Instructions:
Diktus will generate a limitless number of one- or two-part rhythmic examples of varying lengths and levels of difficulty. To begin, press New Rhythm followed by Play. You will hear the metronome count-off three beats before the rhythm begins. You may adjust the tempo by dragging the tempo box up or down (or typing in a tempo directly). You may listen to the excerpt as many times as you want until you select to generate a new rhythm. You should write down the dictation on your own sheet of paper and click Answer when you are ready.
Alternatively, you can use Diktus to practice sight reading by showing the answer first and clapping or speaking the rhythm out loud. You can then play the rhythm to compare against your performance afterward. You can even use Diktus to generate a rhythm and InTactus to test your performance accuracy.
You can vary the type of rhythm by changing the length (1 to 12 beats), beat unit (simple or compound), level of difficulty of the possible rhythmic patterns, and the amount of syncopation. For two-part rhythms you may specify different settings for the top and bottom parts. Details on the specific patterns included in each level are available by pressing the Help button.
As a practice tool, Diktus has a number of features which can give you assistance in taking down a dictation. For extra help, you may have the metronome sound continuously throughout the excerpt, flash on each beat box as it is being played, or both of these. By clicking Show Choices, you can see a display of all of the beat patterns contained in the current rhythm, but not in order and without any repetitions. This turns dictation into a kind of multiple-choice or matching exercise. You can also click on individual boxes to show the answer for that beat only, leaving the rest of the excerpt still blank.
