A Self-Assessment Test for Basic Musical Skills by Marianne Ploger © Marianne Ploger 1999/Revised version 2005 Skills needed to read any single melodic line On a scale from 0 to 100, rate yourself in each one of the areas listed below. A rating of 100 indicates a level of effortless fluency and reliability. The phrase “real-time” means: at the speed of music, on one hearing only. Pitch/Note skills On the keyboard, I can point to any of the seven basic diatonic notes in any octave, naming both by letter and solfege syllable, fluently, in real-time: ______ 1) C/Doh ______ 2) D/Re ______ 3) E/Mi ______ 4) F/Fa ______ 5) G/Sol ______ 6) A/La ______ 7) B/Si On the keyboard, I can point to the sharp manifestations of the seven basic diatonic notes in any octave, naming both by letter and solfege syllable, fluently, in real-time: ______ 1) C#/Doh-sharp ______ 2) D#/Re-sharp ______ 3) E#/Mi-sharp ______ 4) F#/Fa-sharp ______ 5) G#/Sol-sharp ______ 6) A#/La-sharp ______ 7) B#/Si-sharp On the keyboard, I can point to the flat manifestations of the seven basic diatonic notes in any octave, naming both by letter and solfege syllable, fluently, in real-time: ______ 1) Cb/Doh-flat ______ 2) Db/Re-flat ______ 3) Eb/Mi-flat ______ 4) Fb/Fa-flat ______ 5) Gb/Sol-flat ______ 6) Ab/La-flat ______ 7) Bb/Si-flat I can identify by ear and sing the following pitches in real-time, in either tonal or atonal contexts, indicating both by letter and fixed solfege syllable: ______ 1) C/Doh; B#/Si-sharp ______ 2) C#/Doh-sharp; Db/Re-flat ______ 3) D/Re ______ 4) Eb/Mi-flat; D#/Re-sharp ______ 5) E/Mi; Fb/Fa-flat ______ 6) F/Fa; E#/Mi-sharp ______ 7) F#/Fa-sharp; Gb/Sol-flat ______ 8) G/Sol ______ 9) G#/Sol-sharp ______ 10) A/La ______ 11) Bb/Si-flat; A#/La-sharp ______ 12) B/Si; Cb/Doh-flat I can visually recognize and name notes on a staff in real time in the following clefs and can visualize each in its precise location on the keyboard (in the correct octave disposition): ______ 1) Treble ______ 2) Bass ______ 3) Alto ______ 4) Tenor ______ 5) Soprano ______ 6) Mezzo Soprano ______ 7) Baritone I can identify the interval (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th) transposition from the treble clef to each of the following clefs: ______ 1) Bass ______ 2) Alto ______ 3) Tenor ______ 4) Soprano ______ 5) Mezzo Soprano ______ 6) Baritone Interval Skills I can identify by ear and sing the following intervals above and below any note in real time, in either tonal or atonal contexts, whether simple or compound: ______ 1) minor 2nd/chromatic half-step; dichord [1] ______ 2) major 2nd/ diminished 3rd; dichord [2] ______ 3) minor 3rd/augmented 2nd; dichord [3] ______ 4) major 3rd/diminished 4th; dichord [4] ______ 5) perfect 4th/ /augmented 3rd (optional); dichord [5] ______ 6) augmented 4th/diminished 5th; dichord [6] ______ 7) perfect 5th/ diminished 6th (optional); dichord [7] ______ 8) minor 6th/ augmented 5th; dichord [8] ______ 9) major 6th/ diminished 7th; dichord [9] ______ 10)minor 7th/ augmented 6th; dichord [10] ______ 11)major 7th/diminished 8ve; dichord [11] I can visually recognize and name the following diatonic intervals between any pair of notes written on a staff in real time: ______ 1) 2nds ______ 2) 3rds ______ 3) 4ths ______ 4) 5ths ______ 5) 6ths ______ 6) 7ths ______ 7) 8ves ______ 8) 9ths ______ 9) 10ths ______ 10)11ths ______ 11)12ths I can visually recognize and name the exact interval size (major 2nd, minor 3rd, et cetera) between any pair of notes on the staff in real time, averaging your score by giving each specific interval 33% of the total score in each line below: ______ 1) major, minor and augmented 2nds ______ 2) major, minor and diminished 3rds ______ 3) perfect, diminished and augmented 4ths ______ 4) perfect, diminished and augmented 5ths ______ 5) major, minor and augmented 6ths ______ 6) major, minor and diminished 7ths I know the number of half-steps between any pair of notes, either written or heard; (i.e. you know the interval class number for any interval). ______ I can identify through reading and through hearing the exact degree of any pitch in one of the following tonal scales, fluently in real time: ______ 1) The major scale ______ 2) The melodic minor scale ______ 3) The harmonic minor scale I can effortlessly imagine the sound of and sing any degree of the following scales: ______ 1) The major scale ______ 2) The melodic minor scale ______ 3) The harmonic minor scale I can read, write and perform the basic division of any given beat into the following number of parts, correctly articulating any combination of those parts within the beat as indicated in rhythmic notation: ______ 1) two equal parts ______ 2) three equal parts ______ 3) four equal parts ______ 4) five equal parts ______ 5) six equal parts ______ 6) seven equal parts I can accurately perform any single-line rhythm in real time from pieces composed in the following periods: ______ Renaissance ______ Baroque ______ Classical ______ Romantic/Post-Romantic ______ Modern/Post-Modern Using clefs, I can transpose to concert pitch and sing at sight in fixed doh syllables any single part from an orchestral score which is played by one of the following common