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MyMusicTheory.com

Grade Three
Music Theory
Complete Course, Exercises & Answers
(ABRSM Syllabus)

BY VICTORIA WILLIAMS BA MUS

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Published: 2nd March 2016

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1. NEW FOR GRADE THREE

WELCOME TO THE GRADE THREE MUSIC THEORY COURSE!
Grade three is a gentle step up from grade two – but you do need to know all the material on the
syllabuses for grades 1 and 2 in order to begin grade 3.

The things you need to know already are:

• Notes and rests from the semibreve to the semiquaver

• Bass clef and treble clef

• Time signatures 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, 3/2, 4/2 and 3/8

• Major scales and key signatures in C, G, D, A, F, Bb and Eb

• Minor scales (harmonic and melodic) and key signatures in A, E and D

• The degrees of the scale

• Tonic triads (e.g. the chord of C-E-G in C major)

• Interval numbers (e.g. 2nd, 3rd)

In grade three music theory, you’ll extend your knowledge of the keys, to include all keys with up to
four sharps or flats. This means you’ll be learning 8 new keys:

• E major • F# minor

• Ab major • C minor

• B minor • C# minor

• G minor • F minor

You’ll also learn three new time signatures:

• 6/8

• 9/8

• 12/8

You’ll learn some new foreign terms and symbols, as well as the demisemiquaver note.

You’ll learn how to transpose music into a new clef.

You’ll learn how to describe intervals in more detail, using a type as well as a number.

Are you ready? Let’s get started with grade three music theory!

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2A. THE DEMISEMIQUAVER

THE DEMISEMIQUAVER
The smallest note you will have come across in grades 1 and 2 is the semiquaver. Remember that 4
semiquavers are worth 1 crotchet.

A semiquaver has two little tails on the stem, which are always on the right hand side.

The demisemiquaver is worth half a semiquaver. You need 8 demisemiquavers to make up the value
of 1 crotchet. A demisemiquaver has three little tails:

Demisemiquavers are usually grouped and beamed in fours:

But because we need eight of them to equal one crotchet, we often put two groups of four together:

To make it easier to see the division of beats, many people prefer to use one long beam at the top,
to join all the notes, and then two shorter beams on each group of four:

One semibreve is worth 32 demisemiquavers. One minim is worth 16. One crotchet is worth 8. One
quaver is worth 4. One semiquaver is worth 2 demisemiquavers.

The demisemiquaver rest looks like this:

It has three tails, and each tail sits within a space on the stave.

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2B. SYMBOLS & TERMS

Here are some symbols which you might be tested on in the grade three music theory exam.

The slur. This curved line groups together notes which should be played in a
legato way (smooth and without breaks between the notes).

The tie. This curved line looks exactly like a slur, but it joins together two (or
more) notes which are the same pitch. It means “add the two note values
together”.
The repeat bar line. This bar line has two lines - one thin and one thick, and
two dots. It means “go back to the start/ the last repeat bar line and play
again”.
Forzato. “Forced” or “sharply accented”.

FOREIGN TERMS
Don't forget, you need to know all the terms listed for grade 1 and grade 2, as well as these!

ad libitum, ad lib. at choice, i.e. a passage may be played freely

adagietto rather slow, but faster than adagio

agitato agitated

alla breve with a minim beat (half note beat) (2/2)

amore love

amoroso loving

anima soul, spirit

animando becoming more lively

animato animated, lively

ben well

brio vigour

con with

con anima with feeling

deciso with determination

delicato delicate

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energico energetic

forza force

largamente broadly

leggiero light or nimble

marcato, marc. emphatic, accented

marziale in a military style

mesto sad

pesante heavy

prima, primo first

prima volta first time

risoluto bold, strong

ritmico rhythmically

rubato, tempo rubato with some freedom of time

scherzando, scherzoso playful, joking

seconda, secondo second

seconda volta second time

semplice simple, plain

sempre always

stringendo gradually getting faster

subito suddenly

tanto so much

tempo comodo at a comfortable speed

tranquillo calm

triste, tristamente sad, sorrowful

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2. NOTES, SYMBOLS & TERMS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1 (UK TERMS)

How many demisemiquavers are worth the
same as

a. two semibreves
b. one minim
c. one crotchet
d. three quavers

EXERCISE 2
Draw a demisemiquaver rest:

EXERCISE 3
Complete the table with the English translations of these musical terms.

Italian English Italian English

ad libitum (ad lib.) adagietto
agitato alla breve
amore amoroso
anima animando
animato ben
brio con
con anima deciso
delicato energico
forza largamente
leggiero marcato, marc.
marziale mesto
pesante primo, prima
risoluto ritmico
rubato, tempo rubato scherzando, scherzoso
seconda, secondo seconda volta
semplice sempre
tanto tempo comodo
tranquillo triste, tristamente

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3. SCALES
MAJOR SCALES
You should already be familiar with the scales of C, G, D, A, F, Bb and Eb major, as these are on the
syllabus for grades 1 and 2. All major scales are built using this pattern of tones (T) and
semitones (S): T-T-S-T-T-T-S. The first new scale in grade three music theory is E major. E
major has four sharps: F#, C#, G# and D#.

If you look closely you’ll discover that each sharp is exactly one 5th higher than the previous one.

Start at F(#) and count 5 notes, and you will arrive at C(#): [F, G, A, B, C]. Then start at C and count up
5 notes and you will arrive at G(#): [C, D, E, F, G]. Start at G and count up 5 notes and you arrive at
D(#): [G, A, B, C, D].

This is an easy way to remember the order of sharps – this is the beginning of the “circle of 5ths”
(because if you keep on going, you’ll eventually end up back at the beginning!)

Here’s the scale of E major, ascending and descending, in treble and bass clef:

The other new major scale we’re going to learn is Ab major.

Ab has got four flats – Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db.

An easy way to remember the order of flats is to count down five notes from the first one. The first
flat is Bb:

B, A, G, F, E.
E, D, C, B, A.
A, G, F, E, D.

