ncea level 1 music theory

NCEA Level 1 MusicTheory External

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Achievement Standard Music 1.5Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music

scores

• External, 4 creditsAchievement Achievement

with MeritAchievement with Excellence

Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music scores.

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of conventions used in music scores.

Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of conventions used in music scores.

A, M, E• Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music scores involves

identifying anddescribing musical elements and features used in music scores.• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of conventions used in music scores

involvesexplaining musical elements and features used in music scores.• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of conventions used in music

scoresinvolves applying musical elements and features used in music scores.

• Students are expected to demonstrate understanding of conventions and engage in reading of scores in a range of music styles eg classical, pop/rock, jazz. Scores will contain independent instrumental/vocal parts up to an ensemble consisting of no more than 16 parts.

• key signatures up to three sharps and three flats, major and minor keys• time signatures, limited to: 2 3 4 6• 4 4 4 8• notation of pitch and rhythm (eg rhythmic groupings; major, minor and perfect intervals)• performance directions (eg articulation, tempo indications, dynamics)• terms and signs• use of treble, bass, alto, tenor, and percussion clefs• instruments and score layout• chords in root position: limited to I, IV, V, V7, VI using Roman numerals and jazz/rock terminology (eg A, D, E, E7, F♯m)• texture: limited to monophony, homophony, polyphony, textural density• chord progressions including cadences involving chords I, IV, V, V7, VI only• compositional devices (eg motif, riff, imitation, sequence)• modulation to closely related keys• transposition• transposing instruments (instruments that are notated at a different pitch from their sound): limited to – C

instruments/voice (piccolo, double bass, bass guitar, guitar, tenor voice), B♭ instruments (clarinet and trumpet/cornet), E♭ instrument (alto saxophone), F instrument (horn)

• open to closed/closed to open score• stylistic features (eg flattened notes in blues, hammer ons and pull offs in rock music, figured bass in Baroque music)• form/structure: limited to – verse/chorus, Binary AB, Ternary ABA, 12 Bar Blues, intro, coda/outro, bridge.

Rhythm / Metre Limited to 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8 [including C] above time signatures –identification and understanding

of rhythmic groupings and classifications: simple/compound, duple/triple/quadruple

durations – notes, rests, (to semiquaver), ties description of rhythmic feel (e.g. syncopation, swing)

Tied Notes, Dotted Notes, Triplets

time signatures, limited to: 2 3 4 64 4 4 8

2/4 is also known as ‘simple duple’

¾ is also known as ‘simple triple’

4/4 is also known as ‘simple quadruple’

These are called ‘simple’ because the beats are divided in 2s

6/8 is a little different, its known as ‘compound duple’It is called ‘compound’ because the beats are divided in 3s

Anacrusis-incomplete bar at the beginning of the music

The incomplete bar at the beginning of the music will add up to a full bar with the final bar.

Eg… 1+3= 4

Straight Beats V.S. Syncopated Beats

This means that the pairs of quavers should be played with the first one slightly longer than the second

Cross Rhythm

Useful links

•http://www.mymusictheory.com/index.html•http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm

•http://www.musictheory.net/index.html

Pitch / Tonality Limited to major and minor keys, up to three sharps and three flats clefs – treble, bass, alto C-clef, percussion, and “vocal tenor” (i.e.

treble-octave) key signatures and scales– recognition of major and minor keys

(harmonic and melodic), plus addition of Blue notes key relationships (scale degrees) – tonic, subdominant, dominant,

relative major and minor pitch names: tonic↔leading note intervals – recognition of major, minor and perfect intervals within

an octave; lower note can only be the tonic of one of the permitted major keys (i.e B-flat, F, C, G, or D)

transposition – upwards only, sounding pitch → written pitch only, limited to instruments in B-flat and F also instruments transposing 8ve

transcription – from treble clef ↔ bass clef, from alto clef↔ other clefs, open ↔ closed score, written pitch → sounding pitch (i.e. vocal tenor, double bass, piccolo)

Notation of Pitch

• Pitch- the highs and lows of the note

CLEFSTreble, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Percussion

Guitar tabs (6 lines in a stave)

Intervals

• The distance between two pitches

Sharps, Flats, Naturals

Tones and Semitones

SCALEStarts and Ends on the Same Note!!!

Starting Note= Pitch Name of the Scale!!!

• Major- sounds happy• Minor- natural, harmonic, melodic- sounds sad• Chromatic- 12 notes in total• Pentatonic- 5 notes in total- sounds Asian• Blues- 6 notes in total- used in Blues, Rock and Pop

Scale Names- The

Technical, Proper way of

naming the notes of the

scale

Major ScalesRule- T, T, ST, T, T, T, ST

• Using this rule, we can create a major scale on any pitch we like!

