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MyMusicTheory.com

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

BY VICTORIA WILLIAMS BA MUSIC

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Grade 2 Music Theory Course, Exercises & Tests
Published: 26th September 2016
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CONTENTS
1. Notes, Rests and Ledger Lines ............................................................................................................ 4
1. Notes, Rests and Ledger Lines Exercises ............................................................................................. 5
1. Notes, Rests and Ledger Lines Answers .............................................................................................. 6
2. Treble and Bass Clef ............................................................................................................................ 7
2. Treble and Bass Clefs Exercises ........................................................................................................... 9
2. Treble and Bass Clef Answers ........................................................................................................... 11
3. Major Scales ...................................................................................................................................... 12
3. Major Scales Exercises ...................................................................................................................... 13
3. Major Scales Answers ....................................................................................................................... 14
4. Minor Scales ...................................................................................................................................... 15
4. Minor Scales Exercises ...................................................................................................................... 17
4. Minor Scales Answers ....................................................................................................................... 19
5. Degrees of the Scale.......................................................................................................................... 20
5. Degrees of the Scale Exercises .......................................................................................................... 21
5. Degrees of the Scale Answers ........................................................................................................... 22
6. Key Signatures and Accidentals ........................................................................................................ 23
6. Key Signatures and Accidentals Exercises ......................................................................................... 25
6. Key Signatures and Accidentals Answers .......................................................................................... 26
7. Working with Key Signatures ............................................................................................................ 27
7. Working with Key Signatures Exercises ............................................................................................ 31
7. Working with Key Signatures Answers ............................................................................................. 33
8. Writing Scales.................................................................................................................................... 34
8. Writing Scales Exercises .................................................................................................................... 37
8. Writing Scales Answers ..................................................................................................................... 39
9. Simple Time Signatures (UK) ............................................................................................................. 41
9. Simple Time Signatures (USA) ........................................................................................................... 43
9. Simple Time Signatures Exercises ..................................................................................................... 45
9. Simple Time Signatures Answers ...................................................................................................... 46
10. Working with Time Signatures ........................................................................................................ 47
10. Working with Time Signatures Exercises ........................................................................................ 50
10. Working with Time Signatures Answers ......................................................................................... 51
11. Rewriting in a New Time Signature ................................................................................................. 52
11. Rewriting in a New Time Signature Exercises ................................................................................. 54
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11. Rewriting in a New Time Signature Answers .................................................................................. 55

12. Adding Rests.................................................................................................................................... 56
12. Adding Rests Exercises .................................................................................................................... 58
12. Adding Rests Answers ..................................................................................................................... 59
13. Tonic Triads ..................................................................................................................................... 60
13. Tonic Triads Exercises ..................................................................................................................... 62
13. Tonic Triads Answers ...................................................................................................................... 63
14. Intervals .......................................................................................................................................... 64
14. Intervals Exercises ........................................................................................................................... 66
14. Intervals Answers ............................................................................................................................ 67
15. Triplets (UK) .................................................................................................................................... 68
15. Triplets (USA) .................................................................................................................................. 70
15. Triplets Exercises ............................................................................................................................. 72
15. Triplets Answers .............................................................................................................................. 73
16. Composing a Rhythm ...................................................................................................................... 74
16. Composing a Rhythm Exercises ...................................................................................................... 77
16. Composing a Rhythm Answers ....................................................................................................... 78
17. Foreign Terms ................................................................................................................................. 79
17. Foreign Terms Exercises .................................................................................................................. 82
17. Foreign Terms Answers ................................................................................................................... 84
18. Handwriting Music .......................................................................................................................... 85
18. Handwriting Music Exercises .......................................................................................................... 86
Grade 2 Practice Test ............................................................................................................................ 87
Grade 2 Practice Test Answers ............................................................................................................. 90
Grade Two Music Theory Tests ............................................................................................................. 92
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 1 ............................................................................................................... 93
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 2 ............................................................................................................... 95
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 3 ............................................................................................................... 97
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 4 ............................................................................................................... 99
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 5 ............................................................................................................. 101
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 6 ............................................................................................................. 103
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 7 ............................................................................................................. 105
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 8 ............................................................................................................. 107
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 9 ............................................................................................................. 109
Grade 2 Music Theory: Test 10 ........................................................................................................... 111

