Worked example · Music · Year 11
DCF: Producing → Evaluating and improving digital content
A secure Year 11 response, annotated so you can see which success criterion each part meets. It is also the answer key. The five errors: 3/4 instead of 6/8; the up-beat counted as bar 1; bar 6 rhythm spoiled by the semiquaver grid; D♭ instead of C♯ in bar 7; chord A instead of A7 in bar 7. Step 3: (a) compound duple; (b) D major, F♯ and C♯; (c) anacrusis; (d) I, IV, V, vi, ii, V7, I; (e) imperfect, perfect; (f) perfect 4th; (g) arpeggio or broken chord; (h) D, G, A. Practises GCSE Music Unit 3: Appraising, content 1.3.4.
| Bar(s) | What the software shows | Evidence that it is wrong | Correction | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All; seen most clearly in bar 5 | Time signature 3/4. Bar 5 quavers beamed in pairs. | Composer: “two beats in every bar, each beat a dotted crotchet”. Velocities: the 1st and 4th quavers of every bar are strong (bar 1: events 2 and 4 are 100 and 92; bar 5: events 17 and 20 are 99 and 93). The 3rd quaver, a strong beat in 3/4, is weak (event 3 is 66). | 6/8, compound duple. Bar 5 beamed 3 + 3. |
| 2 | Numbering of line 2 | Line 2 starts at bar 6. The up-beat has been counted as bar 1. | Composer: “Bar 1 is the first full bar. The tune is 8 full bars.” Line 2 starts at quaver 25, and bar 5 starts at 6 × 5 − 5 = 25. | Do not number the anacrusis. Line 2 starts at bar 5. |
| 3 | 6 | B crotchet tied to a semiquaver, then F♯ semiquaver tied to a crotchet. | Events 23 and 24: B starts at 31 and lasts 2.6; F♯ starts at 33.6, just before the second beat at 34. The semiquaver grid moved it to 33.5. Composer: “I rushed a note in bar 6”. | B dotted crotchet, F♯ crotchet, D quaver, with F♯ on beat 2. |
| 4 | 7 | D♭ with a flat sign. | Event 28 is note 73, which can be C♯ or D♭. The key is D major, which has C♯, and the chord underneath is A7 (A, C♯, E, G). | C♯. No accidental needed: it is in the key signature. |
| 5 | 7 (second chord) | Chord symbol A. | Chord event C8 holds A2, C♯3, E3 and G3. The G is the 7th. Composer: “V7 going to I”. | A7. |
Every error is specific (bar, symbol, correction) and every correction points to a source: a MIDI event, a velocity pattern or the composer’s own words. Error 1 uses the data to prove the time signature, rather than just hearing it. Evidences criteria 1, 2 and 3.
The corrected lead sheet:
(a) ☑ compound duple: two beats in a bar, each dividing into three quavers.
(b) D major. The sharps are F♯ and C♯.
(c) Anacrusis (also called an up-beat or pick-up).
| Bar | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 (first) | 7 (second) | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chord | D | G | A | Bm | Em | A7 | D |
| Roman numeral (d) | I | IV | V | vi | ii | V7 | I |
(e) Bars 3 to 4: I to V, an imperfect cadence. Bars 7 to 8: V7 to I, a perfect cadence.
(f) A up to D: A, B, C♯, D is four letter names and 5 semitones, a perfect 4th.
(g) Arpeggio (broken chord): A, F♯, D, F♯, A, F♯ are all notes of the D major chord.
(h) D, G and A (chords I, IV and V).
All answers use the glossary terms exactly as the specification writes them. Answers (e) and (f) show the reasoning, which is useful when a question asks for an explanation. Evidences criterion 4.
In words: bar 5: A quaver, F♯ quaver, D quaver (beamed), F♯ quaver, A quaver, F♯ quaver (beamed). Bar 6: B dotted crotchet, F♯ crotchet, D quaver.
The beaming shows the two dotted crotchet beats, and bar 6 has the same crotchet-quaver lilt as the rest of the jig, placed on the beat. Each bar adds up to 6 quavers. Evidences criterion 3.
Rhiannon, I have made five corrections. First, the tune is now in 6/8, not 3/4. Your notes describe two dotted crotchet beats, and the velocities agree: in every bar the first and fourth quavers are the hardest, such as events 2 and 4 in bar 1 (100 and 92), while event 3 is only 66. Bar 5 is now beamed in two groups of three. Second, the up-beat is no longer counted as bar 1, so the bar numbers match your notes. Third, bar 6 is now dotted crotchet, crotchet, quaver: event 24 started at 33.6, and the semiquaver grid moved it to 33.5 instead of the beat at 34. Fourth, bar 7 has C♯, not D♭, because the tune is in D major. Fifth, that chord is A7, because event C8 includes a G.
| Setting to change before importing | Change it to | Which error it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Time signature | 6/8 | 1: the 3/4 grouping and beaming |
| Pick-up (anacrusis) bar | One quaver | 2: the wrong bar numbers |
| Quantise grid | Quaver, the shortest note in the tune | 3: 33.6 rounds to 34, onto the beat |
| Key signature | D major | 4: note 73 is then spelt C♯ |
Chord symbols still need checking by eye after import, because the software named a four-note chord by its three main notes (error 5).
135 words. It is written for a critical audience: an expert who will want reasons. Each change is justified with a reference to the data or to her notes, and the settings table turns the corrections into a fix for next time. It is honest that one error cannot be prevented by a setting. Evidences criteria 2 and 5.