Musicianship: theory, ear, rhythm and keyboard harmony

157 Musicianship units climb the 14 levels, one beside each lesson and on a ladder of their own. Each has four parts, all at the piano: theory questions, ear training, rhythm reading and keyboard harmony.

How a unit works

Theory questions. The questions of the level’s theory cards, answered at the piano. A lesson shows its cards in full and leaves their questions to its Musicianship unit.

Ear. Rounds of five prompts, each played by itself and answered on the keys: play back a melody, tap back a rhythm, play the interval, the chord or the bass of a cadence you hear, play the chords or the bass of a progression, or answer a phrase. Four right in a round passes.

Rhythm. Read a short written rhythm and play it after the count-in: one line on any key, and at higher levels each hand in its own register.

Keyboard. Keyboard harmony: cadences, chords under a melody, lead-sheet voicings, figured bass, transposing a melody and finding a tune by ear, with the music on the score and a cursor on the beat.

A unit is done when its questions are answered right and its tasks have passed. Musicianship climbs the levels by its units, on its own: Continue takes the next unfinished unit’s parts in order, and a guided session’s Musicianship part follows your Musicianship level.

The units, level by level

Foundation

13 Musicianship units. By ear: intervals, melodies, rhythms and chords. Rhythms in 4/4 and 3/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
F.1Middle C	The keyboard map Finger numbers The grand staff	Echo middle C and a note above	Quarter and half notes4/4	Find middle C
F.2A steady pulse	The beat and note values	Echo three notes	Quarters, halves and whole notes4/4	Pulse
F.3Four beats	Time signatures: 4/4 and 3/4 Rests	Tap back quarters, halves and whole notes	Count the rests4/4	Hold
F.4Higher or lower	Landmark notes Octave names and registers	Find the second note, higher or lower	Hands take turns4/4	Find keyboard landmarks
F.5Three beats	Steps and skips Loud and soft Ties and dots	Tap back a rhythm in three beats	Three beats in a bar3/4	Read steps and skips
F.6Steps and skips	Crescendo and diminuendo The phrase Repeats and navigation signs	Echo steps and skips	Four or three beats4/4 · 3/4	Play a loud–soft echo
F.7Long and short	Legato, staccato and slurs Accents, marcato and tenuto	Tap back long and short notes	Rests in four and in three4/4 · 3/4	Detached and connected notes
F.8Five notes in C	Five-finger positions Following two independent voices The damper pedal, with the note	Echo a melody in C position	Read four bars4/4	C five-finger pattern Play a tune by ear
F.9Five notes in G	Sharps, flats and naturals	Echo two notes in C or G position	Four bars in three3/4	G five-finger pattern
F.10Home and away	Three notes that sound like home Home and away chords in C	Home or away: play the chord	A right-hand rhythm over long left-hand notes4/4 · 3/4	Find the tonic chord Home and away chords: I–V–I
F.11Rests		Tap back a rhythm with rests	Come in after a rest4/4 · 3/4	Hold
F.12A three-beat phrase		Echo a three-beat phrase	Tied notes3/4 · 4/4	Read steps and skips
F.13Sound and silence		Tap back long notes and rests	Long notes and silences4/4 · 3/4	Hold

Level 1

12 Musicianship units. By ear: rhythms, melodies, intervals and chords. Rhythms in 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
1.1Even eighths	Eighth notes and “1-and” Italian tempo terms	Tap back a rhythm with eighths	Two eighths in a beat4/4	Eighths
1.2Tonic and dominant	The upbeat	Echo four notes	Lead into the downbeat4/4 · 3/4	Upbeat Ties
1.3Up from the tonic	The major scale	Find the note above the tonic	Two beats in a bar2/4	I–V7–I in C major
1.4Strong beats	Intervals from a 2nd to an octave	Tap back a rhythm in 4/4 or 3/4	Eighths and quarter rests4/4 · 3/4	Intervals
1.5The key of F	Key signatures Tonic and dominant Transposing at the keyboard	Echo a melody in F or C	Eighths in three3/4	I–V7–I in F major
1.6Seconds and thirds	The chromatic scale	Play the second or third you hear	Running eighths4/4 · 2/4	I–V7–I
1.7Five-note melodies		Echo five notes	A right-hand rhythm over a steady left hand4/4 · 3/4	Counterpoint
1.8Tonic or dominant chord	Binary form Authentic and half cadences	Tonic or dominant: play the chord	Ties across the barline4/4 · 3/4	Half authentic
1.9Intervals to a fifth	The motive	Play the interval you hear, up to a fifth	Start after a quarter rest2/4 · 4/4	Intervals
1.10I and V7	Keyboard harmony: I–V7–I	I or V7: play the chord	A melody rhythm over held chords4/4 · 3/4	Harmonise in F major
1.11Major or minor	The blue note	Echo a melody in major or minor	Ties, eighths and rests3/4 · 4/4	Intervals
1.12The key of G	The fermata	Tap back a rhythm with eighths and rests	Level 1 rhythms together2/4 · 3/4 · 4/4	I–V7–I in G major