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1. NOTES, RESTS AND LEDGER LINES

Here are the most common note and rest values. If a note or rest is dotted (has one dot on the right
side of the note head), its length is increased by half again. The semibreve (whole) rest is also used a
full bar rest in any time signature. It represents one bar of silence, whatever the time signature is.

TIES IN MUSIC
Ties join notes of the same pitch together to make them longer. (Don't confuse
ties with slurs - ties join together two notes which are the same pitch!)

LEDGER LINES
Middle C has one ledger line in the treble clef, and bass clef

We can add more ledger lines to the top or bottom of the stave to make more space. Let's add some
ledger lines to the top of the staff in the treble clef. The first note we use a ledger line on is the A.

Let's now add them to the bottom:

To the top of the bass clef:

and to the bottom:

In Grade Two Music Theory, you will need to be able to read notes written with up to 2 ledger lines.
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1. NOTES, RESTS AND LEDGER LINES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Give the letter name of each of these notes, including any sharp/flat sign when necessary.

EXERCISE 2
Name the highest and lowest notes in each of these melodies.

Highest: Lowest:

Highest: Lowest:

EXERCISE 3
Add the missing rests to this melody, at the places marked with a star.

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1. NOTES, RESTS AND LEDGER LINES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a. C
b. G flat
c. A sharp
d. B
e. D flat
f. B flat
g. A
h. C sharp
i. E
j. D
k. C
l. E flat
m. C sharp
n. F sharp
o. D sharp
p. B

EXERCISE 2
Highest: F sharp; Lowest: E

Highest: B flat; Lowest: A

EXERCISE 3

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2. TREBLE AND BASS CLEF

WHAT'S NEW IN GRADE TWO
Hopefully you don't have too much difficulty working out where the notes are in treble and bass clef,
as this is covered in grade one.

In the grade two music theory exam, you need to be able to rewrite a melody in a different clef -
from treble to bass or from bass to treble, without changing the pitch of the music.

PITCH
What is pitch? The pitch of a note means how high or low it is. We have many notes called "C", for
example.

Look at these three Cs - they are all at different pitches:

On the other hand, these two Cs are at the same pitch although they are written in different clefs:

In the same way, the notes in each of these melodies are also at the same pitch although they are in
a different clef:

REWRITING IN A NEW CLEF

Let's look at the kind of questions you might get in the Grade Two Music Theory Exam.

The question could ask you to rewrite single notes with a new clef, or to rewrite a whole melody.

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Here's a question asking you to rewrite the whole melody:

Rewrite this melody in the treble clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first two notes are given.

You need to write the correct notes of course, but also make sure your handwritten music is neat!

Copy each note into its new position right underneath the original melody - that way you'll make
sure your notes are spaced correctly, and it's also easier to check that you haven't missed a note out
by mistake!

Another useful tip is to write the last note first. Work this note out very carefully, and write it on
your blank stave. If you make a small mistake in the middle of the melody, you will notice it more
easily when you get to the end if things don't match up.

So, first, we'll put the last note in. It's the G below middle C:

Now, start from the beginning. You don't need to spend time working out every note - just look at
the general pattern. For example, for each note just say to yourself "next line up" or "2 spaces
down" and so on.

When you have groups of quavers (eighth notes) or semiquavers (sixteenth notes), draw allthe note
heads in each group first. Next draw the first and last stems in each group, and finally add the beams
and any other stems - and use a ruler! Pay attention to the direction of the stems - notes below the
middle line have stems pointing upwards, and notes above the middle line should have stems
pointing downwards.

