2.21 Melodic deviation

The exercise melodic deviation recognize a follow-up exercise of the exercise Chapter 2.20 Recognizing melody.

The purpose of this exercise is to learn to hear the difference between two melodies. One melody is played and the other melody is notated. The melody played deviates from the notated melody, by only one tone. Discover the wrongly played note.

Exercise melodic deviation

Ear Training exercise 2b: melodic deviation. Being able to hear a wrongly played note.

Example question

In the next melodie a wrong note is played:

Which note is played incorrectly?

Practical steps

Sing the notated melody to train your inner hearing abilties. Pay particular attention to:

• the tonic of the melody.
• the ascending and descending shape of the melody.
• small or large skips in the melody.
• the use of triads.
• identical notes.

Then play the melody and notice that:

1. the tonic D is being played in the last measure (try to remember how this note sounds).
2. in the second measure, the skip from A to F# (fifth - third) is notated.
3. try to hear if the note A on the first beat in the second measure is the same as the note A on the first beat in the third measure (this note is the same).
4. try to hear if the note F# on the first beat in the first measure is the same as the note F# on the second beat in the second measure (this note is not same).
5. the wrong note being played is the note on the second beat in the second measure, F#. The tonic D (see step 1) is being played.

Answer: the wrong note being played is the note on the second beat in the second measure, F#. A D is being played.