The circle of 5ths works in both directions – if you count upwards, you get the order of sharps. If you
count downwards, you get the order of flats!

Here is the scale of Ab major, ascending and descending in treble and bass clef:

Also, you could just learn the word "BEAD" which spells the flats in order!

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MINOR SCALES
You should already be familiar with the minor scales in the keys of A, E and D. For grade three, you
also need to know the minor scales with up to four sharps or flats in the key signature:

• B minor

• G minor

• F# minor

• C minor

• C# minor

• F minor

In grade two music theory we learnt that there are two types of minor scales, the harmonic minor
and the melodic minor.

• The harmonic minor has the pattern T-S-T-T-S-3S-S (3S = 3 semitones).

• The melodic minor has one pattern on the way up and another on the way down:

• Ascending (from bottom): T-S-T-T-T-T-S

• Descending (from top): T-T-S-T-T-S-T

At grade two, you were given a free choice about which version of the minor scale you wanted to
write. But at grade 3, you will be told which version you have to write, so you must learn both
versions of each scale. If you find it difficult to remember all the patterns of tones and semitones, try
this method instead: learn the notes of three types of minor scale for A minor - they are easy to
learn. Then write out the A minor scale and calculate whether each step is a tone, semitone or three
semitones. Then use the same pattern as a guide, to write out a new scale in a different key.

On the next two pages you will find all the new minor scales you need to know for grade 3 music
theory.

Notice that in F# minor and C# minor there are two notes which you might not have seen before: E#
and B#. These are both white notes on the piano.

E# is the same note on the piano as F natural and B# is the same as C natural. But although they are
the same note on an instrument, they are different notes in music theory, and you must be careful
to use the correct one. Remember that in scales, you can only use each letter name once, apart from
the first and last notes of the scale. So we use E# (and not F natural) in F# minor, because we have
already used the letter "F" as the first and last notes of the scale.

E# and F are called "enharmonic equivalents" (and so are B#/C and all the other notes which you are
probably more familiar with, like Ab/G# or Eb/D# etc.)

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B minor harmonic

B minor melodic

G minor harmonic

G minor melodic

F# minor harmonic

F# minor melodic

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C minor harmonic

C minor melodic

C# minor harmonic

C# minor melodic

F minor harmonic

F minor melodic

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3. SCALES EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1
Write as semibreves the scales named below, without a key signature but including
any necessary sharp or flat signs.

a. E major ascending

b. A major descending

c. F minor harmonic ascending

d. B minor melodic ascending

e. C# minor melodic descending

f. C minor harmonic descending

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EXERCISE 2
Add the correct clef and any necessary sharp or flat signs to make each of the scales named below.
Don’t use key signatures.

a. E minor harmonic

b. Ab major

c. A minor melodic

d. Bb major

e. F# minor harmonic

f. C minor melodic

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EXERCISE 3
Name the key of each of the following scales. If the key is minor, state whether the scale is in the
harmonic or melodic form.

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

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4. KEY SIGNATURES
Key signatures are written after the clef and before the time signature.

Key signatures have to be written very carefully. You need to make sure the flats and sharps are
written

• in the right order

• in the right position

In the grade three music theory exam, you need to be able to write and understand key signatures
with up to 4 sharps or 4 flats.

SHARP KEY SIGNATURES

The sharps, in order, are F# - C# - G# - D#.

F# is used for G major and E minor

F# and C# are used for D major and B minor
F#, C# and G# are used for A major and F# minor
F#, C#, G# and D# are used for E major and C# minor

Position of the Sharps

In the treble clef, F# is always written on the top line:

In the bass clef, it’s always written on the second line from the top:

C# is written lower than the G# is written higher than D# is written lower than G#:
F#: C#:

Look at the pattern: it goes down, up, down, in both clefs!

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FLAT KEY SIGNATURES

Position of the Flats
In the treble clef, Bb is written on the middle line, and in the bass clef, it’s written on the 2nd line
from the bottom:

Eb is written higher than Bb:

Ab is written lower than Eb:

Db is written higher than Ab:

Look at the patterns: up, down, up, in both clefs - the opposite to the sharps' pattern!

RELATIVE MAJOR AND RELATIVE MINOR

We say that G major is the “relative major” to E minor, and that E minor is the “relative minor” to G
major, because they use the same key signature.

To find out what the key signature is for a minor key, you first need to find the key signature for its
relative major. So if you want to find the key signature for C# minor, you need to work out what the
relative major of C# minor is.

To find a relative major, count upwards one tone and one semitone. Make sure you count 3 different
letter names too.
C# - D# is one tone,
D# - E is one semitone.
Therefore, the relative major of C# minor is E major. It has 4 sharps.

To find out the relative minor, do the opposite – count downwards one semitone and one tone.
G major:
G- F is one tone,
F - E is one semitone.
So, the relative minor of G major is E minor.

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KEY SIGNATURES AND MINOR KEYS

The key signature for a minor key includes all the sharp/flat notes from the natural minor scale –
this is the same as the descending melodic minor scale.

For example, A minor melodic descending is A-G-F-E-D-C-B-A. There are no sharps and flats, so there
are also no sharps or flats in the key signature for A minor.

Some students think that because A minor harmonic includes G#, there must be a G# in the key
signature. This is a mistake!

When you write a minor scale with a key signature, you will need to add some accidentals (sharps
and flats next to the notes) if the scale is:

• harmonic minor, ascending or descending: raise the 7th degree of the scale by one semitone
(half step).

• melodic minor ascending only (raise the 6th AND 7th degrees of the scale by one semitone
(half step).

In some scales a raised note will be written with a sharp, in others you will need to add naturals, to
cancel flats from the key signature.

Descending minor melodic scales should have no extra accidentals added.

Here are some examples of minor scales with a key signature and accidentals.

HARMONIC MINOR KEYS

All harmonic minor scales have a raised 7th degree of the scale.