Here's the finished answer:

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2. TREBLE AND BASS CLEFS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Rewrite these treble clef notes in the bass clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first answer is given.

EXERCISE 2
Rewrite these melodies in the bass clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first two notes are given.

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EXERCISE 3
Rewrite these bass clef notes in the treble clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first answer is given.

EXERCISE 4
Rewrite these melodies in the treble clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first two notes are given.

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2. TREBLE AND BASS CLEF ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 3

EXERCISE 4

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3. MAJOR SCALES
Major scales are built from tones and semitones, with the pattern TTS TTTS. (T=tone (whole step),
S=semitone (half step))

You should already know the scales of C, D, G and F major which are covered in Grade One Music
Theory.

In Grade Two there are three new major scales which you need to know: A, Bb and Eb major.

A MAJOR SCALE
A major has three sharps - F#, C# and G#. Here's the scale of A major ascending (going up) and
descending (going down) in the treble and bass clefs:

B FLAT AND E FLAT MAJOR SCALES

Bb major has two flats - Bb and Eb. Here's Bb major in full:

Eb major has three flats - Bb, Eb and Ab. Here's Eb major:

Tip! All major keys which have the word "flat" in their name have flats in the scale but no sharps, and
all keys with the word "sharp" in their name contain sharps but no flats!

That's another reason why we always write Eb in the scale of Bb major, and never D#, for example.

Remember, in a scale, you can use each letter name only once, except for the first and last note.
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3. MAJOR SCALES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
What is the pattern of tones (whole steps) and semitones (half steps) in major scales?

EXERCISE 2
Name the key of each of these major scales, and say whether it is ascending or descending.

EXERCISE 3
Complete these major scales, (which all start on the tonic), by adding the missing notes in the places
marked *.

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3. MAJOR SCALES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
T–T–S–T–T–T–S

(or W – W – H – W – W – W – H)

EXERCISE 2
a. G major descending

b. D major descending

c. A major ascending

d. F major ascending

e. Eb major descending

f. Bb major ascending

EXERCISE 3

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4. MINOR SCALES
Minor scales sound different to major scales because they are built on a different pattern of tones
(whole steps) and semitones (half steps).

Many people think that minor scales sound sad, compared to major scales which sound happy.

TYPES OF MINOR SCALES

Although there is only one kind of major scale, there are three kinds of minor scale - "harmonic",
"melodic" and "natural".

For the Grade Two Music Theory exam, you can choose the harmonic of melodic minors (whichever
you prefer), but you must know which is which! You will not be asked about the natural minor scale.

We think it's a good idea to learn about both kinds while you're studying, but to use the "harmonic"
scale in the exam, because it's less complicated. So let's find out what the difference is!

HARMONIC MINOR SCALES - A, E AND D.

Harmonic minor scales are built on this pattern:

T - S - T - T - S - 3S - S

T=Tone (or "whole step") - S=Semitone (or "half step") - "3S" = three semitones

Let's start by building a scale of A minor harmonic ascending (going up):

And now let's look at A minor harmonic descending (going down):

As you can see, it's exactly the same notes, but in reverse order.

Let's look at the two other minor scales you need to know for Grade Two Music Theory, E minor and
D minor.

Play them slowly on a piano, and look carefully at how many semitones there are between each
note.
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MINOR MELODIC SCALES

Melodic minor scales are a bit more complicated, because they have one pattern on the way up, but
another on the way down.

On the way up (ascending), the pattern is T - S - T - T- T - T - S

but on the way down the pattern is T - T - S - T - T - S - T

As you can see, the descending scale is not just a back-to-front ascending scale, (as it was in the
harmonic scale).

The top end of the melodic scale uses a completely different pattern. The very top note will always
be the tonic (keynote) of the scale, but the two notes just below it are the ones which change,
depending on which direction you're going in.

Here's A minor melodic, ascending and descending. The notes in the boxes are the ones which
change in the descending scale.

