ABRSM Grade 3 Music Theory

Demisemiquaver

One of the shortest time values used in music notation, it has three tails, or three beams when it is part of a group, it is worth an eighth of a crotchet beat or half of a semiquaver

Anacrusis

Upbeat

Starting on an upbeat

Often pieces will start on the last beat of a bar, meaning the last bar will be shortened so the first bar and the last bar add up to make a whole bar (the final beat has been 'borrowed' from the last bar and placed at the beginning)

Duple time

2 beats in a bar (e.g. 2/4, 2/2, etc.)

Triple time

3 beats in a bar (3/4, 3/2, 3/8, etc.)

Quadruple time

4 beats in a bar (4/4, 4/2)

Key points: beams

Quavers, semi quavers and demisemiquavers can be beamed together across one or more beats, but avoid beaming them across the middle of a bar (beats 2-3) in 4/4 time

Key points: rests

Each whole bar, half bar or whole beat of silence should have its own rest, so for silences in the middle of a beat, use a new rest for each of each half-beat, but whole bars of silence should use a whole-bar rest (- touching the bottom of the fourth line up on the stave)

Key points: ties

Avoid using ties where a single note can be written instead of

Simple time

Time signatures where each beat divides into two (e.g. a crotchets into two quavers, a quaver into two semiquavers, etc.) (e.g. 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2, and 3/8)

Compound time

Time signatures where each beat is a dotted note that divides into three (e.g. 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8)

Grouping notes and rests in compound time: beams

Notes are always beamed to make dotted-crotchet beats, multiple beats are not beamed together

Grouping notes and rests in compound time: ties

Ties are used to join notes that go across different beats, but not to join notes within a beat with an exception of two full beats written as a dotted minim

Grouping notes and rests in compound time: rests

Follow the same rules as rests in simple time: don't use more rests than necessary, but give each new beat of silence a new rest, with exceptions of: in 12/8 use a dotted minim rest (-•) for the first two or last two beats of the bar, but not across the middle of the bar, show silent bars with a whole-bar rest (-) whatever the time signature, and if the first two quavers in a beat are silent, use a crotchet rest but if the second two are silent, use two quaver rests

Compound duple time

6/8 (two dotted-crotchet beats in a bar)

Compound triple time

9/8 (three dotted-crotchet beats in a bar)

Compound quadruple time

12/8 (four dotted-crotchet beats in a bar)

6/8 vs 3/4

These are grouped differently - 6/8 is grouped into 1 2 but 3/4 is grouped into 1 2 3

Transposition/transposing

Rewriting a melody so that it sounds at a different pitch

Major scales' semitones

Between 3rd and 4th degrees and the 7th and 8th degrees

Melodic minor scale

Minor scale where the 6th and 7th degrees are raised by a semitone when the scale ascends, but are lowered again when it descends

Perfect intervals

4th, 5th and 8th/8ve because the notes are the same in major and minor keys

Major intervals

Contain notes from the major scale

Minor intervals

Contain notes round in the minor scale - the upper note of the interval is a semitone lower than in the major interval of the same number

Tonic triads in major and minor keys

In minor keys, the 3rd is a semitone smaller than in the major tonic triad (the minor tonic triad uses a minor 3rd as opposed to a major 3rd)

Sforzando, sforzato, sf, sfz

Forced, accented

Andantino

Slightly faster than andante (but may also mean slightly slower)

Prestissimo

Very fast

Agitato

Agitated

Animato

Animated, lively

Con forza

With force

Energico

Energetic

Giocoso

Playful, merry

Leggiero

Light

Maestoso

Majestic

Marcato (marc.)

Emphatic, accented

Pesante

Heavy

Risoluto

Bold, strong

Scherzando

Playful, joking

Semplice

Simple, plain

Sostenuto (sost.)

Sustained

Tranquillo

Calm

Triste, tristamente

Sad, sorrowful

Ben

Well

Prima, primo

Sempre

Always

Simile

In the same way

Subito (sub.)

Suddenly