RCM · Level 8

RCM Level 8 ear tests: practice for intervals, chords, progressions and playback

Level 8 completes the interval list within the octave and changes the progression test: instead of naming a whole progression, you name each of its four chords. Chords stay as at Level 7, and playback reaches eleven notes in flat keys and four time signatures. Intervals, chords and progressions are worth 2 marks each; playback 4.

Intervals

Name an interval played once, up or down, then as a chord.

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The tests at Level 8

Intervals

2 marks

Name an interval played once, up or down, then as a chord.

Every interval within the octave: seconds, thirds, fourth, tritone, fifth, sixths, sevenths and octave. Each is played once melodically, up or down, and once harmonically. The newcomer is the augmented fourth or diminished fifth — the tritone — which splits the octave exactly in half and sounds restless. Our trainer treats it as a single answer, 'Tritone', because both spellings sound identical and RCM lists them together. Think of the opening of 'Maria' from West Side Story, or 'The Simpsons' theme.

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Chords

2 marks

Name the quality of a chord played once (major, minor, augmented, dominant 7th, diminished 7th).

The same five types as Level 7, in root position and played once in close position: major, minor and augmented triads, dominant seventh and diminished seventh. With nothing new to learn, use Level 8 to make them instant. A quick sorting method: count the notes first — three or four — then judge the color. Triads are bright, dark or stretched; seventh chords either lead somewhere (dominant) or hang in tense balance (diminished).

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Chord progressions

2 marks

Hear a four-chord progression, then name each chord as it is played again (I, IV, V, vi).

Four chords starting on the tonic: in major, I–IV–V–I, I–IV–V–vi, I–vi–IV–V or I–vi–IV–I, with matching minor forms. It's played twice in keyboard style; the second time, the examiner stops on each chord so you can name it. Our trainer plays it through once, then chord by chord. Use the logic of the list: chord two is IV or vi; after IV comes V and then I or vi; after vi comes IV and then V or I.

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Playback

4 marks

Sing back a melody of up to eleven notes (heard three times).

Up to eleven notes from the complete scale, in B-flat or E-flat major or C or E minor, and in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 — sometimes with an upbeat. As at Levels 5–7, you hear the key and time signature, the tonic chord and a counted measure, then three playings, with a clap-or-sing step after the second and your answer after the third. Here you sing or hum instead of playing. If a tune starts with an upbeat, find the first strong beat and fit the upbeat in front of it.

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Tips for Level 8

Learn the four progressions as two decisions: is chord two IV or vi, and where does the progression end?
vi shares two notes with I, so it sounds like a darker shade of home; IV shares only one and feels like a move away.
Invert a tritone and you get another tritone — it sounds equally restless either way up.
Before playback practice in B-flat or E-flat major, sing the tonic chord and the scale once to set the key in your ear.
Our trainer asks for each chord as it's played on its own, so practice deciding quickly, one chord at a time.

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A full Level 8 mock, marked

The examiner runs every test in order, plays as many times as the board does and gives an estimated mark out of 10, with where you lose marks.

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Questions people ask

Why is the augmented 4th and diminished 5th one answer?

On a piano they're the same sound — six half steps — and RCM lists them together as a single interval. The spelling only matters on paper, so our trainer offers one answer, 'Tritone (augmented 4th / diminished 5th)', from Level 8 on.

Is the first chord of the progression asked?

Every Level 8 progression begins on the tonic, so you can name the first chord with confidence. The real decisions are chords two to four. Our trainer plays the whole progression once and then asks you to name chords two, three and four as each is played on its own.

What are the minor-key progressions?

They mirror the major ones: i–iv–V–i, i–iv–V–VI, i–VI–iv–V and i–VI–iv–i. In minor keys V stays major and VI is a major chord built on the sixth degree, so the colors differ from the major versions even though the patterns are the same.

How do the ear tests affect my Level 8 result?

They're 10 of the exam's 100 marks. The whole exam passes at 60, with Honors from 70, First Class Honors from 80 and First Class Honors with Distinction from 90. Ten marks can easily decide which of those bands you land in, so the ear tests deserve steady practice.

Do I need to sing in the Level 8 exam?

Not if you're a pianist or instrumentalist. You may name intervals or sing them, after the second playback hearing you can clap the rhythm instead of singing, and you play the tune after the third. Our trainer asks you to sing the playback only because it listens through the microphone.

Independent practice. We are not affiliated with RCM (The Royal Conservatory); the tests here are generated by our engine from the published format, not taken from the board's books. Mock marks are estimates — the examiner's judgement is final.