.
