Music Theory
Nigel Chapman has a proven track record of providing music theory lessons for ABRSM Grades 1 to 5. ABRSM stipulate that a prerequisite for taking Grade 6 piano is to have passed Grade 5 music theory.
Music theory knowledge is an essential part of learning music / playing the piano.
It's common for clients to take five piano exams without taking a theory exam for each grade. All music theory up to Grade 5 is straightforward as long as you learn the rules for the various subject areas : Tonal structure : Rhythm : Intervals : Chord Charts.
Like lots of learning, repetition is key to preparing for a theory exam and to ensure exam success.
RHYME
Sharps : Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
Flats : Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father
RULES
SHARPS : Key note, down one, say rhyme
Flats : Rhyme up to the key note, add one flat
Every Minor has a relative Major
Every Major has a relative Minor
Harmonic Minors : Raise 7th up and down
Melodic Minors : Raise 6th / 7th on way up
1 Count
(include both notes)
2 Identify key of lower note
3 Compare upper note with
Tonal Structure (Scale)
Sharps and Flats
Treble Alto Tenor Bass
Sharps Harry Harry Neville Harry
Flats McD McD McD McD
1 TONIC 2 SUPERTONIC 3 MEDIANT 4 SUB DOMINANT 5 DOMINANT
6 SUB MEDIANT 7 LEADING NOTE 8 OCTAVE
Top number : number of beats
Bottom number : type of beat
Minors dig down
Majors get promoted
TONAL STRUCTURE
INTERVALS
TECHNICAL NAMES
CLEFS
TIME
SIGNATURES
6
8
Six quaver
beats in a bar
2
2
Two minim
beats in a bar
Top number
Regular
Irregular
Regular Time Signatures
(beats in bar divide equally)
Irregular Time Signatures
(beats in bar cannot be divided equally)
2 1 + 1
4 2 + 2
6 3 + 3
3 1 + 2 or 2 + 1
5 3 + 2 or 2 + 3
7 4 + 3 or 3 + 4
9 5 + 4 or 4 + 5
3
4
Three crotchet
beats in a bar
Regular v Irregular time signatures
Simple v Compound time signatures
Simple
Compound
Simple
(each beat can be
divided by TWO)
Compound
(each beat can be
divided by THREE)
CHORD CHARTS and CADENCES
Never cross the invisible line
Never cross the invisible line
ORNAMENTS
Chord Chart formation Scale > Chord > Fill in the chart
G A B C D E F G
E F G A B C D E
C D E F G A B C
2nd inversion (c)
1st inversion (b)
Root position (a)
Musical Meanings
Dynamics
ppp pianississimo very very quiet
pp pianissimo very quiet
p piano quiet
mp mezzopiano half quiet
mf mezzoforte half loud
f forte loud
ff fortissimo very loud
fff fortississimo extremely loud
Tempo
Slow
Largo
Presto
Fast
Other
Slow down - ritenuto rallentando
Speed up - accelerando
Dolce - sweetly
Subito - suddenly
Smorzando - dying away
Note Values - DURATION
Crotchet
1 beat
Quavers
Half beats
Semiquavers
Quarter beats
Minim
2 beats
Semibreve
4 beats
Triplet
3 in the time of 2
