Melody

17 Grade 8 Creative Arts & Sports questions on Melody, with worked marking schemes. 17 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   A melody moves 'doh, re, mi, fah, soh'. This upward step-by-step movement is described as:

   A. Staying on one note

   B. Moving by leap (disjunct)

   C. Ascending by step (conjunct)

   D. Descending

   (1 mark)

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2. Question 2

   1 mark

   In sol-fa, when a melody rises from soh to the higher doh, the ascending order of syllables is:

   A. Soh, te, lah, doh

   B. Soh, fah, mi, doh

   C. Soh, lah, te, doh

   D. Soh, doh, re, mi

   (1 mark)

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3. Question 3

   4 marks

   A learner is composing a short two-bar melody in 4/4 time.

   (a) Explain what is meant by 'melody'.

   (b) Explain the difference between conjunct (stepwise) and disjunct (leaping) melodic movement.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   (a) 2 marks: a melody is a succession of single musical notes (tune) organised in pitch and rhythm that makes musical sense. (b) 2 marks: conjunct movement moves by step to neighbouring notes (e.g. doh-re-mi); disjunct movement moves by leaps/skips missing out notes (e.g. doh-soh).

4. Question 4

   1 mark

   In sol-fa notation, which syllable represents the tonic (home note / doh) of a major scale?

   A. Fah

   B. Soh

   C. Doh

   D. Te

   (1 mark)

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5. Question 5

   1 mark

   A crotchet (quarter note) receives how many beats in simple 4/4 time?

   A. One beat

   B. Four beats

   C. Two beats

   D. Half a beat

   (1 mark)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   While learning a song, Otieno notices that the tune moves from one note to the very next note up the scale without skipping. This kind of smooth, step-by-step movement of a melody is called:

   A. A leap

   B. Conjunct (stepwise) motion

   C. A rest

   D. Syncopation

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   1 mark

   Which term describes how high or low a musical note sounds?

   A. Dynamics

   B. Pitch

   C. Timbre

   D. Tempo

   (1 mark)

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8. Question 8

   1 mark

   When a melody jumps from doh straight up to soh, missing out the notes in between, the movement is described as:

   A. A rest

   B. A leap (disjunct)

   C. A step (conjunct)

   D. A slur

   (1 mark)

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9. Question 9

   1 mark

   On the treble staff, the notes on the five lines from bottom to top are:

   A. E, F, G, A, B

   B. F, A, C, E, G

   C. E, G, B, D, F

   D. G, B, D, F, A

   (1 mark)

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10. Question 10

    1 mark

    A sign that raises the pitch of a note by a semitone is the:

    A. Flat

    B. Natural

    C. Dot

    D. Sharp

    (1 mark)

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11. Question 11

    1 mark

    Which note value is held for four beats in 4/4 time?

    A. Minim (half note)

    B. Crotchet (quarter note)

    C. Quaver (eighth note)

    D. Semibreve (whole note)

    (1 mark)

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12. Question 12

    1 mark

    While composing a simple tune, a learner arranges a succession of single pitches moving up and down. The musical line that results from this arrangement of pitches is called the:

    A. Rhythm

    B. Melody

    C. Dynamics

    D. Tempo

    (1 mark)

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13. Question 13

    1 mark

    The four spaces of the treble staff, read from bottom to top, spell the word:

    A. BEAD

    B. FACE

    C. DECA

    D. EGBD

    (1 mark)

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14. Question 14

    1 mark

    Which symbol placed at the beginning of a staff shows that the notes are written for higher-pitched instruments and voices?

    A. Key signature

    B. Bass clef

    C. Time signature

    D. Treble clef

    (1 mark)

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15. Question 15

    4 marks

    Write out the notes of the C major scale ascending using letter names, and state which of these notes is the tonic (doh).

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C ascending (3 marks; deduct for wrong order or missing notes). Tonic/doh = C (1 mark).

16. Question 16

    5 marks

    A teacher writes a melody in 4/4 time.

    (a) State how many beats are in each bar.

    (b) Give the number of beats for a minim and for a crotchet.

    (c) State one reason a composer uses rests in a melody.

    (5 marks)

    Marking scheme

    (a) 4 beats per bar (1 mark). (b) minim = 2 beats, crotchet = 1 beat (2 marks). (c) 2 marks: rests create silence/pauses for breathing, phrasing, or rhythmic interest / to give space between phrases.

17. Question 17

    4 marks

    Explain the meaning of 'pitch' and 'tempo' as used in music, giving one example of how each can vary in a song.

    (4 marks)

    Marking scheme

    Pitch = how high or low a note sounds; e.g. soprano voices sing higher pitches than bass voices (2 marks). Tempo = the speed/pace of the music; e.g. a lullaby is slow while a celebration song is fast (2 marks).

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