Let's see how E minor melodic and D minor melodic look:

E Minor Melodic:

D Minor Melodic:

SCALES AND KEY SIGNATURES

We'll learn about the key signatures for these scales in Lesson 7 - Key Signatures, and Lesson 8 -
Writing Scales.

EXTRA INFO
Just in case you were wondering, in music theory the words "harmonic" and "melodic" can be used
to describe intervals as well as scales- but when we use them to talk about intervals they have a
different meaning. You'll learn about harmonic and melodic intervals in Lesson 14 - Intervals.

It's correct to say "melodic minor scale" and "minor melodic scale". It doesn't matter which way
round! The same goes for harmonic scales.

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4. MINOR SCALES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Name each of these minor scales and say whether it is the melodic or harmonic type, and whether it
is ascending or descending.

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EXERCISE 2
Add the missing notes to these minor scales.

a. E minor melodic

b. D minor harmonic

c. A minor harmonic

d. E minor melodic

e. D minor melodic

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4. MINOR SCALES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a. A minor harmonic ascending
b. E minor harmonic descending
c. D minor melodic descending
d. E minor melodic descending
e. D minor harmonic ascending
f. A minor melodic descending
g. D minor melodic ascending
h. E minor melodic ascending
i. D minor harmonic ascending
j. A minor melodic ascending

EXERCISE 2

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5. DEGREES OF THE SCALE

WHAT ARE THE DEGREES OF THE SCALE?
Any note of any scale can be given a number as well as a name. The first/last note of the scale is
often called the "tonic" or "keynote". In the key of C major, C is the tonic. It's also known as the "first
degree of the scale", because it is the first note.

DEGREES OF THE C MAJOR SCALE

Here's a scale of C major ascending, with all the
degrees of the scale added:

D is the 2nd degree of the scale, E is the third, and

so on.

It's important to remember that we work out the

degrees of the scale from the ascending (upwards)
scale only. If we write out the descending scale, we
will need to reverse the order of the numbers:

DEGREES OF MINOR MELODIC SCALES

As we learnt in Lesson 4 - Minor Scales, minor melodic scales are different on the way down. So
what happens to the degrees of the scale? Let's take a look.

We'll look more closely at one of our new scales, E

minor melodic. First we'll write out the ascending
scale, then add the degrees of the scale under
each note:

Look at the top end of the scale: C# is the 6th and D# is the 7th degree of the scale.

Now we'll write out the descending form of E

melodic minor, and add in the numbers:

In E minor melodic, there is no D#, only D natural,

and no C#, only C natural. This doesn't make any difference to the degree of the scale. So, we can
say that the 6th degree of the scale of E minor melodic is C natural or C sharp.

WORKING OUT THE DEGREE OF THE SCALE

To work out what degree of the scale a note is on, all you need to do is count upwards from the first
note (or "tonic" or "keynote") of the scale.

Here are two questions for you:

1) What degree of the scale of Bb major is this note?

In Bb major, the tonic is Bb. The second note is C, and the third note is D. This note is D (notice the
bass clef!), so it's the third degree of the scale of Bb major.

2) What note is the 5th degree of the scale of A minor?

In A minor, A is the first note. B=2, C=3, D=4 and E=5. So E is the 5th degree of the scale of A minor.

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5. DEGREES OF THE SCALE EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Name the degree of the scale (e.g. 1st , 2nd ) of each of the notes marked *.

a. The key is E minor

b. The key is G major

c. The key is D minor

d. The key is A major

EXERCISE 2
a. The key is Eb major. What is the 6th degree of the scale?
b. The key is A minor. What is the 7th degree of the scale?
c. The key is Bb major. What is the 4th degree of the scale?

EXERCISE 3
a. The key is D minor. What degree of the scale is Bb?
b. The key is F major. What degree of the scale is E?
c. The key is A major. What degree of the scale is C#?

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5. DEGREES OF THE SCALE ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a.

b.

c.

d.

