Music Theory Placement

Test Study Manual

For Music Students at
UNT

Table of Contents

iii

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. iv
Chapter 1....................................................................................................................................................... 1
Clefs .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Studying Clefs ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 2....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Key Signatures .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Studying Key Signatures ........................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 3..................................................................................................................................................... 10
Scales ...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Studying Scales ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Glossary ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
References .................................................................................................................................................. 16

Introduction

iv

Introduction
The purpose of this manual is to help incoming freshman and transfer students who have been
accepted into the College of Music at UNT with the music theory placement test. The main
requirements for the application process and acceptance into the program requires that the
student takes this exam to be placed in the appropriate leveled class for music theory. The
student will be informed and reviewed on the basic music theory principles and how to study
these different principles for success on the placement test.
The student will learn various methods for studying the different music theory principles such
as recognizing the different clefs and the notes on the staff, understanding major and minor
scales and sight singing, and identifying major and minor key signatures by understanding the
Circle of Fifths.

Chapter 1

Clefs

Chapter 1-Clefs

Clefs
Learning the different clefs and the note positions will help you learn how to identify pitches
faster. Clefs serve several different purposes. They help identify pitches, indicate the key
signature (which will be address in chapter 2) and regulate the range of an instrument. There
are three different types of clefs used in music but the most common ones are the treble and
bass clefs. These two clefs will be studied the most in the introductory music theory classes.
The treble clef is notated for the higher ranged or higher pitched instruments and the bass clef
is notated for the lower ranged instruments. The less frequently used clef is the C-clef which
regulates middle ranged instruments. These clefs will always be located on the left side of every
page of sheet music.
Beside the clef is the key signature
and five lines. These lines make up
the staff. The notes on a treble clef
starts with the E note on the bottom
line, the following space F, the
following line G and upward. The
note on the bottom line for the bass
clef is G and the same pattern follows
as seen in Figure 1. Notes can also be
written above and below the staffs to
signify higher and lower ranged
pitches in forward and backward
alphabetical order (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Treble Clef (top), Bass Clef (bottom)

Clef space spelling is a good method for memorizing the note
positions on the staff

Studying Clefs

For the music theory placement test you have to be able to,

Identify the different clefs.

Identify the notes according to their positions on the staff.

One study method that is helpful with this is making flash cards of the note positions on each
clef.

Materials

Lined index cards (any size) or blank flash cards

Scissors
Black Sharpie or any writing utensil

Steps
1. Get 10 index cards.
2. Cut up index cards into two sections.
3. Trace 5 lines on each index card section.

Chapter 1-Clefs

4. Draw both clef symbols on the imitation staff on both sides of the index cards.
a. Some index cards only have the lines on one side. If one side is blank just draw 5
lines stacked horizontally as best you can.
b. A treble clef should be on one side of the index card section and the bass clef on
the other.
c. The clef symbols should be positioned on the left side of the five lines.
Remember to use the reference points for each clef that were mentioned in the
tip on the previous page.
5. Draw one pitch on the imitation staff in any space or line on all the index card sections.
a. The notes that drawn on the imitation staff should be randomly chosen.
6. Shuffle index card sections.
7. Ask a partner to quiz you on identifying the different notes on the staffs for both clefs
using your new flash cards.
Figures 2 and 3 shows a simulated
illustration of what the flash cards
should look like. You can use these
flash cards anytime you want to work
on your memorization. You could
even quiz yourself before a test or just
for personal improvement.
*Tip: A good way to memorize the
note positions on a staff is by spelling
the notes in the spaces starting from
Figure 2: Treble clef (upper left) with the note C
the bottom space upward on both
Figure 3: Bass clef (lower right) with the note A
clefs. For example the notes in the
spaces for the treble clef would spell
the word FACE (F-A-C-E) and for the bass clef the word ACE then the letter G (A-C-E-G) this is
indicated in Figure 1. Clef space spelling helps you locate notes on a staff quicker because it
provides reference points for the notes positioned on the lines on the staff which can be harder
to identify when you have to sight read.
*Tip: One way to quickly identify pitches on a staff would be the point of reference that each
clef has. For the treble clef G will always be on the line where the bottom curve of the symbol
intersects the second line. For the bass clef, F will always be on the fourth line in between the
two dots of the bass clef symbol as indicated in Figure 1. Remembering these reference points
is helpful when reading music.

