THEORY BY POST

BRIEF RESUMÉ OF COURSE SYLLABUS

GRADE ONE

Module 1Module 2Module 3
The beat of music.
Note-values in common use.
Bars, bar-lines and time signatures.
Naming and writing notes in music.
Leger lines.
Stemmed Notes.
Pitch in music.
Treble and Bass clefs.
Beaming of shorter notes.
Dotted notes.
Tied notes.
Rests.		 Semitones and Whole tones.
Accidentals.
Key signatures to three sharps and flats.
Writing major and harmonic minor scales.
Working out the key of a passage.
The tonic triad.		 Simple intervals (major, minor and perfect).
Technical names of degrees of the scale.
The dominant triad.
Grouping of quavers and semiquavers.
Writing a two-bar answering rhythm.
Musical terms and signs.

GRADE TWO

Module 1Module 2
More leger line notes.
Minor key signatures to 3 sharps and flats.
Writing melodic minor scales.
Time signatures with minim/quaver beats.
Inserting bar-lines in a melody.
Changing the type of beat.
Duple, triple and quadruple time.
Triplets.		 Grouping of notes and rests.
Simple harmony.
Primary triads and inversions.
Octave transposition.
Composition of rhythms.
Musical terms and signs.

GRADE THREE

Module 1Module 2Module 3
More leger lines.
Key signatures to 4 sharps and flats.
Intervals (slightly more advanced work than Grade 2).		 Demisemiquavers.
Compound time signatures.
Rewriting a melody from simple to compound time and vice versa.
Grouping of notes in compound time.		 Writing a rhythm with anacrusis beginning.
Phrasing.
Musical terms.

GRADE FOUR

Module 1Module 2Module 3
Time signatures with dotted quaver/dotted minim beats.
Duplets.
Double-dotted notes.
The breve.		 Double sharps and flats.
Key signatures with 5 and 6 sharps/flats.
The alto clef.		 Writing a rhythm to words.
Module 4Module 5Module 6
The chromatic scale.
Four-part chords.
Intervals (including augmented and diminished intervals).		 Ornaments.
Orchestral instruments.
Musical terms.		 Transposition.
Inversion of intervals.

GRADE FIVE

Module 1Module 2Module 3
The tenor clef.
Vocal score transcription.
Enharmonic transposition.
Compound intervals.		 Irregular time signatures.
Irregular rhythmic groupings.
Ornaments (further study).		 Chords in inversions.
Cadential chords.
Passing and auxiliary notes.
Figured bass.
Guitar chords.
Module 4Module 5Module 6
Appoggiaturas, suspensions and anticipations.
Four-part harmony.		 Melody writing.
Writing a melody to given words / for an instrument.		 More on orchestral instruments.
Musical terms and signs (complete list).