GCSE Music Revision

The Bare Bones!

 In this resource…
• You will find information which you MUST
revise for your GCSE Music listening exam.
• These areas are what I call “high frequency
questions and ANSWERS” – they come up
most often in the exam.
• At the end of the powerpoint you will find a
series of TIPS for how to actually sit this exam.
 TIME SIGNATURES
• Your answer will either be or

• Whilst you listen to the extract of music, count, tap your foot or lap.
Are you counting in patterns of 3 or 4.

• Are you hearing a stronger beat like this 123 or

1234???

• Remember to write both numbers (do not just write the number
3 when you mean ¾)
 Music in ¾ time examples
• All the music in this playlist is in ¾ time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GmxMTwUgs&index=7
&list=PLDB6BE778164C9B00

- bach minuet in G major

- seal “kiss from a rose”
- strauss “blue danube waltz”
- LeAnn Rimes “you light up my life”
- sarah mclachlan “angel”
- kelly clarkson “break away”
- Alicia Keys “fallin’”
- Weezer “holiday”
 Music in 4/4 time examples
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E3OUvv
D7dU&list=PL2D8B1DC5CF35A2B9

- Beethovens String Quartet no.4 in C minor

- Elvis’ “hound dog”
- Lady Gaga “You and I”
- JS Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.1
 Tonality
• You will either answer MAJOR or MINOR

• Does the piece sound upbeat/cheerful =

MAJOR

• If the piece sounds sad, mysterious = MINOR

 Music with a MINOR tonality
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1dBg__wsuo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3OhLrTeiMQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY&lis
t=PLMFxBIjnjFBmBXphAlnXeZLDTVgoSpS5-
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if-UzXIQ5vw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR3Vdo5etCQ
• Britney Spears HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME is in a
minor key – you can hear this better in a cover by
TRAVIS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acULghgYUg0
 Music in a MAJOR tonality
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXIu0MRuIQU
• Game of Thrones turned into a MAJOR key piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OP93UmgcfI then
listen to the original theme which is minor

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RC_bYr3cPc
 BONUS! Happy (major songs) played
in a MINOR key!!
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAXrgl_o
F-8
 VOICES
• If asked a question about what type of voice..
• HIGH LOW
• REMEMBER SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)
 VOICES and CHOIRS
• If asked a question about what type of choir
you usually have a choice of:

• MIXED CHOIR (male and female singers)

• MALE CHOIR (all men and possibly boys)
• FEMALE/LADIES (all ladies)
• BOYS CHOICE (just young male children)
 Examples of Choirs
MIXED:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6s6YKlTpfw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY1o1MtchPM (look
from 10 mins onwards)

MALES (including boys): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl93WXJEVMQ

BOYS CHOIR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km5KXNZOwqs

 INSTRUMENTS
• As a bare minimum you must know ONE instrument from
each FAMILY of the orchestra. You should listen to and
watch the links on the next slide to become more familiar
with the different sounds.
String instruments can
be played in 2 main
ways: PLUCKED or
BOWED!

• STRINGS: VIOLIN and Cello

• BRASS: TRUMPET and Trombone
• WOODWIND: FLUTE and Clarinet
• PERCUSSION: BASS DRUM and Snare Drum
INSTRUMENTS
 Listen to the Orchestra
Star Wars Imperial March https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRRtOJqB8PU

Tom and Jerry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYrUWfLlYI0

Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waP1N446Zb0

Plucked strings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CAXpuPqfv0

Strings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP2_6OLummA
Brass https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE0aSxziNdY
Woodwind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEt1Mm8sSkA

Bill Baileys Guide to the Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov2crXHEV4g&index=7&list=RD68wJIQbCtlI
 TEXTURE
• This kind of question is asking you to think about how many
different PARTS are playing.

• Are all the voices/instruments playing the same notes/part as

eachother?
• Are there different melodies (tunes) playing at the same time?
• Is there one main melody (tune) with backing music (like
chords/drum beat/bass line?)
• Is there only one part?

• THERE ARE TECHNICAL WORDS WHICH YOU MUST REMEMBER!

 TYPES OF TEXTURE (by frequency)
• Melody + Accompaniment = the main tune plus
backing

• This could be someone singing and a guitar or piano

playing chords. It could be a flute playing the melody
and string instruments playing chords together. It does
not HAVE to be a full band with drumkit and bass line!
Melody and Accompaniment examples
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRNxhOK-
3U&list=PLPvHyIOn4ZUlVH7cgMFs31n9k5E4AA3ef&index=2
 TEXTURE no.2
• MONOPHONIC = one part without any backing
parts

• This could be one instrument playing on its own

• It could be a singer on their own without any
backing
• It could be a bunch of singers or instruments BUT
they all play the same, one tune.
 Monophonic Texture examples
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBX4WphhI5Y&index=1
&list=PLPvHyIOn4ZUlVH7cgMFs31n9k5E4AA3ef

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsn9LWh230k&list=PLql
BUBzLjNAmDkTnnuNGInSrUrCReSDAe