G minor harmonic (F becomes F#)

C minor harmonic (Bb becomes B natural)

Don't forget that the degrees of the scale are worked out from the ascending scale, so in a
descending scale the 7th degree will be at the beginning of the scale instead of the end.

For example, here is the descending scale of F minor harmonic. The 7th degree of the scale is E
natural.

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MELODIC MINOR KEYS

All melodic minor ascending scales have raised 6th and 7th degrees of the scale:

C# minor melodic (A and B become A# and B#)

F minor melodic (Db and Eb become D natural and E natural).

TIPS
Here is a quick way to check which key a key signature represents:

• in sharp key signatures, the last sharp in the key signature is the leading note (note before
the tonic). It’s one semitone (half step) lower than the tonic of the major key. For example:

The last sharp is D#. The note one semitone (half step) higher than D# is E. This is the key
signature for E major.

• in flat keys, the last-but-one flat in the key signature is the tonic of the major key. For -
example:

The last-but-one flat is Ab. This is the key signature for Ab major.

You need to remember that F major has only one flat (because there isn't a "last-but-one flat" in
F major!

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4. KEY SIGNATURES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Write out the following key signatures.

a. D minor f. G minor

b. E major
g. C# minor

c. B minor
h. A major

d. Eb major
i. F minor

e. Bb major j. E minor

EXERCISE 2
Give the two keys (relative major and minor) which belong to each of these key signatures.

a. f.

b. g.

c. h.

d.
i.

e.

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EXERCISE 3
Add the correct clef, key signature and accidentals to make each of the scales named below.

a. B harmonic minor

b. C melodic minor

c. E major

d. F melodic minor

e. C# harmonic minor

f. E melodic minor

EXERCISE 4
Write as semibreves (whole notes) the scales named below:

a. E major, descending, with key signature.

b. F# harmonic minor, ascending, with key signature and any necessary accidentals.

c. B melodic minor, ascending, with key signature and any necessary accidentals.

d. G harmonic minor descending, with key signature and any necessary accidentals.

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5. DEGREES OF THE SCALE AND TONIC TRIADS

DEGREES OF THE SCALE

The degrees of the scale are numbers given to each note of the scale in order.
The numbers are based on the ascending scale:

In a harmonic minor scale, the 7th degree of the scale is always raised by a semitone. In a
melodic minor scale, the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale are raised by a semitone in the ascending
scale, but no degrees of the scale are changed in the descending scale.

TONIC TRIADS
The first degree of the scale is also known as the tonic.

A tonic triad is a chord built up from the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the scale.
For example, here is the tonic triad in F minor:

It’s built on the tonic, F, with the 3rd degree of the scale, Ab, and the 5th, C.

IDENTIFYING TONIC TRIADS

You might be asked to identify a tonic triad. What key is this tonic triad?

First, work out the lowest note. The lowest note here is G.

Next, look at the middle note – does it occur in the major or minor form of the scale? The middle
note here is Bb. Bb occurs in G minor, but not in G major. Therefore, this chord is the tonic triad in G
minor.

If you are not sure whether it's major or minor, you can count the semitones from the
lowest note to the middle note. If there are 3 semitones, it's minor, if there are 4, it's major.

For example, G-Bb is 3 semitones (count G#-A-Bb), and G-B is 4 semitones (count G#-A-Bb-B).

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ADDING A CLEF AND KEY SIGNATURE/ACCIDENTALS TO TONIC TRIADS

You might be asked to add a clef and a key signature or accidentals to a tonic triad. Which clef and
key signature do we need to add to this tonic triad?

To make the lowest note an A, we need to add the treble clef. (If we put a bass clef, the lowest note
would be a C.)

The key signature of Ab major has 4 flats, so we need to write in Bb, Eb, Ab and Db, in their correct
positions:

If you are asked to add accidentals instead of a key signature, start by making a note of what the key
signature is (e.g. Bb-Eb-Ab-Db for Ab major), then look at the triad and identify any notes which will
need accidentals. In the Ab major triad, the Ab and Eb will need flats next to them, but the C does
not need any accidentals.

If you don't have much space to write the accidentals, place the highest accidental close to the note
on the stave, then off-set any lower accidentals to the left, so that they have enough room. For
example, here is the tonic triad in F# minor, which needs F# and C#. If you write both of them close
to the triad, they will overlap and become unreadable, making the A seem to have a sharp as well:

Move the lower sharp to the left, and they both become legible:

WHICH OCTAVE?
It doesn’t matter which octave you write a tonic triad in. Here are two tonic triads in C major, in
different octaves:

Try to avoid using lots of ledger lines though!

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5. DEGREES OF THE SCALE AND TONIC TRIADS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
a. In a melodic minor ascending scale, which degree(s) of the scale must be raised?
b. In a harmonic minor ascending scale, which degree(s) of the scale must be raised?
c. What’s another name for the first or eighth degree of the scale?

EXERCISE 2
Which degree of the scale do these melody extracts i) begin and ii) end on?

EXERCISE 3
Add the correct clef and key signature to each of these tonic triads.

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EXERCISE 4
Add the correct clef and any necessary sharp or flat signs to each of these tonic triads. (Do not use
key signatures).

EXERCISE 5
Write the tonic triad of each of the following keys. Do not use key signatures, but remember to add
any necessary sharp or flat signs.

EXERCISE 6
Write the key signature and tonic triad of each of these keys.

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6. TIME SIGNATURES
QUICK REVISION
A time signature is made up of two numbers, one written above the
other. It’s written only at the beginning of a piece of music, or
within the music if the time signature changes in the middle of a
piece. (It’s not written on every new line, unlike the clef and key
signature).

The top number tells you how many beats (not notes) to count in each bar.
The bottom number tells you what type of note to count.

Bottom number 4=crotchet beat

Bottom number 8=quaver beat
Bottom number 2=minim beat.

So, 4/4 tells you that there are four crotchet beats in each bar.

SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES

Up till now you have only learnt about simple time signatures. (Perhaps you didn’t think they were
very “simple” though!)