EXERCISE 2
a. C
b. G#
c. Eb

EXERCISE 3
a. 6th
b. 7th
c. 3rd

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6. KEY SIGNATURES AND ACCIDENTALS

KEYS AND KEY SIGNATURES
If a melody uses mostly the notes of the Bb major scale, we say that the music is "in the key of" Bb
major.

We don't write out the flat symbols for the Bs and the Es every time they appear in the music -
because there would probably be rather a lot of them!

Instead, we use a key signature: at the beginning of each new line of music, we write a Bb and an Eb,
to remind us that all the Bs and all the Es need to be flattened.

The key signature also tells us very quickly that the music is in Bb major, without having to count all
the flats!

Here's a key signature of Bb major, with the note names marked under the melody:

ACCIDENTALS
Sometimes we need to add extra flats, sharps and naturals within a melody, even when we have
already got a key signature.

It might be because

• the music changes key for a short time, or

• just because they sound nice, or

• because the music is in a minor key.

If we add sharps, flats and naturals inside the music itself, they are called "accidentals". Special rules
apply to all accidentals.

POSITION OF ACCIDENTALS
Accidentals are always written on the left side of the note they affect. We write

and never:

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RULES FOR ACCIDENTALS

Accidentals don't only affect the note they are next to. After an accidental has been written, every
other note of the same position on the stave is also affected, but only until the next bar line.

(Unlike key signatures, accidentals only affect the other notes at the same position on the stave.
Sharps and flats in key signatures affect all the notes with the same letter name, whatever their
position on the stave.)

• Note 1 is C natural
• Note 2 is C sharp, because of the accidental
• Note 3 is also C sharp, because it's in the same bar
• Note 4 is C natural, because the sharp is
"cancelled" (stopped) by the bar line

When a note is tied across a bar line, any accidental will also apply to the note in the next bar as
well, even if there is no accidental.

• Note 1 is Bb because of the key signature

• Note 2 is B natural because of the accidental
• Note 3 is also B natural, because it's tied to the
previous B natural

KEY SIGNATURES WITH ACCIDENTALS

Now let's see what happens when we have both a key signature and accidentals together.

Here's a couple of bars of music in the key of Bb major, so the key signature has two flats, Bb and Eb:

• Note 1 is Bb, because of the key signature

• Note 2 is B natural, because of the accidental
• Note 3 is also B natural, because it's in the same
bar as note 2
• Note 4 is B flat, because the barline cancels (stops)
the natural accidental

Now you are confident working with both key signatures and accidentals, in the next lesson we'll
move on to the types of question you might get in the Grade Two Music Theory exam which involve
using them.

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6. KEY SIGNATURES AND ACCIDENTALS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Give the letter name of each of the notes marked *, including the sharp or flat sign where necessary.

a.

b.

c.

d.

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6. KEY SIGNATURES AND ACCIDENTALS ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a.

b.

c.

d.

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7. WORKING WITH KEY SIGNATURES

MAJOR KEY SIGNATURES WITH SHARPS
The major scales that we've learnt which use sharp key signatures are G, D and A major. The sharps
in key signatures are always written in this order:

F# - C# - G#

in these treble clef positions:

and these bass clef positions:

You need to learn the exact positions of the sharps on the staff. We never write the sharps in the
following positions, for example:

The F sharp and G sharp need to be moved up an octave.

MAJOR KEY SIGNATURES WITH FLATS

The major keys with flats we need to know about for Grade Two Music Theory are F, Bb and Eb. The
flats are always written in this order:

Bb - Eb - Ab

The treble clef flats are always written in these positions:

and the bass clef flats are written in these positions:

Again, the exact position of the flats is very important, so make sure you know where they go!
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MINOR KEY SIGNATURES & RELATIVE MAJORS

Music which is written in a minor key will usually use a mixture of a key signature plus accidentals.

There are no special minor key signatures in music theory- we use the same ones as in the major
keys, but we write accidentals in the music where they are needed.

