7.23 Melodic deviation

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 7a: 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.
• the leading tone, especially in a minor key.

Then play the melody and notice that:

1. the tonic C (minor) is being played in the first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh measure (try to remember how this note sounds).
2. in the first and second measure, the melody descends from the dominant tone to the tonic.
3. in the third and fourth measure, the melody descends from the tonic to the dominant tone.
4. on the third beat in the fourth measure, a natural seventh tone is notated and not a raised seventh tone (the leading tone).
5. in the fourth measure, try to hear if the note on the third beat sounds as a natural seventh tone or as the leading tone. A leading tone is being played.

Answer: the wrong note being played is the note on the third beat in the fourth measure, Bb. A B is being played, the leading tone.