Level 2

10 Musicianship units. By ear: chords, melodies, rhythms, intervals and cadences. Rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
2.1Triads and their bass	Major and minor triads Triad inversions Texture: melody, accompaniment and polyphony	Play the triad you hear, inversions included	Rests between eighths4/4 · 3/4	I–V7–I
2.2The minor key	The relative minor The harmonic minor Sixteenth notes	Echo a melody in a minor key	Four sixteenths in a beat4/4	I–V7–I in D minor
2.3Dotted rhythms	The dotted quarter and eighth	Tap back a dotted rhythm	Dotted quarter and eighth4/4 · 3/4	Dotted
2.4Intervals in the scale	6/8 and compound time Cut time, 3/8 and other signatures The acciaccatura (crushed note)	Play the interval you hear in the scale	Two beats of three eighths (6/8)6/8	Compound
2.5Three primary chords	The primary chords: I, IV and V Keyboard harmony: I–IV–I–V7–I Harmonising a melody	Play the bass of I, IV and V	Dotted rhythms over a held bass3/4 · 4/4	I–IV–V7–I Harmonise a folk melody
2.6Major or minor triad	Legato pedalling Reading pedal marks The plagal cadence	Major or minor: play the triad	Ties with dotted notes4/4 · 3/4	Pedal
2.7Bass with inversions	Slowing down and speeding up Dolce, cantabile and other character terms	Play the bass of a cadence	Reading at a faster tempo4/4 · 3/4 · 6/8	Tempo
2.8Melodies to the dominant	Triplets	Echo a melody up to the dominant	Triplet eighths4/4 · 3/4	Triplets
2.9Six-eight		Tap back a rhythm in 6/8	Even sixteenths over the beat2/4 · 4/4	Sixteenths
2.10A minuet phrase	Minuet and trio	Echo a minuet phrase	Level 2 rhythms together3/4 · 4/4 · 6/8	Minuet trio

Level 3

10 Musicianship units. By ear: melodies, rhythms, intervals, cadences, chords and progressions. Rhythms in 6/8, 3/8, 4/4, 3/4 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
3.1Melodies in new keys		Echo a melody in a new key	6/8 and 3/86/8 · 3/8	Play a tune by ear
3.2Syncopation	Syncopation Sforzando and sudden changes	Tap back a rhythm with syncopation	Syncopation4/4 · 3/4	Syncopation
3.3Interval colour	Major, minor and perfect intervals Consonance and dissonance	Play the second or third you hear	Eighth rests4/4 · 2/4	Thirds
3.4The dominant seventh	The dominant seventh (V7) The tritone	Play the bass of a cadence with V7	Syncopation over a steady beat4/4 · 3/4	I–IV–V7–I
3.5Major or minor triads	The melodic minor Finding the key of a piece The order of sharps and flats	Major or minor: play the triad	Ties in 3/4 and 6/83/4 · 6/8	Melodic minor
3.6Intervals to the octave	Thirty-second notes	Play the interval you hear, up to the octave	Sixteenths and dotted eighths4/4 · 2/4	Transpose a folk melody
3.7Six-note melodies	Ternary form	Echo six notes with eighths	Mixed rhythms in three metres4/4 · 3/4 · 6/8	Ternary
3.8Bass of a progression	Sonatina form Alberti bass	Play the bass of a progression	A melody over running eighths4/4 · 3/4	Alberti
3.9Question and answer	Imitation and canon Call and response	Echo a phrase in its exact rhythm	Call and response between the hands4/4 · 3/4	Improvise a question and answer Period
3.10Chord symbols	Lead sheets: block chords Harmonic rhythm Scale-degree names	Major, minor or dominant seventh: play the chord	A syncopated melody over held chords4/4	Lead sheet: block chords Harmonise a folk melody