transposing instruments: ______ 1) B-flat instruments ______ 2) B instruments (H) ______ 3) D instruments ______ 4) A instruments ______ 5) E-flat instruments ______ 6) F instruments ______ 7) G instruments Skills needed to read two lines simultaneously I can read and play on the piano (play both; sing one, play the other) in real time in two parts ______1) Both parts in the treble clef. ______2) Both parts in the bass clef. ______3) Both parts in the alto clef ______4) Both parts in the tenor clef ______5) Both parts in the soprano clef ______6) Both parts in the mezzo soprano clef ______7) Both parts in the baritone clef I can read and play on the piano (play both; sing one, play the other) in real time, in two parts, with each part in a different clef from the other. ______1) treble and bass ______2) treble and alto ______3) treble and tenor ______4) treble and soprano ______5) treble and mezzo soprano ______6) treble and baritone ______7) bass and alto ______8) bass and tenor ______9) bass and soprano ______10) bass and mezzo soprano ______11) bass and baritone ______12) alto and tenor ______13) alto and soprano ______14) alto and mezzo soprano ______15) alto and baritone ______16) tenor and soprano ______17) tenor and mezzo soprano ______18) tenor and baritone ______19) soprano and mezzo soprano ______20) soprano and baritone ______21) mezzo soprano and baritone I can read and identify the exact interval between any pair of pitches written on two separate staves with the same clef: ______1) treble ______2) bass ______3) alto ______4) tenor ______5) soprano ______6) mezzo soprano ______7) baritone I can read and identify the exact interval (classic name and/or interval class number) between any pair of pitches written on two separate staves, each in a different clef: ______1) treble and bass ______2) treble and alto ______3) treble and tenor ______4) treble and soprano ______5) treble and mezzo soprano ______6) treble and baritone ______7) bass and alto ______8) bass and tenor ______9) bass and soprano ______10) bass and mezzo soprano ______11) bass and baritone ______12) alto and tenor ______13) alto and soprano ______14) alto and mezzo soprano ______15) alto and baritone ______16) tenor and soprano ______17) tenor and mezzo soprano ______18) tenor and baritone ______19) soprano and mezzo soprano ______20) soprano and baritone ______21) mezzo soprano and baritone Rhythm skills I can read and perform simultaneously a tempo two different rhythms having the same meter signature and the smallest note value is a quarter note: ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) I can read and perform two different rhythmic lines simultaneously which have the same meter signature and whose smallest note value is an eighth note: ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) I can read and perform two different rhythmic lines simultaneously which have the same meter signature and whose smallest note value is an eighth note triplet: ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) I can read and perform two different rhythmic lines simultaneously which have the same meter signature and whose smallest note value is sixteenth note: ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) I can perform the following polyrhythms: ______ 1) 3 against 2 (3:2) or 2 against 3 ______ 2) 4 against 3 (4:3) or 4 against 3 ______ 3) 5 against 2 (5:2) or 2 against 5 ______ 4) 5 against 3 (5:3) or 3 against 5 ______ 5) 6 against 4 (6:4) or 4 against 6 ______ 6) 7 against 3 (7:3) or 3 against 7 ______ 7) others I can read and perform two different rhythmic lines simultaneously which have the same meter signature with one line subdividing into eighths and the other into triplets (2:3): ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) I can read and perform two different rhythmic lines simultaneously which have the same meter signature with one line subdividing into sixteenths and the other into triplets (4:3): ______ 1) when the meter is in 2/4 ______ 2) when the meter is in 3/4 ______ 3) when the meter is in 4/4 ______ 4) when the meter is in 5/4 ______ 5) when the meter is in 6/4 or 6/2 ______ 6) when the meter is in 7/4 ______ 7) when the meters change from bar to bar (mixed meter) Total ___________________* From this assessment you can ascertain some of your strengths and weaknesses. On a separate page, write out which areas received your highest ratings. On a separate page, list the areas in which your ratings were the lowest, placing the weakest areas at the top. On a separate page, outline for yourself how, on your own, you could significantly strengthen the areas of greatest weakness in the shortest amount of time. After doing this, if you have questions about how to improve these areas, write them down. Seek out guidance from a trusted and respected musician who has mastered the weak skill. If no guidance exists, imagine a master musician. What would they do if they had an identical weakness? What exercises might they come up with? From performing this imagination exercise, were you able to come up with more ideas than before for how to strengthen that particular weakness? *Total score for a Master Musician should be 20300. SDG