The Section A rhythmic dictation: notating the rhythm of a short heard passage in staff notation, including compound time, working from the given time signature and pulse to accurate note values.

What this dot point is asking

Section A of Component 1 includes a rhythmic dictation question: AQA plays a short melody and you notate its rhythm in staff notation. The time signature and pulse are given, the extract is played several times, and the question is worth around four marks, marked on correct note values within the bar. AQA's specification states you must be able to notate rhythm "including compound time". This dot point gives you a reliable method to capture the rhythm by ear and bar it correctly.

Set up: pulse and beats per bar

Capturing the rhythm by ear

Use the repeated playings systematically rather than trying to catch everything at once. On the first playing, just feel the pulse and the overall shape. On the second, mark where notes fall on the beat and where they subdivide it. On the third, fill in the finer detail: dotted rhythms, ties, rests. On the final playing, check rather than rewrite. A useful trick is to use rhythm words (for example "ta" for a beat, "ta-te" for two half-beats, "ta-fe-te" for a triplet group) so you can sing the rhythm back before notating it.

Note values and how bars add up

So the maths is your safety net: if a bar does not add up to the right total, it is wrong, even if the rhythm "felt" right. Count the values in each bar as you write.

Compound time, the part AQA flags

Try this

Q1. In $\frac{6}{8}$, what is the main beat and how does it divide? [Knowledge recall]

• Cue. The main beat is a dotted crotchet, and it divides into three quavers (so each bar of $\frac{6}{8}$ has two dotted-crotchet beats, totalling six quavers).

Q2. Describe a reliable order of tasks across the repeated playings of a dictation extract. [Short explanation]

• Cue. First playing: feel the pulse and shape. Second: mark notes on the beat versus subdividing it. Third: add dotted rhythms, ties and rests. Final: check each bar sums correctly rather than rewriting.