WELCOME

to THEORY
Everything related to music and how it works on the page

ABRSM Levels 1-5

What are the names?

Semibreve
What are the names?

minim
What are the names?

crotchet
What are the names?

quaver
What are the names?

semiquaver
How to define Time Signatures

What does 4/4 mean?

Wrong definition: there are four notes in every

measure

Good definition: there are 4 beats in every

measure, and the quarter note gets the beat

When asked to define a time signature, make sure to state what note gets the beat
How to define Time Signatures

???
How to define Time Signatures
How to draw NOTES and STEMS
• Pgs. 6-7 show examples of badly drawn notes

Bottom line—draw neatly!

• Rule for stems, pg. 7 exercise 4
• above the middle line, stems point down on the left
• below the middle line, stems point up to the right
• on the middle line, you can choose
• (usually decide by the notes around it)
How to draw CLEFS
• Why should we learn clefs of other instruments?

• Musicians work with other musicians

• We need to learn about other instruments and musicians!
• What instrument uses treble clef? Bass clef? Other clefs?

Hint: The exam might ask you this

Treble Clef (G clef)

What instruments play in treble clef?

Bass Clef (F clef)

What instruments plays in bass clef?

Bass Clef shortcuts
Music math

…
Use circles to prevent mistakes
• Pg. 10 exercise 3
• Circle all groups of notes to be beamed together
• Pg. 13 exercise 3
• Circle all notes grouped into a beat
Beaming eighths and sixteenths
• Pg. 10 exercise 3
• When note heads go up, beam up
• When note heads go down, beam down
• When note heads go up and down, beam straight across or pick a direction

• don’t forget to copy the double bar line at the end

How to draw RESTS and TIES
• The whole rest hangs below the fourth line
• The half rest sits on the third line
• Center the rests on the stave
• Ties should connect note heads from the outside
How to draw DOTS
• Dots go to the right of the note or rest
• In a space, the dot goes in the same space
• On a line, the dot goes in the space above
• Yes, you can dot rests too!
What does a dot do?
Homework this week
• Pages 4-13
• Every exercise with a blue check needs to be completed
• Scanned copy of homework is due 24 hours before the next class
• Pg. 13, Exercise 3—don’t forget to circle the groups!
• Memorize terms on page 27

• Summary of what we learned today:

• Accurate definitions of terms and correctly drawing clefs, notes, and beams matter—
especially if you are taking the theory exam.
• Draw neatly, notice details, and avoid grouping mistakes by using circles.