Chapter 2

Key Signatures

Chapter 2-Key Signatures

Key Signatures
The key of a song refers to the tonic note or the root of the tonic chord. Key signatures
indicates what key a song will be played in, how many sharps or flats are in each key, what scale
the song is in, and what note of the key the song will start on. To understand the different keys
you must know the key signatures for both major and minor scales. Each pitch is capable of
having its own key signature. The number of flats or sharps in the key signature will be
determined by the scale and by the direction of the notes being played from the home key
signature universally known by all musicians as C.
Circle of Fifths
As a student in the college
of music you will learn this
by studying the Circle of
Fifths Diagram. This
diagram gives the key
signatures for both major
and minor scales and display
the number of sharps and
flats in the signature as well
(see Figure 4).

Studying Key
Signatures

For the music theory

placement test you have to
Figure 4: Circle of Fifths
be able to,
Identify the different
keys in both the major and minor scales.
Know the number of sharps and flats that are in each key signature.
A method for studying key signatures would be simply writing them out. This studying method
is helpful because it allows you to see the order of key signatures by the number of flats and
sharps. Doing this should also get you familiar with the pattern of how they key signatures are
organized.

Materials

A scratch sheet of notebook paper

Pencil
Circle of Fifths diagram

Chapter 2-Key Signatures

Steps
Sharps-Major Keys
1. Write out the home key signature, the key of C. Figure 5 gives an example of what this
will look like.

Figure 5: Key of C with no flats or sharps. The

next key is identified by the 5th letter, G

a. Since the key of C has no sharps or flats it is the starting point for writing out all
the other key signatures.
i. Think of the key of C as 0 on an x axis. All key signatures with sharps are
positive numbers and all key signatures with flats are negative numbers.
2. Count 5 letters to right starting at C.
a. You should land on the letter G (see Figure 5).
b. G is the new key signature with 1 sharp.
3. Write out G in the same format beneath the key of C.
4. Count 7 letters to the right starting at G.
a. You should land on F.
b. This is the note that has the sharp
in the key of G.
5. Draw a sharp (#) next to F to signify the
Figure 6: Key of G with 1 sharp, F#
sharp within the key of G.
6. Count 5 letters to the right starting with
G.
a. You should land on D.
7. Write out D in the same format as the G key signature.
8. Count 7 letters to the right starting at D.
a. You should land on C.
9. Draw a sharp # on C.
a. Always add the sharps in the previous key on the current key that you are writing
out.
b. So you should have 2 sharps in the key of D, F# and C# (see Figure 7).
10. Continue this pattern.
a. If you get lost refer back to
your Circle of Fifths picture
to see what key you should
Figure 7: Key of D with 2 sharps, F# and C#
be in and how many sharps
you should have. You
should be in the key of A
next since it is the 5 letter in the key of D.

Chapter 2-Key Signatures

7
Figure 8 shows the finished key signature
pattern for the keys with sharps.

Figure 8: Key signature pattern. Shows the number of

sharps within each key signature in increasing order.

*Tip: One way that you can remember the

order of sharps for the key signatures if you
dont have the Circle of Fifths diagram is the
acronym,
Father- Key of GF#
Charles-Key of DF#, C#
Gets-Key of AF#, C#, G#
Drunk-Key of EF#, C#, G#
At-Key of BF#, C#, G#, D#, A#
Every-Key of F#F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#
Bar-Key of C#F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E# B#

Flats-Major Keys
Figure 9: The next key is F, the fourth letter.
1. Write out the home key signature, the key
of C.
2. Count 4 letters to the right starting at C.
a. You should land on F.
b. F is the new key signature (see Figure 9).
3. Write out F in the same format beneath the home key signature.
4. Count 4 letters to the right starting at F.
a. You should land on B.

5. Draw a flat (b) 1 on B.

a. The key of F has 1 flat, Bb (see
Figure 10)

Figure 10: Key of F has 1 flat, Bb

b. Bb is also the next key that is

written out
6. Count 4 letters to the right starting from Bb
a. You should land on Eb
b. Eb is the next key to be written out
7. Continue this pattern

Since there is no function for the musical flat symbol in word, the flat symbol will be represented by a lower-case

b in Kozuka Gothic Pr6N EL font.