Level 4

10 Musicianship units. By ear: melodies, intervals, chords, progressions, rhythms and cadences. Rhythms in 2/4, 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
4.1Melodies to the octave	Ornaments: trill, mordent and turn The Baroque dance suite	Echo a melody up to the octave	Sixteenth groups2/4 · 4/4	Ornament
4.2Intervals up or down		Play the interval you hear, up or down	Ties across the beat4/4 · 3/4	Detached and connected notes
4.3Dominant-seventh inversions	Inversions of V7	Play the triad or dominant seventh you hear	6/8 with sixteenths6/8	V7 inversions
4.4Four chords	Phrase and period Tonic, predominant and dominant	Play the chords of a progression	Phrases that lead in3/4 · 4/4	Period
4.5Syncopated bars	Rondo	Tap back a rhythm with syncopation	Triplets and eighths4/4 · 3/4	Improvise a small rondo
4.6Major and minor cadences	Rolled chords Pedalling Romantic harmony	Play the bass of a major or minor cadence	Two independent lines4/4 · 3/4	Octaves
4.7Eight-note melodies		Echo a melody of eight notes	Long melody notes over a steady beat4/4 · 3/4	Lead sheet: block chords
4.8Rests and dots	Articulation in Classical style Style periods	Tap back a rhythm with rests and dots	Short notes and rests2/4 · 4/4	Detached and connected notes
4.9Bass lines	The appoggiatura	Play the bass of a progression	A waltz rhythm over a steady beat3/4	Grace
4.10Sevenths and the blues	The 12-bar blues The blue third The blues scale	Major, minor or seventh: play the chord	Off-beat accents over a walking beat4/4	Twelve-bar blues

Level 5

10 Musicianship units. By ear: progressions, chords, cadences, melodies, intervals, rhythms and answering a phrase. Rhythms in 9/8, 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 and 6/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
5.1Around the circle	The circle of fifths Double sharps and double flats Parallel keys	Play the bass of a progression	Three dotted-quarter beats (9/8)9/8	Circle
5.2Triads on every degree	Augmented and diminished triads Triads on every degree Roman numerals	Play the triad you hear, inversions included	Syncopation with sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Diatonic
5.3V–I or V–vi	The deceptive cadence Perfect and imperfect authentic cadences Rock and pop progressions	Play the bass of a progression that ends on I or vi	Entries after rests4/4 · 3/4 · 2/4	Compare deceptive and authentic cadences
5.4Predominant chords	Figured-bass numbers Interval inversion Compound intervals	Play the bass of a cadence	Two lines with dotted rhythms and sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Realise a figured bass
5.5Dotted phrases		Echo a dotted phrase	Compound time with sixteenths and rests6/8 · 9/8	Cadential
5.6Two notes together	Two-part counterpoint	Play the interval you hear, melodic or harmonic	Independent hands with syncopation4/4	Counterpoint
5.7Rests and syncopation	Sequences Playing Baroque music on a modern piano Backbeat and groove	Tap back a rhythm with syncopation and rests	Triplets and sixteenths2/4 · 3/4 · 4/4	Sequence
5.8The cadential six-four	Keyboard harmony: ii6 and the six-four Double dots	Play the bass of a cadence with a six-four	Double-dotted rhythms4/4 · 3/4	Cadential
5.9Eight notes to the octave	Lead sheets: broken patterns Tuplets: quintuplets, duplets and more	Echo a melody up to the upper tonic	Quarter-note triplets4/4 · 3/4	Lead sheet: broken chords
5.10An answering phrase	Rounded binary form	Answer a four-bar phrase	Level 5 rhythms together3/4 · 4/4 · 6/8 · 9/8	Period