A simple time signature is one where:

• the top number in the time signature is 2, 3 or 4

• the main beat is divided into two

• the main beat is not a dotted note

• the bottom number of the time signature tells you what type of note is used for the main
beat

For example, in 4/4 the main beat is a crotchet. If we want to divide the crotchet, we split it into two
quavers:

In 2/2, the main beat is a minim. We can split each one into two crotchets:

And in 3/8, the main beat is a quaver. We can split each one into two semiquavers:

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COMPOUND TIME SIGNATURES

Compound time signatures are new for grade three theory. A compound time signature is one
where:

•the top number is 6, 9 or 12

• the main beat is divided into three
• the main beat is always a dotted note
• the bottom number shows you the division of the beat, not the main beat.
Here are the three compound time signatures you need to know for grade three theory:

6/8

The bottom number 8 tells us to count quavers, the top number tells us there should be 6 in a bar.
But, the main beat is not quavers – because that would give us six beats in the bar. (There are
always, 2, 3 or 4 beats per bar, or an irregular number which doesn't divide into 2, 3 or 4, such as 7).

We need to work out what note value is equal to three of the notes in the time signature: what are 3
quavers worth?

Three quavers = one dotted crotchet.

Each bar has two dotted crotchet beats.

In fact, the main beat in any compound /8 time is the dotted crotchet.

The quavers should always (whatever the time signature) be beamed to make complete beats
whenever possible:

This grouping is wrong, because the quavers are grouped to make three beats, instead of two. (This
grouping would be fine for 3/4 time, which has three beats per bar).

9/8

There are 9 quavers per bar.

Each group of three quavers makes one main beat, which is worth a dotted crotchet.

There are three dotted crotchet beats per bar.

Here you can see the dotted crotchet main beats, which are then each sub-divided into three
quavers. The quavers are beamed in threes, to make up one complete beat each.

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12/8

There are 12 quavers per bar.

Each group of three quavers makes one main beat, which is worth a dotted crotchet.

There are four dotted crotchet beats per bar. The quavers are beamed to make it easy to see that
there are four beats per bar.

Remember! An undotted beat is always split into two. A dotted beat is always split into three.

DUPLE, TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE TIME

All the time signatures that we’ve learnt so far can be described as duple, triple or quadruple.

These words refer to the number of main beats per bar.

In simple time, it’s very easy to work out – just look at the top number.

2=duple, 3=triple and 4=quadruple.

• 2/2 and 2/4 are duple time

• 3/2, 3/4 and 3/8 are triple time

• 4/2 and 4/4 are quadruple time

In compound time, you need to count the number of main beats, or you can divide the top number
by 3.

• 6/8 is duple time (2 dotted crotchets per bar)

• 9/8 is triple time (3 dotted crotchets per bar)

• 12/8 is quadruple time (4 dotted crotchets per bar)

Here’s all that information summarised in a table:

(Top Number) Duple Triple Quadruple

Simple 2 3 4

Compound 6 9 12

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6. TIME SIGNATURES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Describe each of these time signatures as

• Simple or Compound

• Duple, Triple or Quadruple

The first one has been done as an example.

a. 3/4: simple triple

b. 4/4

c. 9/8

d. 4/2

e. 2/4

f. 3/8

g. 6/8

h. 2/2

i. 3/2

j. 12/8

EXERCISE 2
Complete the following:

(E.g. The time signature 3/4 means that there are three crotchet (quarter note) beats per bar.)

a. The time signature 2/4 means that there are __________________ beats per bar.

b. The time signature 3/2 means that there are __________________ beats per bar.

c. The time signature 12/8 means that there are _________________ beats per bar.

d. The time signature 3/8 means that there are __________________ beats per bar.

e. The time signature 6/8 means that there are __________________ beats per bar.

f. The time signature 4/2 means that there are __________________ beats per bar.

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7. ADDING BAR LINES OR A TIME SIGNATURE

NEW AT GRADE THREE

In your grade three music theory you might have to add a time signature to a short melody.
Although you also had this task at grade two, it’s a bit harder at grade three.

This is partly because the time signatures 3/4 and 6/8 have the same number of quavers in them, so
it’s harder to tell them apart.

You’ll also find the rhythms are a bit more complicated, which might include demisemiquavers,
dotted notes and tied notes.

The time signatures you need to choose from at grade three are:

• 2/2, 3/2, 4/2 (minim beat)

• 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 (crotchet beat)

• 3/8 (quaver beat)

• 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 (dotted crotchet beat – these are the compound time signatures)

ADDING A TIME SIGNATURE

To work out a time signature you need to discover two things:

1. What kind of beat is the main beat?

2. How many of these main beats are there per bar?

The easiest way to work out what kind of beat is the main beat, is to look for notes which are
beamed together. (Obviously you need to look for a bar with quavers or semiquavers).

• Notes are beamed to add up to one whole beat. You need to work out what kind of note
you need one of, to equal the notes which are beamed.

• When a new beat begins, a new beam begins too.

• Notes can also be beamed to add up to one whole bar, but only in simple time.

To work out how many main beats per bar there are, draw a circle around each group of notes that
makes one full beat. Each circle has to contain the same value of notes overall. Then count the
number of groups you circled. The number of circles in one bar is the number of beats per bar.

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To work out the time signature, look at the information you have worked out.

The number of circles per bar will be 2, 3 or 4. This tells you whether the time signature is duple,
triple or quadruple. Duple time signatures have either 2 or 6 as their top number. Triple time
signatures has 3 or 9 as their top number. Quadruple time signatures have 4 or 12 as their top
number.

If each circle adds up to the value of a minim, the beat is a minim and the time signature will have a
lower number 2. The top number will be 2, 3 or 4.

If each circle adds up to a crotchet, the lower number will be 4. The top number will be 2, 3 or 4.

If each circle adds up to a quaver, the lower number will be 8. The top number will be 3. (2/8 and 4/8
don't come up in the grade 3 exam).

If each circle adds up to a dotted crotchet, the lower number will be 8 (compound time). The top
number will be 6, 9 or 12.

