OCR A-Level Music: the elements of music and analysis overview quiz quiz

Tempo, metre, rhythm

Melody, harmony, tonality

Texture, dynamics, articulation

Structure, form, instrumentation

It is simply far too long a word to write out in the time available

Texture is simply not an element that is assessed anywhere in the OCR listening paper at all

It is vague and non-technical; OCR rewards naming the texture type and number of parts

It is a term that is only ever used when describing jazz music

A single unaccompanied melodic line, as in plainchant

A main melody supported underneath by block chords

One melody decorated simultaneously by another voice

Two or more independent melodic lines, as in a fugue

V to VI, a surprise that avoids the expected close

V to I, a strong and clearly finished sounding close

IV to I, a gentle 'amen' that sounds rounded off

Any chord moving to V, leaving the phrase unfinished

Conjunct motion is loud, while disjunct motion is soft

Conjunct moves by step, disjunct moves by leap

Conjunct motion is major, while disjunct motion is minor

They mean exactly the same thing as one another

Compound metre is always noticeably faster in tempo than any kind of simple metre piece you might hear

Compound metre has no time signature, whereas simple metre always does

In compound metre each beat divides into three (a lilting feel); in simple it divides into two

Simple metre is only ever found in pop and other popular music styles

Listen passively each time without any particular focus or plan in mind

Only ever listen carefully to the very first playing and ignore the rest

Write out the whole of your final answer during the very first playing of the extract

In passes: orientation, then targeted listening for harder elements, then checking

Judgement: selecting the few defining features and explaining their effect

Covering absolutely every single element of the music equally and one after another in turn

Writing the longest possible answer to fill all of the available space

Listing only the instruments that are playing in the extract

A bare list of musical features given with no explanation of any kind

Naming a musical feature and then stating its musical effect or character

A particular type of cadence used to end a musical phrase

A method for carefully timing your work across the different sections of the exam

Major

Pentatonic

Homophonic

Whole-tone

Simply label the two contrasting sections as A and B and then leave the answer there without explaining

Just say that the second section sounds 'different' from the first

Count up the exact number of bars in each of the sections

Name the form and the specific means of contrast (key, texture, dynamics, instrumentation)

The same precise-terminology skill is rewarded across Section A, Section B and Section C

It is only ever needed for the unfamiliar listening in Section A of the paper

It completely replaces the need to listen carefully to any of the extracts

It is awarded as a completely separate pool of bonus marks added on top of the question marks