Level 6

10 Musicianship units. By ear: chords, cadences, progressions, melodies, intervals, rhythms and answering a phrase. Rhythms in 12/8, 2/2, 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 6/8, 9/8, 5/8, 7/8 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
6.1Seventh chords	Seventh chords of every quality Reading lead-sheet symbols	Play the seventh chord you hear	Four dotted-quarter beats (12/8)12/8	Sevenths
6.2Minor cadences	The cadential six-four Classical style	Play the bass of a minor cadence	Two half-note beats (cut time)2/2	Harmonise a tonal phrase
6.3Sevenths in a progression	Notes outside the chord	Play the bass of a progression with sevenths	Ties against the beat in two hands4/4 · 3/4	Suspension
6.4The leading note in minor	The modes	Echo a minor phrase	Five beats in a bar (5/4)5/4	Modal
6.5Seconds to sevenths	Pentatonic and whole-tone scales	Play the interval you hear, melodic or harmonic	Duplets in compound time6/8 · 9/8 · 12/8	Collections
6.6Dots and syncopation	Theme and variations Two against three Hemiola	Tap back a rhythm with dots and syncopation	Two against three4/4 · 3/4	Hemiola
6.7A minuet phrase	Five and seven beats	Echo a minuet phrase	Irregular metres: 5/8 and 7/85/8 · 7/8	Irregular
6.8Ragtime syncopation	Ragtime Swing eighths Riffs and licks	Tap back a syncopated rhythm	Ragtime syncopation over a steady bass2/4	Ragtime and stride
6.9A minor answer	Half pedal and flutter pedal	Answer a four-bar phrase	Hemiola: three against two across the bar3/4	Pedal
6.10Bass and inversions	Pedal points Ground bass	Play the bass of a cadence and follow its inversions	Entries after rests in each hand4/4 · 3/4	Pedal point

Level 7

11 Musicianship units. By ear: cadences, progressions, melodies, chords, rhythms, intervals and answering a phrase. Rhythms in 3/4, 4/4, 2/4, 7/8, 12/8, 6/8 and 9/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
7.1V of V	Applied dominants: V of V Modulation to related keys Hearing the destination of a cadence	Play the bass of a cadence through V of V	Sixteenths across the beat3/4 · 4/4	Modulation
7.2Sevenths in a progression	Sonata form	Play the bass of a progression with sevenths	Classical figures: triplets, sixteenths and dots2/4 · 4/4	Transpose a tonal phrase
7.3The Dorian sixth	Fugue vocabulary	Echo a Dorian phrase	Imitative entries in two hands4/4	Counterpoint
7.4Diminished sevenths	The diminished seventh chord The Phrygian half cadence	Play the diminished seventh you hear	Seven eighths (7/8)7/8	Diminished
7.5Triplets and five beats	Una corda and sostenuto Rubato and the underlying pulse Romantic style	Tap back a rhythm with triplets	Quarter-note triplets against the beat4/4 · 3/4	Rubato
7.6ii–V–I	Early jazz and dominant chains Minor blues and the shorter and longer forms The ii–V–I progression	Play the bass of a ii–V–I progression	Jazz syncopation over a walking bass4/4	Lead sheet: shell voicings
7.7Four-note chords		Play the seventh chord you hear	12/8 with duplets and sixteenths12/8	Harmonise a tonal phrase
7.8Intervals in two voices	Transposing instruments and score reading Alto and tenor clefs Reading open score at the keyboard	Play the interval you hear, melodic or harmonic	Two lines with sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Read an open score
7.9Inverted chords	The rule of the octave	Play the bass of a progression with inversions	Two against three, either hand4/4 · 3/4 · 2/4	Rule of the Octave
7.10A Dorian answer		Answer a four-bar phrase in Dorian	Level 7 rhythms together3/4 · 4/4 · 6/8 · 9/8	Period
7.11Off-beat melodies		Echo a phrase with off-beat entries	A melody over a rocking 6/8 beat6/8	Turnarounds

