Melody Writing

    OCR
    GCSE

    Candidates must demonstrate the ability to construct coherent, stylistically appropriate melodic lines that function effectively within a harmonic framework (AO2). Mastery requires the manipulation of pitch and rhythm to create shape and contour, utilizing balanced phrasing, motivic development, and structural devices such as sequence and inversion. Examiners expect evidence of idiomatic writing for specific instruments or voices, ensuring that tessitura, articulation, and phrasing breathe life into the composition rather than resulting in a mechanical series of pitches.

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    Objectives
    3
    Exam Tips
    3
    Pitfalls
    4
    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Credit motivic development that utilizes specific devices such as sequence, inversion, or rhythmic augmentation to create structural cohesion.
    • Award marks for melodies that imply functional harmony, clearly outlining cadential points through arpeggiation or stepwise resolution.
    • Candidates must demonstrate idiomatic understanding by adhering to the specific range, tessitura, and articulation capabilities of the chosen instrument.
    • Credit the use of balanced phrasing structures (antecedent and consequent) that support the overall binary, ternary, or rondo form of the composition.

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Credit motivic development that utilizes specific devices such as sequence, inversion, or rhythmic augmentation to create structural cohesion.
    • Award marks for melodies that imply functional harmony, clearly outlining cadential points through arpeggiation or stepwise resolution.
    • Candidates must demonstrate idiomatic understanding by adhering to the specific range, tessitura, and articulation capabilities of the chosen instrument.
    • Credit the use of balanced phrasing structures (antecedent and consequent) that support the overall binary, ternary, or rondo form of the composition.

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Annotate your composition score with specific melodic devices (e.g., 'inverted sequence') to explicitly signal your intent to the moderator.
    • 💡Vocalise your melodic lines during the composition process to ensure natural phrasing and breath control, even for non-wind instruments.
    • 💡Review the 'Core Musical Elements' grid in the mark scheme; ensure your melody demonstrates variety in pitch, rhythm, and articulation to access higher bands.

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Writing melodies that lack a defined focal point or climax, resulting in a static and unengaging contour.
    • Failure to resolve non-harmony notes (such as appoggiaturas or suspensions) correctly, creating unintentional and stylistic dissonance.
    • Excessive repetition of short phrases without variation or development, leading to a lack of forward momentum.

    Study Guide Available

    Comprehensive revision notes & examples

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    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Motivic Development and Transformation
    Phrasing, Cadence, and Structural Balance
    Melodic Contour and Interval Management
    Rhythmic Variety and Metrical Placement

    Likely Command Words

    How questions on this topic are typically asked

    Compose
    Develop
    Analyse
    Identify
    Evaluate

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