Here’s an example question.

Add the time signature to this melody:

Look at the first bar and notice how the semiquavers are beamed. There are two joined together,
and four joined together. Use the larger group.

Four semiquavers=1 crotchet. The first note of that group (the first G) must be the start of a new
main beat, so the main beat is a crotchet. (If the main beat had been a dotted crotchet, the other
two semiquavers would also be joined on, making six beamed semiquavers in total).

Look at bar 3. The quavers and semiquavers are again grouped together to add up to one crotchet
each.

The main beat is therefore a crotchet beat.

Next, work out how many crotchets there are in each bar:

In each bar there are 3 crotchets' worth of beats.

(Notice that the last bar doesn’t have a bar line at the end – it’s not a complete bar, so it doesn’t
matter how many beats there are in it.)

Because the main beat is a crotchet, the lower number of the time signature is 4. Because there are
three crotchets per bar, the top number is 3. The time signature is 3/4.
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Here is another example:

Choose bar 4 to look at first, as it has the most quavers/semiquavers.

• Remember that the notes are beamed to together to make one of something. What value
do the beamed notes add up to? The answer is: the dotted crotchet. One dotted crotchet is
worth the same as [semiquaver+dotted quaver+ quaver], and one dotted crotchet is worth
the same as three quavers.

• It is compound duple time, because the main beat is a dotted note. The top number is 6.

• The bottom number is 8. (The bottom number is 8 because there the top number is 6, and
there are 6 quavers' worth in each bar.)

Sometimes there will be no quavers or semiquavers to help you. If that is the case, you need to
remember that there can only be 2, 3 or 4 beats per bar, no other number! (For grade 3 theory, that
is!)

Look at this example:

• The first bar contains eight crotchets.

• Crotchets can’t be the main beat, because there are too many of them (8).

• Semibreves can't be the main beat, because semibreves are never used as the main beat
(there are no time signatures with the lower number 1).

• So, minims are the main beat.

• There are four minims per bar.

• The time signature is 4/2.

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ADDING BAR LINES

You might be asked to add bar lines to a melody.
Look carefully at the time signature and write down the following information:

• How many beats

• Type of beats

Take your time – it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re in a rush!

Carefully count the notes, marking off each complete beat.

When you’ve reached the number of beats you need to make a complete bar, use your ruler and
draw a neat bar line quite close to the first note of the next bar.

Continue until you get to the end of the piece.

Pay very careful attention to the end of the piece.

• If there is a bar line after the last note, the last bar must be complete.

• If there isn’t a bar line, the last bar can contain any number of notes, (as long as it’s not
longer than a normal bar!) It might or might not be complete, so be careful.

Here’s an example:

The time signature is 4/4, so each bar needs four crotchet beats.

Count and mark off the crotchet beats until you reach four, then draw a bar line:

Repeat:

Double check the last bar – there is a bar line here so it should be a complete bar:

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7. ADDING BAR LINES OR A TIME SIGNATURE EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Add the missing bar lines to these melodies, which all begin on the first beat of the bar.

EXERCISE 2
Add the time signature to each of these melodies.

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8. ADDING RESTS & BEAMING NOTES IN GROUPS

RESTS
Here are the rests you need to know for the grade 3 music theory exam, in order of length, starting
with the longest:

Semibreve - minim - crotchet - quaver - semiquaver - demisemiquaver

The semibreve rest is also used as a whole bar rest, even when the value is worth less than four
crotchets, for example in this 3/4 bar. It is placed in the centre of the bar.

The "whole bar" rest can be used in any time signature except for 4/2, where two semibreve rests
are needed for one bar's silence.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT RESTS

Although rests are a way to show silence, you still need to use the right rests according to the time
signature: this means that a dotted crotchet rest is not the same as a crotchet plus a quaver, even
though the overall length of the silence is the same. This is because rests are written to make the
main beats of the bar easy to see.

In practice, this means that when you add rests, any incomplete beats must be completed first, and
then the largest possible rest is used for the remaining space.

Most of the time "largest possible" means "the value of the beat", for example, a crotchet rest in
2/4, 3/4 or 4/4 time. However, you can also use minim rest if the rest falls on a strong beat (i.e. the
first beat of the bar, or on beat 3 in 4/4 time).

The same applies to using semibreve rests in time signatures with a minim beat - you can use them
as long as they don't land on a weak beat of the bar.

(For reference: main beats are either strong or weak. The strong beat is the first beat of the bar. In
duple and triple time signatures, there is only one strong beat per bar. In quadruple time signatures
(4/4, 4/2 and 12/8) there is a slightly weaker strong beat on beat 3. The other main beats are weak
beats. Note which fall between the main beats are on the off-beat.)

Don't forget that rests can also be included as part of triplets.

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Here are some examples:

6/8 = two dotted crotchet beats per bar. The first rest we write needs to make up a complete dotted
crotchet beat when added to the C crotchet, so we write a quaver. Now we have a complete first
beat, made up of the crotchet (note) plus a quaver (rest). The rest of the bar is filled up with a
dotted crotchet - the largest rest possible for what's left of this bar, equal to one beat.

3/4 = three crotchet beats. We write two crotchet rests here and not one minim, because in the time
signature of 3/4, the beat is a crotchet. A minim rest would land on a weak beat (2nd beat of the
bar) so it's not used.

9/8 = three dotted crotchet beats. Here we start off by completing the first beat with two quavers
(not one crotchet, because it would fall on an off-beat). Then we write two dotted crotchets (not
one minim, because the 2nd beat is a weak beat).

4/4 = four crotchet beats. We start off by writing a quaver rest to complete the first crotchet beat.
We then write a crotchet rest. (We can't write a dotted crotchet instead, because the first main
crotchet beat has to be completed first). We then fill up the rest of the bar with a minim rest. The
minim rest is allowed here, because it falls on beat 3, which is a strong beat.