Level 8

11 Musicianship units. By ear: melodies, cadences, progressions, chords, intervals and rhythms. Rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 2/4, 5/8, 7/8 and 5/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
8.1The Mixolydian seventh	Four-part voice leading Preparing and resolving a suspension Species counterpoint	Echo a Mixolydian phrase	Syncopation in two independent lines4/4 · 3/4	Chorale
8.2Chorale cadences	Harmonising a chorale melody	Play the bass of a cadence	Hemiola in 6/8, either hand6/8	Harmonise a tonal phrase
8.3Inversions and sevenths	Realising figured bass Four kinds of six-four chord	Play the bass of a progression with inversions	Compound time over a dotted-quarter pulse9/8 · 12/8	Realise a figured bass
8.4The deceptive cadence	Galant schemas Partimento The sentence	Play the bass of a cadence with a deceptive turn	Thirty-second notes2/4 · 4/4	Improvise with a galant schema
8.5Borrowed chords	Borrowing from the parallel minor	Play the chords of a progression with borrowed chords	Irregular metres over their grouped beat5/8 · 7/8	Mixture
8.6Major and minor sevenths	Guide-tone shells and circle voice-leading	Play the major or minor seventh chord you hear	Anticipations and off-beat entries4/4 · 3/4	Lead sheet: broken chords Lead sheet: shell voicings
8.7Intervals to a tenth		Play the interval you hear, up to a tenth	Changing subdivisions4/4 · 2/4	Rule of the Octave
8.8Through V of V	Following a voice exchange Hypermeter: bars that lean	Play the bass of a cadence through V of V	Two lines with triplets4/4 · 3/4	Read an open score
8.9Triplets and sixteenths	Stride left hand and ragtime leap discipline	Tap back a rhythm with triplets or sixteenths	Ragtime over a light bass2/4	Ragtime and stride
8.10Modal phrases	Quartal and cluster harmony Tremolo and glissando	Echo a modal phrase	Five and seven5/4 · 7/8	Quartal
8.11Even subdivisions		Tap back a rhythm with sixteenths	Hands alternating in sixteenths2/4 · 4/4	Transpose a tonal phrase

Level 9

10 Musicianship units. By ear: chords, cadences, melodies, progressions, answering a phrase, intervals and rhythms. Rhythms in 12/8, 6/8, 4/4, 3/4, 7/8, 5/8, 2/2 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
9.1Ninth chords	Ninths, elevenths and thirteenths Modal jazz	Play the ninth chord you hear	Syncopation in compound time12/8 · 6/8	Extensions
9.2Applied dominants	Shell and rootless voicings Rootless left-hand voicings (Type A and Type B) Altered dominants and tritone substitution	Play the bass of a cadence with an applied dominant	Comping rhythms against a melody4/4	Voicing compare
9.3An applied leading note	Following a complete fugue Reading historical ornament tables	Echo a phrase with a chromatic leading note	Entries in two lines with sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Counterpoint
9.4Tonicisation	Applied dominants An applied leading-note chord	Play the bass of a progression with applied dominants	Quarter-note triplets and sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Realise a figured bass
9.5A tonal answer	Distant keys and chromatic mediants Modulating at the keyboard	Answer a four-bar phrase	Shifting groups in 5/8 and 7/87/8 · 5/8	Distant
9.6Wide intervals	Planing and colour	Play the interval you hear, up to a tenth	Five notes in a beat4/4 · 3/4	Whole tone
9.7Deceptive returns	From Schubert to Debussy	Play the bass of a cadence with a deceptive turn	Cut time with runs2/2	Transpose a tonal phrase
9.8Three against four	Three against four	Tap back a rhythm with triplets or sixteenths	Three against four4/4 · 3/4 · 2/4	Read an open score
9.9A long line	Romantic character pieces Escape tones and retardations	Echo a long phrase	Quarter-note triplets against quarters, either hand4/4 · 2/4	Period
9.10Harmonic direction		Play the bass of the progression you hear	Sixteenths and thirty-seconds4/4 · 3/4	Harmonise a tonal phrase

