Two Note Melody Dictations (D, F# and A) 1

Now that you can play your D, F# and A cleanly, we can start working on melodic ear training. The primary goal here is to begin to distinguish between different melody notes. Of course, in the background, we will be working on two other crucial aspects of playing the fiddle – playing in time with the rhythm and gaining fluidity when changing between notes.

When you practice Long Tones, I suggested that you pick your finger up off the fiddle when listening. However, for melodic dictations, just like when you are playing real tunes and songs, it is often a good idea to leave your finger(s) down on the last note(s) played. That is very a very efficient habit for fiddlers.

Since Melody Dictations may be completely new for some folks, we are going to apply a scaffolding methodology to help transition into this new layer of musical complexity. Use the scaffolding if you need it, and then remove it as you progress. Please refer to the scaffolding screencast if you need more information.

We are going to work on the following melodic dictations:

• D and A

• D and F#

• F# and  A

Work on the dictations in order. Start with the metronome at 4o bpm, and then slowly speed it up as you progress through each combination of notes. Please refer to the musical gym screen cast if you need more information about how to do that.