Key SignatureClick icon to add picture

To allow for the major scale rule to happen in whatever

pitch possible, key signatures tells us which

notes need to be # or b. The Key signature is placed at the start of the piece, and the # or b will apply to all the notes throughout the

piece of music.

•http://www.musictheory.net/index.html•Reminder: s key signature is found at the beginning of each

stave in a piece of music, just after the clef. •It is the short way of writing down all the sharps or flats

that will be used in the scale or piece.•It is there to help the performer to easily identify which key

the music is written in.

Keys & Key Signatures

Key of C= C major/minorKey Note= Scale Starting NoteThe # or b in the key signature

does not equal to the key!!!For this level we need to learn

major and minor keys up to 3 # & 3b!!!

For Level 1 You Only Need to do up to 3 # & 3bs major + minor keys

Ace the major scale in exam!

•Clef: check for the given clef or write it in•Key signature: name the key signature if it is given, or write it in•Check if the ascending or descending version is required (or both), then write in the eight notes of the scale, starting on the key note (use semibreves)•Check the note value required and adjust the semibreves if necessary. Watch the stem direction for minims and crotchets!•Check if the accidentals are required, rather than a key signature. If so, write them in using the key signature as a guide and then ease the key signature.

Minor Scales

Understand Minor Scales•Every major scale is related to a specfic minor scale, meaning that they share the same key signature.•To find out the related major/minor scales, use the 'Holy Trinity' rule...•Majors to minor, go down 3 alphabet•Minor to major, go up 3 alphabet•Again, use the C major/A minor as a rule of thumb to help you.

For harmonic minor, always raise the 7th degree of the scale by a semitone.The raised 7th note is not part of the key signature and must always be filled in as an accidental!

Scale/No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A Min A B C D E F G# A

E Min (F#)

E F# G A B C D# E

B Min (F# C#)

B C# D E F# G A# B

D Min (Bb)

D E F G A Bb C# D

G Min (Bb Eb)

G A Bb C D Eb F# G

Filler Harm'MinorTip:Work out the Key

Signature firstScale/No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (sharp me)

8

A Min

E Min

B Min

D Min

G Min

Ace the Harmonic Minor Scale

•Clef and key signature: check and/or write in•Check if the ascending or descending version is

required, then write in the right notes of the scale, starting on the key note.

•Check the note value required and adjust if necessary. Watch the stem direction for minims and

crotchets!•Locate the 7th note of the scale and raise it by a

semitone!

Scale/No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

A Min A B C D E F#F natural

G#G natural

A

E Min (F#)

E F# G A B C#C natural

D#D natural

E

B Min (F# C#)

B C# D E F# G#G natural

A#A natural

B

D Min (Bb)

D E F G A B naturalB flat

C#C natural

D

G Min (Bb Eb)

G A Bb C D E naturalE flat

F#F natural

G

• For melodic minor scale:• raise the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale by a semitone when ascending and...• Lower the raised 6th and 7th degrees of the scale by a semitone when descending.• Remember that the raised and lowered accidentals are not part of the key

signature.

Ace the Melodic Minor in Exam

• The general procedure for writing scales is applicable to the melodic minor scale, but remember to adjust your 6th and 7th notes!

• Clef• Key Signature• Write in the notes• Locate the 6th and 7th notes of the scale• Raise them by a semitone if ascending• Lower them by a semitone if descending (do this only if

the ascending version is written first!)• Check for accidentals or key signatures and adjust if

necessary

Filler Mel'MinorTip:Work out the Key

Signature firstScale/No.

1 2 3 4 5 6 ( up then down

7 (up then down)

8

A Min

E Min

B Min

D Min

G Min

Chromatic Scales=all the semitonessss

Pentatonic Scales=penta= 5= 5 note scale (sounds Asian)

Blues Scale

Advanced Intervals

• Intervals have 2 things-• Quality (major/minor/perfect/augmented/diminished) (p.s.

does NOT relate to the major/minor keys/signature ok@@)• Quantity (123456789….)

Finding the Interval Quality

• In all MAJOR KEYS, intervals are either MAJOR or PERFECT (see below C major example)

And then…

• Pending on the addition of #, b, naturals etc, intervals can become minor/augmented/diminished

Transposing Instruments• C instruments (don’t need to transpose, they see C, they sound C• Bb instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound Bb (major 2nd lower)• Eb instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound Eb (major 6th lower)• F instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound F (perfect 5th lower)

Reason for transposing instruments (to screw with your brain… no I kid I kid…) it evolved from the technical development of the wind/brass instruments throughout history, some things just got stuck and we worked around them to fit our music.

