Introduction to Dictation
15 Sight Singing Instructions
Intervals: Perfect and Imperfect Consonances
Remember: all simple intervals may be found within the tones of the diatonic scale. When you first learned simple intervals, you may have found it easiest to relate them to do as you mastered their terminology in relation to each other. Now, we will place them within their commonest melodic and harmonic contexts as they appear in major keys. Please commit these contexts to memory for easy recall.
| Interval Name | Solfege (Ascending) |
|---|---|
| Minor second | ti, do |
| Major second | do, re |
| Minor third | mi, sol |
| Major third | do, mi |
| Perfect fourth | sol, do |
| Augmented fourth | fa, ti |
| Diminished fifth | ti, fa |
| Perfect fifth | do, sol |
| Minor sixth | mi, do |
| Major sixth | sol, mi |
| Minor seventh | sol, fa |
| Major seventh | do, ti |
Rhythm: Performing Dotted Rhythms in Simple Time
Adding a dot to a note adds half the value again to that note. In professional music-making, it’s very important to be able to perform dotted rhythms with perfect accuracy. For this reason, you should always practice them with a subdivided metronome, then with a metronome on the beats of the measure, and then without metronome. You should also ascertain what kind of dotted rhythm you are performing. Does the dotted note cross the beat, divide the beat, or subdivide the beat?
If you are unsure about your accuracy, try recording your practice. Listen to the playback for error detection, then practice and re-record until you are pleased with your progress.