Chapter 2-Key Signatures

a. Remember to refer back to the Circle of

Fifths diagram to keep track of what
key you should be writing out and the
number of flats in each one. So the
next key to write out should be Ab
because it is the fourth letter in the key
of Eb.
Figure 11 shows the finished key signature pattern for
keys with flats.
*Tip: One way that you can remember the order of
flats for the key signatures if you dont have the Circle
of Fifths diagram is the acronym,

Figure 11: Key signature pattern for flats.

Blanket-Key of FBb
Exploded-Key of BbBb, Eb
And-Key of EbBb, Eb, Ab
Dad-Key of AbBb, Eb, Ab, Db
Got-Key of DbBb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb
Cold-Key of GbBb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb
Feet-Key of CbBb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb
Minor Keys
The study method for identifying the minor keys are different from the suggested study method
for identifying the major keys.
After getting familiar with the major key signatures and knowing how many sharps and flats
they have, you can use this easy method to help familiarize yourself with the minor key
signatures.
For the music theory placement test you must understand relative keys. Relative keys are
minor keys that have the same key signature as their corresponding major key. Finding the
minor key signatures should be simple after learning this study method.

Steps
1. Write out the complete key signature patterns for both sharps and flats as seen in
Figures 8 and 11.

Chapter 2-Key Signatures

Figure 12: Relative Minor Key

9
2. Count 3 letters from the left starting from the key
of C major (see Figure 12 )
a. You should land on A
b. This is the key of A minor. So the relative key of C
major is A minor
3. Do this for all of the keys that you write out

Using this study method will get you familiar with the key signatures and their relative keys.
*Tip: You can also use flash cards to quiz yourself.
Heres how:
1. Repeat steps 1-4 from the study method in chapter 1 over clefs.
a. Instead of 10 flashcards get 6
2. Draw the key signatures and their relative keys on the front and back of each index card
section by using what you know about staffs and the note positions and draw the
number of sharps and flats that correspond with each key signature.
a. Look at the Circle of Fifths diagram (Figure 4) for guidance.
3. Write the key signature name on the top left hand side of the opposite side of the index
card
4. Shuffle the index card sections
5. Quiz yourself by randomly choosing card from the stack of index card section
This is great for getting better at familiarizing yourself with the key signatures.

Chapter 3

Scales

Chapter 3-Scales

11

Scales
Understanding scales and their relationship to the key signatures will enhance your ability to
learn music faster and read music more efficiently.
Major Scale and Minor Scales
The major and minor scales consists of 7 notes or in music terms, degrees of pitches. These are
formally known as the scale degree names as seen in Table 1. Getting familiar with these
names will also help you do well in the class that you are placed in because they are frequently
used throughout all music theory levels.
Table 1: Scale Degree Names

Scale Degree Names

The minor scale consists of different variations. They consist of the

harmonic minor where the seventh pitch in the scale is sharped or
tonic
raised half a degree and the melodic minor where the sixth and
supertonic
seventh degrees are raised in ascending order but flatted when
descending. See handout for more information about major and
mediant
minor scales.
Table 2: Solfege syllables
subdominant
Solfege
Intonation
do tonic
dominant
Intonation is the ability to hear pitches and
re supertonic
accurately play or sing what is heard.
submediant
Understanding scales will not only make you
mi mediant
leading tone
better at identifying pitches on paper but it
fa subdominant
also helps you in sight singing as well. When
tonic
it comes to reading music, this ability only
sol dominant
comes through months to years of practicing with a focused instrument.
la submediant
One strategy that is used to help with this is the technique of solfege.
This aural technique helps the musician acquire tones mentally and
ti leading tone
fossilize pitches within a scale by associating them with syllables. Table 2
shows the relationship between the solfege syllables and the scale
degree names.
*Tip: The solfege also has a sign language hand signal for each syllable. Learning these hand
signals enhances your sight reading skill. Each sign was created so that you can associate a
physical gesture with the pitch that you match in your head. One way to improve your
intonation is by skipping pitches and using the signs. For example, you could find the tonic of
any key then sign and sing that pitch. When you get to next pitch or the supertonic, sign it but
dont sing it. Do this for the major and minor scales (click here for the diagram of signs).

Chapter 3-Scales

12

Each scale follows its own patterns and signified by either whole steps, W or half steps or
semitone sharped, H. The major scale can be identified by the pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H. The
minor scale W-H-W-W-H-W-W.