How to Transpose

• Check key signature (use major key chart from Circle of 5th)

• Bb up a major 2nd is C• And just move all the other notes up

1 (so that the interval becomes major 2nd automatically

• With any accidentals just double check the semitones etc… no biggie

Transpose a key signature in the SAME WAY that you transpose a note.

There is nothing special about transposing a key signature, but many candidates struggle with this task! Key signatures are transposed in the same way as notes. The original key is G major. Let’s say you have to transpose up a perfect 5th. The note a perfect 5th above G is D, so the new key signature is D major.It doesn’t matter whether the piece is major or minor, the result will be the same. If we assume this is actually E minor, then a 5th above E will produce B minor, which also has two sharps.

When writing SATB parts, make sure the note STEMS are written the right way up.

In open score (4 staves) the stems point up or down depending on their position on the stave.

In a short score (on 2 staves) the stems point up or down depending on the part.The circled notes here show where the stems need to have their positions changed when you rewrite the music.

Vocal Tenor Clef (is written an octave above they would sound, so when you transcribe vocal tenor to normal bass clef, put it down an octave

Harmony Limited to chords I, IV, V, V7, and VI, in major and minor keys, in root position only chords – identification of individual chords using Roman numerals and jazz / rock notation

chord progressions – identification of cadences (perfect, plagal, imperfect I-V and IV-V only, interrupted)

chords – notation of individual chords

modulation – identification of modulation (via perfect cadence) to related keys (subdominant, dominant, relative major and minor)

ID a chord

List all the notes vertically (A, E, C#), Put it in a ROOT positon (A, C#, E)The root note is the name (A chord)

Minor Chords have ‘m’ after the letter, plus the small letter roman numerals ‘i’

Roman Numerals are the I, ii, iii etc they are usually BELOW the stave

Jazz Rock are the C, Dm, Em etc they are usually ABOVE the stave

Intervals between the Different Kinds of Chords

Cadences

• Two chords at the end of a phrase (like a comma or full stop)

ID a Cadence

• Find out the chords in the vertical fashion (as earlier mentioned)

• Find out the keys and its scale degree etc, match them up, voila~

Modulation

• Just means change of key (which usually means change of mood)

You can tell a piece of music has ‘modulated’ (change of key) by • Accidentals (extra # or b or natural signs in the music

that is not usually there)• Actual change of key signature (duh…)• When modulation occurs, it goes to the familiar, hence,

there will be a chord that the old key and new (modulated) key share, that will be used as ‘pivot’ chord, to modulate a piece of music.

Common Modulation Pathway

Instrumentation Limited to scores of no more than 16 instruments.Limited to common orchestral and jazz / rock instruments, and common voice types score layout – recognition of family /

instrument order, English names

Woodwind in this orderFluteOboe

ClarinetBassoon

Brass in this orderTrumpet

Trombone

Timpani

Strings in this orderViolinViolaCelloBass

Concert Band Score Layout

FluteOboeBassoon

ClarinetBass Clarinet

Alto SaxTenor SaxBari Sax

TrumpetHornTromboneBaritoneTuba

MalletsPercussion/Timpani

SlidesIn short, a slide is when you go from one note to another by keeping contact with the string the whole time

BendsNormally when you fret a note, you push it straight down on the fingerboard. When you push or pull a string up or down, you are bending the string. This causes the fretted note to go sharp. Depending on how much you bend the string, you can change the note up to a step and a half higher than the original.

Performance Directions- 14/3/2013Articulation- How you play the note

Tempo Indication-Tells us how fast or slow to play a piece of music

BPM- a.k.a. beats per minute, as shown on the score with the ‘note value equals to number’ sign at the start of the music

Dynamics-How Loud or Soft, and the Gradual Changes in volume

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Italian Phrasing Terms

italian abbreviation meaning

cantabile In a singing style

legato smoothly

staccato Short and detached

Italian Terms: Misc.Italian abbreviation meaning

Da capo DC From the beginning

Dal segno DS From the sign

fine The end

mezzo m half

moderato moderately

poco A little

Texture textural features e.g. monophonic homophonic polyphonic melody and accompaniment, layering (e.g. background, foreground) textural density

TextureThe use of instrument/s and the combination of instruments within a

piece of music. The thin/thickness of

sound.

Form & Structure

Form / Structure Limited to identification and supporting evidence of: introduction A–B / binary A–B–A / ternary verse–chorus 12-bar blues bridge outro / coda

Theme and Variations

In jazz and blues, a blue note (also "worried" note[1]) is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch than standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies among performers and genres.

Compositional devices Melodic / rhythmic / textural devices e.g. sequence repetition ostinato motif/riff imitation Pedal note Syncopation Similar/contrary motion