The first two beats have a minim rest - the minim rest is allowed because it falls on the strong beat.
The third beat is a triplet figure, with only two quavers. We need another quaver here to complete
the triplet. The rest is written inside the square triplet brackets.

The first triplet figure is completed with a quaver rest. This makes up the first crotchet beat. The
second triplet figure is completed with a crotchet rest.

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ADDING RESTS TO A MELODY

You may be asked to add the correct rest(s) at the places marked * to make each bar complete in a
short melody.

First, look at the time signature, and make a note of the number and type of beats per bar.

Write in the rests, making sure that you complete main beats before anything else, and that you
don't write long rests on weak beats.

Here’s an example:

• Bar 1: complete the first crotchet beat with one quaver.

• Bar 2: complete the first crotchet beat with a quaver rest, then write a crotchet rest to
complete the second beat of the bar. Use a minim rest for beats 3 and 4 (ok because it falls
on the strong 3rd beat).

• Bar 3: whole bar rest.

• Bar 4: finish the bar with a minim on the strong 3rd beat.

• Bar 5: crotchet rest to mark the first beat, quaver rest to complete the triplet on the second
beat.

Here’s the answer:

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GROUPING & BEAMING NOTES

A beam is the line that joins quavers, semiquavers or demisemiquavers together.

You might be asked to rewrite a passage with the notes correctly grouped, or beamed.

• Beam notes together in complete beats.

• Start a new beamed group on each main beat.

• Four quavers can (optionally) be beamed to equal a minim, as long as the group doesn't
cross from a weak to a strong beat (e.g. beats 2-3 in 4/4 time).

• You might need to change the direction of the stems on some notes in the group.

• If you have several notes in a group where some go up and some go down, use the direction
which would be correct for the note furthest from the middle line.

• The angle of beams follows the pattern of the music – if the music is rising in pitch, they
slope upwards. If the music is falling in pitch they slope downwards. If the music stays at the
same pitch, they are horizontal.

Here is a badly beamed passage:

The time signature is 2/4, so we should have two crotchet beats per bar. The groups of quavers and
semiquavers need to be beamed together to show this, and we also had to change the stem
direction on a couple of notes:

Here is an example of how the time signature affects beaming. These notes will be beamed in a
different way, depending on the time signature:

In 3/4 time, three beats per bar need to be shown. In 6/8 time, there are two beats per bar. Here is
the correct beaming in each time signature:

(You could also beam together the last two quaver notes in the 6/8 bar, keeping the rest in the
middle, if you prefer).

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8. ADDING RESTS & BEAMING NOTES IN GROUPS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Add the correct rest(s) at the places marked * to make each bar complete.

EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the following melodies with the notes correctly grouped/beamed.

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9. INTERVALS
INTERVAL NUMBER AND TYPE
Up to grade two, you learnt how to describe the interval between two notes
using a number. For example, this interval is a 5th, because there are five letter
names between the lowest and the highest: G-A-B-C-D = 5 letter names

At this grade, the lowest note is always the tonic (keynote), or first degree of the scale. (In later
grades you’ll find that the lower note can be anything at all!) To find the number of the interval, all
you need to do is work out the degree of the scale.

D is the 5th degree of the scale of G major.

In the grade three music theory exam, you need to describe an interval with its number and also its
type. You also need to know all the intervals in the new key signatures for this grade too, of course!

We will learn about three types of interval for grade three: major, minor and perfect intervals.

Major Keys

In a major key, all the intervals are either major or perfect. There are NO minor intervals in a major
key (when the lowest note is the tonic).

Here is the scale of C major, showing each interval type when the lowest note is the tonic:

In all major scales, the unison, fourth, fifth and octave are PERFECT intervals. All the other intervals
are MAJOR.

Here are some examples of intervals from other major keys:

Minor Keys

In minor keys you will find major, perfect and also minor intervals.

Intervals are based on the harmonic minor scale, not the melodic minor scale. Don't forget that this
means the 7th degree of the scale is raised by a semitone!

• Perfect intervals are the same in both major and minor keys: all unisons, 4ths, 5ths and
octaves are perfect, whether the key is major or minor.

• In a minor key, the intervals of 3rd and 6th are minor, whereas in a major key they are
major.

• The intervals of a 2nd and a 7th are major in both major and minor keys.

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INTERVALS AT A GLANCE:
Here are the scales of G major and G minor harmonic for you to compare (don’t forget to pay
attention to the key signature, and to raise the 7th degree of the scale.)

You can see that only two intervals are different, between the major and minor versions of the scale.
The interval of a 7th is always major, but in a minor key it will always need an accidental adding to it.

Number from Tonic Major Key - Type Minor Key - Type

Unison Perfect Perfect
2nd Major Major
3rd Major Minor
4th Perfect Perfect
5th Perfect Perfect
6th Major Minor
7th Major Major
8ve Perfect Perfect

DESCRIBING INTERVALS
You will probably get a question asking you to describe some intervals by giving the type and
number, like this:

Type: _____________

Number: __________

• Notice that they key is given to you – this interval is in G minor.

• The lowest note will always be the tonic.

Starting at the lower note, count how many letter names of notes there are up to the higher one.

G-A-Bb = three notes.

This interval is a third. The key is minor, so it will be minor third (remember that 3rds and 6ths are
minor intervals in minor keys).

Intervals can be written vertically (“harmonic”) or horizontally (“melodic”).

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9. INTERVALS EXERCISES
EXERCISE 1
Describe these melodic intervals by type (e.g. major) and number (e.g. 2nd)

EXERCISE 2
Describe these harmonic intervals by type and number.

EXERCISE 3
Describe these intervals by type and number and also say whether they are harmonic or melodic.

EXERCISE 4
Write a note next to the given note to make the named melodic interval.

EXERCISE 5
Write a note above the given note to make the named harmonic interval.

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10. TRANSPOSITION
In grade three music theory, you have to transpose a short melody, at the octave,
between clefs. What does that mean, exactly?