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTioPjBEm4c&list=PLqlB
UBzLjNAmDkTnnuNGInSrUrCReSDAe&index=4
 TEXTURE no.3
• HOMOPHONIC = main melody plus chords.
Everything seems to move together. where all
parts move in the same rhythm. So, chordal
movement, same rhythm, different notes.
 Homophonic Texture examples
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbGYdvE
mr10&index=4&list=PLPvHyIOn4ZUlVH7cgMF
s31n9k5E4AA3ef

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cin9E527
9MY&spfreload=1
 TEXTURE no.4
• POLYPHONIC = several melodies at the same
time (all as important as each other)
 Polyphonic Texture examples
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGUe5O
EDtUU&list=PLPvHyIOn4ZUlVH7cgMFs31n9k5
E4AA3ef&index=3
 TEXTURE no.5
OCTAVES: if the instruments or parts play or sing
notes an octave apart, this is called octaves
An 8th apart (so, C-C, D-D, E-E etc)

Etc…
G C D E C D E C D G
 DYNAMICS (hyperlink)
• When asked about Dynamics, you are
describing if the music is LOUD or QUIET.

• YOU MUST REMEMBER THE FOLLOWING TWO

ITALIAN WORDS
You might have to say
whether the dynamics are

• piano = QUIET
piano or forte OR you might
have to describe what
happens to the dynamics
• FORTE = LOUD during the piece i.e. does it
get louder/quieter/stay the
same?
 TEMPO (the speed)

• Remember L. M. A If unsure, put

MODERATO as a safe
• Largo (slow) bet!

• Moderato (medium pace)

• Allegro (fast)
 RHYTHM
• Talk about the type of notes used to make the
rhythms such as

• long notes, short notes

• minims, quavers
• dotted notes
• simple/compound time
• regular rhythms/steady rhythms
• syncopated rhythms
 CADENCES
Write PERFECT cadence as
• You will either answer: your SAFE bet if you are not
certain.

• PERFECT or INTERRUPTED
• Perfect = the music sounds like it has come to
a finish or it could finish at this point
• Interrupted = it sounds like it HAS to carry on
otherwise the piece would sound weird.
 PERFECT CADENCE EXAMPLE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYcIyj_d
wSk
INTERRUPTED CADENCE EXAMPLE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZxeJnv
FWT8
 Modulation
• Questions about modulation are asking you to
listen for key changes.

• If the music is happy then sad = relative minor

• If the music is happy, changes but is still happy
= subdominant
 Intervals
• You usually get asked to identify the interval at
the beginning or end of an extract and usually
what ever instrument is playing the melody.

• OCTAVE is common (somewhere over the rainbow first

two notes)
• 3rd is quite common (oh when the saints)
• 5th possibly. (twinkle twinkle)
 STRUCTURE
• This is the ORDER that the different sections of
the music occur.
• For example: is it a pop song with verse, chorus,
verse 2, chorus 2 etc?
• Does it sound like different instruments or groups
of singers are responding to eachother?
• Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
• Does it sound like the song can be broken into 2
or 3 main sections?
• …check out the next slide(s)
 Call & Response
• This is where a musician plays/sings
something and other musicians/singers
answer back. It is like the musicians are
having a conversation between their
voices/instruments!
• Does it sound like the music is asking a
question and being answered?
Binary or Ternary? These are linked to
youtube clips
• BINARY = 2 sections. 2 halves to a piece which
are different to eachother.

• TERNARY = 3 sections. The beginning and the

end sections are the same as each other but
the middle is different.
 Popular Song Structure
• What order do the sections occur?
Intro…then a verse…? chorus next?...is there
a different section in between such as a bridge
or instrumental solo?
 AABA…AA1BA…?!
• If you are asked to identify the structure of a verse/melody and are given
choices which are a combination of letters…

• AABA = melody, melody repeated, different melody, original melody from

the start. So lines 1,2 and 4 would all be the same and line 3 would sound
different.

• ABAC = line 1 and 3 the same, line 2 is different, line 4 is different too

• ABA1B = line 1 melody, line 2(B) different, line 3 is similar to line 1, line 4 is
the same as line 2.

• SEE NEXT SLIDE

 Typical Exam Questions (Structure and
Form)

Example 01 A1 A2 A1 A2 A1 A2 B A2 A1 A2 A 3 B A1 A2 B C
Track 04

Example 02 AABBA AABAA ABACA ABCAA

Track 05

Example 03 AABB AABA AABC ABAB

Track 06
TOP TIPS
• Read the questions carefully – are they asking you to listen to a certain bit of the song or for
a certain instrument?
• Keep track of how many times the piece has played for each question by ticking the box.
Aim to answer 2 questions for each time the song is played.
• Look out for the HIGH FREQUENCY answers – especially in multiple choice questions
• Don’t panic if you’re not sure what the answer is. Try to remember what the most obvious,
frequent answer usually is for the question.
• DON’T LEAVE ANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED – better to guess than to skip!
• Multiple choice questions – you have a 25% chance of getting right even if you simply guess!
Try to make it an informed guess!

• In the 6 mark question you need to COMPARE – so draw up a table of 2 columns. Left
column for EXTRACT A and right column for EXTRACT B. Write down what is similar between
each and how they are different.
Excerpt A Excerpt B
Dotted rhythms in the bass Syncopation throughout
line. Triplets in the melody
4/4 6/8
Piano throughout Fortissimo at the start.
Diminuendo after 4 bars to