Let's look at A minor again, as an example. For grade 2, you need to know these 3 different A minor
scales:

• A minor harmonic: A - B - C - D - E - F - G# - A

• A minor melodic, ascending: A - B - C - D - E - F# - G# - A

• A minor melodic, descending: A - G - F - E - D - C - B - A

So, in our music, sometimes we might need F# or G# and sometimes not!

For the key signature, we use the notes in the melodic minor descending scale. For A minor, this
means no sharps or flats, so it's the same key signature as C major.

The key signature for a minor key is always the same as the key signature for the major key which is
the 3rd degree of the minor scale.

Count up three notes from the tonic to find the key with the same key signature.

For example, in A minor, the 3rd degree of the scale is C, so A minor and C major have the same key
signatures.

We use the words "relative minor" and "relative major" to talk about this relationship. For
example, C major is the relative major to A minor.

In the Grade Two Music Theory exam, you also need to know about D minor and E minor, so let's
work out the relative major keys for these two:

• D minor: D - E - F.
F is the 3rd degree of the scale of D minor, so the key signature for D minor is the same as
for F major - one flat.

• E minor: E - F# - G.
G is the 3rd degree of the scale of E minor, so the key signature for E minor is the same as
for G major - one sharp.

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RE-WRITING MUSIC WITH OR WITHOUT A KEY SIGNATURE

In the grade two music theory exam, you might be asked to copy out a short tune with or without a
key signature.

If the melody has already got a key signature, you'll have to write it without, and if it doesn't have a
key signature, you'll have to re-write the music with a key signature.

FROM "WITH" A KEY SIGNATURE TO "WITHOUT"

Look carefully at the key signature and accidentals in this melody, and think about which notes need
to have sharps or flats next to them:

All the Bs and Es will need to be flat, the low ones and the high ones, except where there are
accidentals.

Start by pencilling in a cross above each flattened note, so you don't forget any.

Copy out the music neatly, adding the flats (or sharps) where they are needed.

Remember that you only need to put one accidental in a bar for it to affect the rest of the notes in
that bar that are the same pitch.

Check whether you need to keep any of the accidentals from the original tune, like the E natural
here.

Write the accidentals on the left side of the note, making sure they are right next to
the note-head on the same line or space:

Here's the finished answer:

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FROM "WITHOUT" TO "WITH"

If you have to rewrite a melody with a key signature in your music theory exam, you will be told the
key of the melody (phew!)

Start by putting in the correct key signature. Check above if you've forgotten them!

Now start to copy the notes.

Every time you come across an accidental, check if it's already in the key signature. If it is, don't copy
it. If it isn't in the key signature, you'll need to keep it there in the music as an accidental.

We'll use the same tune as before, but work backwards on it!

The key is Bb major, so the key signature will have Bb and Eb in it.

The only accidental in this tune which is neither a Bb nor an Eb is the E natural in bar 4. So, we need
to get rid of all the flats but keep this E natural:

Always go back and check your answers, as it's very easy to miss out an accidental by mistake!

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7. WORKING WITH KEY SIGNATURES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Rewrite the following melodies, without using a key signature. Remember to include sharp, flat or
natural signs where they are needed. The key and the first three notes are given in each melody.

a. D minor

b. Bb major

c. F major

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EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the following melodies using the correct key signature. Leave out any unnecessary
accidentals, but remember to include any that may be needed. The key and the first three notes are
given for each melody.

a. A major

b. Eb major

c. E minor

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7. WORKING WITH KEY SIGNATURES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

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8. WRITING SCALES

TYPES OF SCALES QUESTIONS

In the ABRSM Grade Two Music Theory exam there are lots of different types of questions with
scales.

Here are some things you might have to do:

• Write a major or minor scale either ascending or descending, and either with or without a
key signature.

• Add clefs, key signatures or accidentals to a given scale.

You will need to remember the pattern of tones and semitones (whole and half steps) for scales:

• For major scales the pattern is T-T-S-T-T-T-S.