TRANSPOSE AT THE OCTAVE

Transpose means "write in another place". Transposed music can be written in a different clef,
different key, or different octave, or any combination of these! But you won't have to transpose
music into another key at grade 3 - that comes later. At this grade, you need to transpose between
clefs, at the octave.

"At the octave" means that the music is transposed either up eight notes or down eight notes. For
example, we can transpose this C:

down an octave (8 notes), to this C:

BETWEEN CLEFS
This means that we change the clef used – from treble to bass or the other way round. For example,
we can transpose the same C:

down an octave AND put it into the bass clef:

C4

Middle C is known as C4. The C above it is C5, and the C below it is C3. You don’t need to know this
for your grade three music theory exam, but it’s a really useful way of referring to notes by octave,
when you are talking about them, so it’s worth learning!

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TRANSPOSITION EXAMPLES
Here is the scale of C major in the treble clef, transposed at the octave and to the bass clef:

Here’s a short melody transposed at the octave and to the treble clef:

HOW TO TRANSPOSE
If you get a transposition question in the exam, you’ll be told which clef you need to transpose into.

The new clef will already be in place.

You will sometimes have to add the key signature, time signature and bar lines, (but sometimes they
are already written for you).

Then you need to add the notes and rests, as well as any accidentals, and also any other things such
as dynamics, articulation (e.g. staccato) and phrasing marks.

• Don’t rush the first note. Triple check you’ve got the first note right, and all the others will
follow naturally.

• Look at clef and the first note – make sure you’re not thinking in treble clef, when in fact it’s
bass (and vice versa!) What note is it?

• Work which octave the first note is in. Is it above or below middle C?

• Carefully write the new first note, one octave higher (or lower, depending on the question),
immediately below the original.

• Continue with the rest of the notes.

• Write all the notes and rests directly below the original ones. This will make sure that you
don’t run out of space and that the notes are aligned properly.

• Use a ruler to draw the stems and beams.

• Make an effort to be neat. You will lose marks if the examiner can’t read what you’ve put.

• Make sure you haven’t forgotten to copy any of the phrasing or dynamics markings.

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10. TRANSPOSITION EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Transpose these melodies up an octave, using the treble clef as shown. Include the key signature
and time signature.

a.

b.

EXERCISE 2
Transpose these melodies down an octave, using the treble clef as shown. Include the key signature
and time signature.

a.

b.

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11. REWRITING WITH DIFFERENT TIME VALUES

WHAT IS REWRITING?
We can rewrite a melody using different value notes, without changing the rhythm. For example,
here’s a rhythm in 3/4:

And here’s the same rhythm in 3/2:

The rhythm itself hasn't changed - only the type of note used as the main beat has changed.

The time signature changes – but only the lower number. This is because we have kept the same
number of beats per bar (3), and we have only changed the type of beat from a crotchet
in the first example, to a minim in the second example.

A minim is worth two crotchets, so all the notes in the second example are twice the value of those in

the first one. The notes in the first example are half the value.

Rhythms written at twice the value use slower note values.

Be careful! If we write a rhythm in notes of half the value, we double the bottom number. If we
write a rhythm in notes of twice the value, we halve the bottom number. This might seem a little
strange at first!

TABLE OF TIME SIGNATURES

For the grade three exam, you only need to know about these time signatures for this question:

Twice the Value Original Time Signature Half the Value

3/4 3/8 -
2/2 2/4 -
3/2 3/4 3/8
4/2 4/4 -
- 2/2 2/4
- 3/2 3/4
- 4/2 4/4

(Compound time signatures will not come up in this ƐĞĐƚŝŽŶ.)

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TABLE OF NOTE DURATIONS FOR REWRITING IN A NEW TIME SIGNATURE

Twice the Value Original Note Half the Value

Dotted notes don’t need any special treatment. Just copy the dot over to the new note value.

TABLE OF REST DURATIONS FOR REWRITING IN A NEW TIME SIGNATURE

Twice the Value Original Note Half the Value

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HOW TO REWRITE WITH NEW NOTE VALUES

• Put the new time signature in first. Remember “notes of half the value” means the lower
number is doubled, and vice versa.

• On a piece of rough paper, draw a table showing the new note values you’ll need. (For

example, if you are rewriting at half the value, write => ). Use this for reference as
you do the question – it will help to avoid mistakes.

• Write each new note directly under each original note, so that you don’t run out of space.

• Draw note stems and bar lines with a ruler.

• Don’t forget to add any accidentals.

• Don’t forget to beam quavers and semiquavers together.

• Check your work by carefully counting up the beats in each bar.

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11. REWRITING WITH DIFFERENT TIME VALUES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Write out these melodies in notes and rests of twice the value. Remember to put in the new time
signature.

a.

b.

EXERCISE 2
Write out these melodies in notes and rests of half the value. Remember to put in the new time
signature.

a.

b.

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12. COMPLETING A RHYTHM

I

You need to write a complete four-bar rhythm using the given opening.

You’ll be given one complete bar including the time signature, so you need to write three more bars.

You don’t need to write a tune, only the rhythm.

Here’s an example:

Write a complete four-bar rhythm in 9/8 time using the given opening.

TIPS
1. Notice the time signature and make sure that each bar you write has the right number of
beats.

2. Check that beamed notes (quavers, semiquavers and demisemiquavers)

are grouped correctly.

3. Don’t just repeat exactly what you already have in any bar.

4. Don’t write something that’s completely different to any other bar.

Tips one and two are straightforward, but tips three and four are a little bit more difficult to get
right. You need to write something which is similar to bar one, but not the same and not very
different. It can be hard to get that right, so make sure you do lots of practice!

Some ways you can achieve this:

• As you write each bar, keep some of the rhythmic patterns from the previous bar, but
not all of them. You can change half to three quarters of the bar, for example:

• Change the order of some of the groups of notes:

•
(The groups are numbered to show you how the order has changed.)

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• Don’t write things like lots of triplets, dotted/tied notes or syncopation UNLESS there were
some in the first bar. You need to keep the character of the rhythm the same all the way
through.