Level 10

11 Musicianship units. By ear: cadences, chords, melodies, rhythms, progressions and answering a phrase. Rhythms in 9/8, 12/8, 5/4, 7/8, 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 5/8 and 2/4.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
10.1Minor applied dominants	Enharmonic modulation	Play the bass of a minor cadence	Duplets and sixteenths in compound time9/8 · 12/8	Enharmonic
10.2Altered dominants	The octatonic scale Two keys at once Twelve-tone rows	Play the altered chord you hear	Irregular metres with sixteenths and ties5/4 · 7/8	Octatonic
10.3Chromatic approach	Trio-sonata texture and continuo Exchanging contrapuntal positions	Echo a minor phrase with chromatic notes	Independent triplets and sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Read an open score
10.4Cadences that close a theme	Analysing a sonata movement Explaining a rewritten return	Play the bass of a cadence	Two against three at speed4/4 · 3/4	Cadence memory
10.5Boogie and stride rhythm		Tap back a syncopated rhythm	Boogie: syncopation over driving eighths4/4	Ragtime and stride
10.6Applied progressions	Editions and urtext	Play the bass of a progression with applied dominants	Double dots and thirty-seconds4/4 · 3/4	Ornament
10.7Fast subdivisions	Recognising rhythmic transformation	Tap back a rhythm with triplets or sixteenths	Hemiola in 3/4 and 6/83/4 · 6/8	Transpose a tonal phrase
10.8A minor phrase	Hearing harmony above a pedal point	Echo a minor phrase	Dance metre in two lines3/4	Period
10.9A short prelude	Quartal voicings and upper-structure triads	Answer a four-bar phrase in a minor key	Five and six notes in a beat4/4 · 3/4	Prelude in A minor
10.10Seventh colours	The piano grows with the music	Play the seventh chord you hear	Level 10 rhythms together3/4 · 4/4 · 6/8 · 5/8	Period
10.11A study's line		Echo a short minor phrase	Three against four, either hand4/4 · 2/4	Harmonise a tonal phrase

Diploma

14 Musicianship units. By ear: melodies, cadences, intervals, answering a phrase, progressions, chords and rhythms. Rhythms in 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 5/8 and 7/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
D.1Chromatic neighbours	Reducing counterpoint The long-range line	Echo a phrase with a chromatic neighbour	Two independent lines in sixteenths4/4	Reduction Prelude in a key
D.2The Neapolitan sixth	A cycle's key plan The Neapolitan sixth	Play the bass of a cadence with a Neapolitan chord	Classical figures with thirty-seconds2/4 · 3/4 · 4/4	Contrast
D.3A singing line		Echo a phrase with chromatic notes	A melody in eighths over triplets4/4 · 3/4	Harmonise a tonal phrase
D.4Compound intervals	Fortepiano and modern grand	Play the interval you hear, up to a tenth	Ornamental rhythms: dots and thirty-seconds4/4 · 3/4	Ornament Play a continuo part
D.5A compressed answer		Answer a four-bar phrase	Simple and compound time6/8 · 2/4 · 9/8 · 3/4	Contrast
D.6Chromatic bass lines	What a variation keeps	Play the bass of a chromatic progression	Variations over a steady ground3/4 · 4/4	Variation
D.7Augmented sixths		Play the augmented sixth chord you hear	Suspensions and sixteenths in two lines4/4	Counterpoint
D.8Displaced accents	Accents against the metre Italian, French and German sixths	Tap back a rhythm with displaced accents	Hemiola against the dance metre3/4 · 6/8	Hemiola
D.9Neapolitan returns		Play the bass of a cadence with a Neapolitan chord	Off-beat figures at speed2/4 · 4/4	Improvise a small rondo
D.10A motivic return		Echo a major phrase with a motivic return	Barcarolle: duplets over a 12/8 pulse12/8	Transpose a tonal phrase
D.11Intervals in a texture		Play the interval you hear, melodic or harmonic	Irregular metres with sixteenths5/8 · 7/8	Ornament
D.12Altered colour	Writing programme notes	Play every note of the chord you hear	Three against four in either hand4/4 · 3/4	Improvise with a galant schema
D.13Brilliant and relaxed		Echo a phrase with chromatic notes	Five and six notes in a beat at speed4/4 · 2/4	Lead sheet: rootless voicings
D.14After the orchestra		Play the chord you hear	Count the rests and enter on time4/4 · 3/4	Reduction