• For minor harmonic scales, the pattern is T-S-T-T-S-3S-S.

• For minor melodic ascending scales, the pattern is T-S-T-T-T-T-S

• For minor melodic descending scales, the pattern is T-T-S-T-T-S-T

You will also need to remember the key signatures for the keys in this grade:

• C major/ A minor - no key signature

• G major / E minor - 1 sharp (F#)

• D major - 2 sharps (F#, C#)

• A major - 3 sharps (F#, C#, G#)

• F major / D minor - 1 flat (Bb)

• Bb major - 2 flats (Bb, Eb)

• Eb major - 3 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab)

More information about tones and semitones and about key signatures in previous lessons.

We now need to practice each type of question which might come up in the exam.

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WRITING SCALES IN A MUSIC THEORY EXAM

Here are two important rules for you:

1. Write ONE note per line or space

2. Use semibreves (whole notes)

Here's an example question, and the steps to follow to get full marks in your music theory exam:

Write as semibreves (whole notes) the scale of A minor ascending, without key signature but adding
any necessary sharp or flat signs. State which form of the minor scale you have used.

1. Whatever the scale is, the first thing you need to do is put in your starting note (the tonic, or
"keynote"). If you're writing an ascending scale, start low. For descending scales, start high.
Make sure you leave enough room on the left for the key signature, if you need one.

2. Next, using semibreves (whole notes), fill up the lines and spaces - one note per line/space,
until you have eight notes. Don't draw the notes too close together!

3. Look again at the type of scale you need to write - is it major or minor? Think about the
sharps and flats you'll need for that scale - what sharps or flats appear in the key signature?

4. Do you need to add any extra accidentals? Major scales and minor melodic descending
scales don't need any extra accidentals. In minor harmonic scales you need to raise ONE
note by a semitone (half step): the 7th degree of the scale. In minor melodic ascending
scales you need to raise TWO notes by a semitone: the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale.

5. Put in the key signature, if you've been asked to write one. Now add any necessary extra
accidentals. (Note - you'll NEVER write a flat as an accidental in a scale with a key signature -
only sharps and naturals are possible). If there is a key signature, remember that the only
degrees of the scale which could ever need an accidental are the 7th (all minor scales) or 6th
(melodic minor ascending).

6. If you were asked to write the scale without a key signature, add the necessary sharps and
flats next to each note of the scale. Don't forget to add an accidental to the top note of the
scale if you are writing Bb or Eb major.

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WORKING THROUGH A MUSIC THEORY EXAM QUESTION ON SCALES

Let's work together through the scales question at the beginning of this lesson, using the steps we
suggested above.

1) We write the first note: A. It's an ascending scale, so we start with an A low on the stave:

2) We'll fill up the lines and spaces, until we have 8 notes:

3) We need to write a minor scale, without a key signature. (We'll choose A minor harmonic.) A
minor has no sharps or flats in the key signature, like its relative major, C major.

4 & 5) Minor harmonic scales have an accidental sharpened 7th degree of the scale, so we need a G
sharp. Let's put it in.

That's our finished scale of A minor (harmonic) ascending.

ADDING CLEFS & KEY SIGNATURES

Sometimes you'll be asked to write in the clef and/or key signature of a scale.

Look at the first note and key of the scale. Decide if the first note must be treble or bass clef:

In this scale, the first note needs to be a G, so we should write a treble clef. The key of G major has
one sharp: F#. Add the clef, then the key signature.

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8. WRITING SCALES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Add the correct clef and any necessary sharp or flat signs to make each of the scales named below.
Do not use a key signature.

a. E flat major

b. G major

c. A major

d. D minor. Which form of the minor scale have you used?

EXERCISE 2
Write as semibreves (whole notes) the scales named below, with the key signature.

a. F major ascending

b. Bb major descending

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c. D major ascending

d. A minor descending. Which form of the scale have you used?