• Don’t feel that you have to “show off” by writing every single different note value/rests, or
anything else. It’s more important to keep the character of the rhythm.

• Make sure any long notes fall on the beat (see lesson 8 for more on this).

• Use a reasonably long note to end the composition: don’t end on a quaver, semiquaver or
demisemiquaver.

Here’s a possible answer to the above question:

Notice how the same patterns get reused, but not in exactly the same way. We used a dotted note in
the 4th bar, but it’s not a “new” rhythm – it’s the same value as the tied quaver + semiquaver
in bars 1 and 2.

DEALING WITH UPBEATS

An "upbeat" is a part of the rhythm which occurs before bar 1. If the piece starts on an upbeat, the
first bar will not be complete. For example, this rhythm in 4/4 starts on an upbeat - there is just one
crotchet in the first bar:

The second G falls on the strong beat - the first beat of bar 1. It is played with a stronger stress than
the first G. Think of the word "potato" - the stress falls on the second syllable of the word. If you set
the word "potato" to music, you'd use an upbeat for the syllable "po-", so that "-ta-" falls on the
strong beat of the bar. Even when there are no words set to music, rhythms still contain stresses in
the same way.

If there is an up-beat, you must make sure the last bar of your piece is also incomplete.

• The first bar and the last bar added together should make one complete bar. In our
example, our last bar should contain 3 beats (not 4).

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12. COMPLETING A RHYTHM EXERCISES

Write a complete 4-bar rhythm using the given openings.

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13. QUESTIONS ABOUT A SCORE

You’ll be given some music to look at – usually about 8 bars of a single line of music.
It could be in treble or bass clef.


You’ll be asked several questions about the score. The kinds of question you might see include:

• Explain Italian terms • Name the relative minor/major key

• Explain symbols • Find notes which are/aren’t in the key
• Give the time name of notes or rests of the piece
• Say how many notes are equivalent of • Find notes which are an octave apart
each other (e.g. how many • Describe intervals marked with a
semiquavers (16th notes) there are in bracket
a minim (half note) • Find similarities and differences
• Describe the time signature • Count the number of times a certain
• Add the time signature pattern occurs
• Find bars which contain the notes of • Mark the phrases with a curved
the tonic triad phrase mark
• Say which degree of the scale certain
notes are

Many of these topics are covered in other lessons in this grade three course.
In this lesson we’ll look at the rest of them:

FINDING SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

You might be asked to describe the similarities or differences between two sections of the music.
You need to look at:

• The melody • The dynamics and phrasing

• The rhythm

For example, you might see two bars which have the same
rhythm, but a different melody:

the same melody notes, but a different rhythm:

the same melody and rhythm, but different dynamics:

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You should try to describe with a little bit of detail what the similarities and differences are.

For example:

Bars 1-2
Similarity: Both bars use a rhythm of dotted quaver, semiquaver, quaver͘

Difference: In bar 2 the melody is a scale step lower.

Bars 3-4
Similarity: Both bars use a leap of a perfect 5th D-A as the melody notes.
Difference: The rhythm is reversed in bar 2.

Bars 5-6
Similarity: Both bars have the same melody and rhythm.
Difference: The dynamics change from fortissimo in bar 5 to pianissimo in bar 6.

COUNTING PATTERNS
You might have to count the number of times you see:

• a certain rhythm

• bars which contain all the notes of the tonic triad

• a certain note (e.g. 3rd degree of the scale)

This is a very easy question! Just make sure you don’t rush it and miss something.

MARKING PHRASES
You might have to mark out the phrases in the score with a square bracket. The first one will be
done for you.

• Phrases will normally (but not always) be the same number of bars in length (often four
times two-bar phrases in an 8 bar piece).

• Phrase marks don’t include rests (unless they are in the middle of the phrase)

• Use a ruler to draw the brackets.

• Use clues like crescendos to help you understand which notes would be kept together in the
same phrase.

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13. QUESTIONS ABOUT A SCORE EXERCISES

This melody is by V. Williams. Look at it and then answer the questions below.

Give the meaning (in English) of each of these:

a)

b)

c)

d) Andante

e)

f)

g)

h) Describe the time signature as:

i. simple or compound?

ii. duple, triple or quadruple?

i) Describe the melodic interval (e.g. major 3rd) between the notes marked with bracket A in bar 4.

j) The key is F# minor. On which degree of the scale does the melody begin?

k) How many demisemiquavers (32nd notes) is the first note of the melody worth?

l) Name one difference between bars 1 and 5.

m) How many bars contain all three notes of the tonic triad?

n) Name another key with the same key signature as F# minor.

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14. FINDING DELIBERATE MISTAKES

you ǁŝůů be given a short piece of music with about 5 deliberate mistakes in it.

You need to rewrite the whole melody correctly on the given stave.

The kinds of mistake you need to look for include:

• Wrongly placed clef

• Wrongly placed sharps/flats in the key signature

• Upside down time signature

• Upside down symbols, e.g. pause mark

• Accidentals placed on the wrong side of the note

• Accidentals placed on the wrong line/space

• Stems pointing in the wrong direction

Here’s an example:

The following passage contains five deliberate mistakes. Rewrite it correctly on the given stave.

• Find all the mistakes BEFORE you start writing out the melody!

• Write the notes directly underneath the originals, so that you don’t run out of space.

• Use a ruler to draw note stems and beams.

The five mistakes in this passage are:

• The clef is in the wrong position (the curly middle bit needs to circle the G line)

• The time signature is upside down

• In bar 1, the sharp is on the space for A, instead of on the line for B.

• In bar 2, the quaver G should have its stem pointing upwards (because it’s below the middle
line of the stave).

• In bar 4, the pause symbol is upside down. (Pauses are written that way up if they are
written under the stave.

Here is the same melody, rewritten with the mistakes corrected:

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14. FINDING DELIBERATE MISTAKES EXERCISES

Each passage below contains 4 deliberate mistakes. Rewrite the melody correctly on the given stave.

a.

b.

c.

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