Grade 1 Music Theory Review

Time Values

• A half note lasts as long as 2 quarter notes.

• A whole note lasts as long as 4 quarter notes.

• A whole note lasts as long as 2 half notes.

• A half note lasts as long as 4 eighth notes.

• A quarter note lasts as long as 2 eighth notes.

• An eighth note lasts as long as 2 sixteenth notes.

• A quarter note lasts as long as 4 sixteenth notes.

• A half note lasts as long as 8 sixteenth notes.

• A whole note lasts as long as 16 sixteenth notes.

Bar-Lines and Time Signatures

• In directions such as 2/4 time, 3/4 time, and 4/4 time, what does the top number tell you?

  • The top number tells you how many beats are in a measure.

• And what does the bottom number tell you?

  • The bottom number tells you the time value.

• So what is the full meaning of 2/4 time?

  • 2 tells you how many beats are in a measure, and 4 tells you the time value.

• What is the full meaning of ¾ time?

  • 3 tells you how many beats are in a measure, and 4 tells you the time value.,

• Which sign can be used instead of 4/4 time?

  • C

Notes on the Stave

• What are the extra lines above and below the stave called?

  • Leger lines

• The stems of notes on the top two lines go down.

• The stems of notes on the bottom two lines go up.

• The stems on notes on the middle line may go up or down.

• Do not draw the stems too long or too short, and they should stand up straight.

• When you draw a note with a tail, the tail always goes on the right-hand side of the stem.

Ties

A tie joins notes which sound the same. It turns them into one sound. You can join any number of notes in this way, but they mus be the same notes and they must be next to each other. The tie goes from the head of one note to the head of the next, on the outside.

Dots

A dot after a note or rest makes it half as long again.

• A dotted half note lasts as long as 3 quarter notes.

• A dotted half note lasts as long as 6 eighth notes.

• A dotted quarter note lasts as long as 3 eighth notes.

• A dotted quarter note lasts as long as 1.5 quarter notes.

• A dotted eighth note lasts as long as 3 sixteenth notes.

• A dotted half note lasts as long as 12 sixteenth notes.

Accidentals

• What sign looks like a waffle?

  • Sharp

  • It raises the note by a half step.

• Which sign looks like a b?

  • Flat

  • It lowers the note by a semitone.

• Which sign looks like a box with the ends sticking up?

  • Natural

  • It cancels a sharp or flat.

Semitones and Tones

A semitone is half a tone.

A semitone is a half step and a tone is a whole step.

Scales and Key Signatures

• C major has no sharps and no flats.

• G major has 1 sharp: F sharp and no flats.

• D major has 2 sharps: F sharp and C sharp and no flats.

• F major has no sharps and 1 flat: B flat.

Cancelling an Accidental

• An accidental lasts until the end of the bar. After that bar is over the accidental is no more unless there is another accidental.

Degrees of the Scale and Intervals

The first degree of the scale is called the key-note of the scale.

• The distance in pitch between two different notes is called an interval.

• Two notes played one after another is called a melodic interval.

• Two notes played at the same time is called a harmonic interval.

Tonic Triad

The key-note, or first degree of the scale, has another name: the tonic. The tonic triad is a group of three notes: the key-note plus the 3rd and 5th degrees above it.

General Exercises

Check the other flashcard set.