Licentiate

14 Musicianship units. By ear: melodies, answering a phrase, intervals, cadences, progressions, chords and rhythms. Rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 2/4, 7/8, 5/8, 9/8 and 12/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
L.1Minor sequences		Echo a minor sequence	Independent lines with entries and ties4/4	Counterpoint Prelude in a key
L.2A contrasting answer	Testing a long pedal mark Tracing a development	Answer a four-bar phrase	Free-sounding rhythms written exactly4/4 · 3/4	Recitative
L.3Transformed themes	From form map to decisions	Echo a minor phrase with chromatic notes	One idea in simple and compound time3/4 · 6/8 · 2/4	Variation
L.4Wide intervals	Source and adaptation	Play the interval you hear, up to a tenth	Two against three at concert speed4/4 · 3/4 · 2/4	Enharmonic reading
L.5Augmented-sixth cadences		Play the bass of a cadence with an augmented sixth	Ornamental runs: thirty-seconds and sextuplets4/4 · 3/4	Ornament
L.6Chromatic progressions	Shaping a recital	Play the bass of a chromatic progression	Irregular metres at speed7/8 · 5/8	Contrast
L.7A long sequence		Echo a minor sequence	Long lines with syncopated ties4/4	Counterpoint Play a continuo part
L.8Quartal colour		Play the quartal or whole-tone chord you hear	Hemiola in a slow dance3/4	Pedal
L.9German and French sixths	Grouping a variation set	Play the bass of a cadence with an augmented sixth	Three against four at speed4/4 · 3/4	Variation
L.10Dance metre	Dances in concert pieces	Tap back a dance rhythm	A compound dance over its dotted-quarter beat6/8 · 9/8 · 12/8	Improvise a small rondo
L.11Intervals in perpetual motion		Play the interval you hear, melodic or harmonic	Perpetual motion in sixteenths and sextuplets4/4 · 3/4	Harmonise a tonal phrase
L.12Concert-study rhythm	Three against four	Tap back a rhythm with triplets or sixteenths	Hands alternating at speed2/4 · 4/4	Lead sheet: rootless voicings
L.13Double sixths		Echo a minor sequence	Five against four4/4 · 2/4	Transpose a tonal phrase
L.14After the tutti		Play the bass of a chromatic progression	Long rests and exact entries4/4 · 3/4 · 2/4	Contrast

Fellowship and Concert

11 Musicianship units. By ear: progressions, melodies, cadences, answering a phrase, intervals, chords and rhythms. Rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 2/2, 5/4, 7/8, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 and 5/8.

Unit	Theory questions	Ear	Rhythm	Keyboard
C.1A variation cycle	A variation set's trajectory	Play the bass of a chromatic progression	Variation rhythms in two hands4/4 · 3/4	Variation
C.2Octatonic phrases	Weighing sonata arrivals An interpretation you can test	Echo an octatonic phrase	Quarter-note triplets against the beat, either hand4/4 · 2/4	Reduction
C.3Chains of dominants		Play the bass of a chain of applied dominants	Cut time with syncopation2/2	Contrast
C.4A recurring cell		Echo a phrase with a recurring cell	A theme in triplets over running sixteenths4/4 · 3/4	Harmonise a tonal phrase
C.5A transformed answer	Transformed returns Harmonic signatures	Answer a four-bar phrase	Two lines in an irregular metre5/4 · 7/8	Variation
C.6Every interval		Play the interval you hear, up to a tenth	Compound time with duplets and ties6/8 · 9/8 · 12/8	Contrast
C.7Embedded lines		Echo an octatonic phrase	Five against four, either hand4/4	Play a continuo part
C.8Extended chords	A form map from evidence	Play the extended chord you hear	Changing rhythmic worlds3/4 · 4/4 · 6/8 · 5/8	Cycle Prelude in a key
C.9A toccata's harmony		Play the bass of a chain of applied dominants	Toccata: hands alternating in sixteenths2/4 · 4/4	Improvise with a galant schema
C.10Volatile rhythm	Describing tonal ambiguity A work's performance notes	Tap back a two-bar rhythm	Cross-rhythms at concert speed3/4 · 6/8	Lead sheet: rootless voicings
C.11From tutti to finale		Play the bass of a chromatic progression	Count the tutti and enter exactly4/4 · 3/4 · 2/2	Contrast

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