Figure 13: piano major scale interval pattern (left) piano minor scale interval pattern (right)

Mastering hearing these pitches and memorizing them creates room for you to become better
at recognizing pitches mentally and it helps you understand the notated form of music.

Studying Scales

For the music theory placement test you must be able to,

Know the scale degree names

Write the major and minor scales on a staff ascending and descending

In order to be successful on the test you have know how to identify a scale in notation form.
Here is a study method to prepare you for this section of the test.

Materials

Steps

Staff paper
Pencil
Circle of Fifths diagram

1. Pick a key signature.

2. Follow either the major scale pattern or one of the three minor scale patterns
mentioned above.
a. If you chose melodic minor remember that when the melodic minor descends so
if the 6th and 7th pitch in the scale is flatted, this makes any key signature with
sharped pitches in these positions get the natural symbol (click here for symbol)
because it cancels out. And if the key signature has flats in these positions then
they get the natural symbol in the ascending order of the scale.

Chapter 3-Scales

13

3. Play the scale in key signature of your choice so that you know how the scale is
supposed to sound.
4. Write notes in ascending and descending order on the first staff starting at the bottom
space between the first two lines (or the line below if you prefer) then upward to the
octave line or space depending on what position of the staff you start at (see Figure 14).
a. You dont have to draw out the key signature because you are writing the
assigned flats or sharps to the pitch on the staff according to the key signature,
but be sure to have them memorized or have the Circle of Fifths diagram as a
reference.
5. Write the
appropriate
number of
sharps or flats
next to the note
according to the
key that you
choose to write
out.
a. Make sure
you draw the
symbol directly
to the right of
Figure 14: Minor scale interval patterns (top) Major scale interval pattern
the note on the
staff.
6. Use the piano to hear if you have the correct interval spaces in between each note.
7. Repeat this for all scales and key signatures until you have them memorized.
Understanding these scales will be helpful to you when you start learning how to sight read and
when you get in your appropriate level of music theory.
*Tip: You can get more practice in by challenging yourself to identify the keys of your favorite
songs. Usually on the first chord of a song you can hear the tonic note. Once you locate the
tonic mentally, on a piano or on another instrument (your voice, if you have perfect pitch) then
practice playing or singing the scale on the instrument. Practice this with your friends. This is a
sure way to help you get better at hearing and getting a grasp on the different scales.

Chapter 3-Scales

14

Conclusion
As a new student in the College of Music at the University of North Texas, you will learn so
much more than what is in this manual. This manual is only a preview of what is to come when
you are enrolled in music theory your class. Studying this manual will give you an advantage in
being successful in your class and in becoming a great musician.
Remember that practice makes a musician. Continue to incorporate these study methods in
your everyday life so that it becomes second nature to you so when you do get that big gig you
know what you are doing.
Learn from others. Music has so many different aspects and it is your job as a musician to
explore each and every one of them. Though this information is catered to your academic
success in the program, it is also an opportunity to gain experience in a deeper understanding
of something that you enjoy. Acquiring this information will not only help you to be a
successful musician but it will also make more appreciative of this art.

Glossary

15

Glossary
Clefs-The music symbol that indicates the key signature and pitch.
Interval-The space or how far apart adjacent pitches are from one another.
Key signature-The grouping of sharps and flats that indicate the key of a song.
Relative key-Major and minor keys with the same key signature.
Root-The fundamental note of a chord.
Semitone-Half-step or half a degree above a pitch.
Staff-The 5 lines on a clef that indicate note position and pitch.
Tonic-The first note in a scale.

References

16

References
1. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Order_of_Sharps_and_the_Order_of_Flats
2. http://www.coursenotes.org/sites/www.coursenotes.org/files/past/majorminorscales.g
if
3. http://music.unt.edu/prospective-students
4. http://www.wisemanproject.com/education-e-solfege.html
5. https://www.google.com/search?q=solfege+hand+signs+major+and+minor&tbm=isch&
ei=s6y1U9HKIc2iqAbQ6YCwAg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=JtvIBseMQudqtM%253A%3B1
UXK4o08GhCJiM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fsites.google.com%252Fsite%252Fshawm
hsmusic%252Fassignments%252Fsolfegecurwinhandsigns%252FSolfegeHandSigns.jpg%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fsites.google.c
om%252Fsite%252Fshawmhsmusic%252Fassignments%3B908%3B1012