EXERCISE 3
Write as semibreves (whole notes) the scales named below, without a key signature but adding any
necessary sharp or flat signs.

a. D major descending

b. Bb major ascending

c. E minor descending. Which form of the scale have you used?

d. E flat major descending

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8. WRITING SCALES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

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EXERCISE 3

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9. SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES (UK)

QUICK TIME SIGNATURES REVIEW
In Grade One Music Theory we learnt three time signatures: 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. We learnt that the
lower number "4" tells us that we need to count crotchet beats and that the top number tells us
how many beats to count.

So, 2/4 means "count 2 crotchets per bar", 3/4 means "count 3 crotchets per bar" and 4/4 means
"count 4 crotchets per bar".

NEW FOR GRADE TWO MUSIC THEORY

In Grade Two Music Theory, we have some new time signatures to look at.

First, let's look at 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2.

The lower number "2" tells us to count minims. 2/2 means "count two minims per bar", 3/2 means
"count three minims per bar" and 4/2 means "count four minims per bar".

And finally, we need to know 3/8. The lower number 8 tells us to count quavers, so 3/8 means
"count three quavers per bar".

All the time signatures you have learned so far (3/8, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2) are simple time
signatures. All simple time signatures have 2, 3 or 4 as their top number.

TYPES OF QUESTION
In the Grade Two Music Theory exam, you might get a question asking you something like this:

Complete this sentence:

The time signature 2/4 means that there are two ........... beats in a bar.

We need to figure out what kind of beats - so we look at the lower number. The lower number is "4",
which means "crotchet" beats. So, the correct answer is "The time signature 2/4 means that there
are two crotchet beats in a bar.

WRITING TIME SIGNATURES

In a typed page like this one, it's ok to write out time signatures as two numbers with a slash
between them, like so - 3/8. But when you write time signatures on a stave, in your music theory
exam you should make sure you don't write them like this! On a stave, time signatures should be
written one number directly above the other and without a slash or line, like so:

Time signatures are placed at the beginning of the stave, after the clef and key signature. They only
appear right at the beginning of a piece (unless there is a change of time signature in the middle of
the piece somewhere).
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EXAMPLES
Here are some short tunes using the new time signatures from the grade two music theory syllabus.
Play them through on your instrument.

2/2 – Two minim beats per bar

3/2 – Three minim beats per bar

4/2 – Four minim beats per bar

3/8 – Three quaver beats per bar

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9. SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES (USA)

QUICK TIME SIGNATURES REVIEW
In Grade One Music Theory we learnt three time signatures: 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. We learnt that the
lower number "4" tells us that we need to count quarter note beats and that the top number tells us
how many beats to count.

So, 2/4 means "count 2 quarter note per bar", 3/4 means "count 3 quarter notes per bar" and 4/4
means "count 4 quarter note per bar".

NEW FOR GRADE TWO MUSIC THEORY

In Grade Two Music Theory, we have some new time signatures to look at.

First, let's look at 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2.

The lower number "2" tells us to count half notes. 2/2 means "count two half notes per bar", 3/2
means "count three half notes per bar" and 4/2 means "count four half notes per bar".

And finally, we need to know 3/8. The lower number 8 tells us to count eighth notes, so 3/8 means
"count three eighth notes per bar".

All the time signatures you have learned so far (3/8, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2, 3/2 and 4/2) are simple time
signatures. All simple time signatures have 2, 3 or 4 as their top number.

TYPES OF QUESTION
In the Grade Two Music Theory exam, you might get a question asking you something like this:

Complete this sentence:

The time signature 2/4 means that there are two ........... beats in a bar.

We need to figure out what kind of beats - so we look at the lower number. The lower number is "4",
which means "quarter note" beats. So, the correct answer is "The time signature 2/4 means that
there are two quarter note beats in a bar.

WRITING TIME SIGNATURES

In a typed page like this one, it's ok to write out time signatures as two numbers with a slash
between them, like so - 3/8. But when you write time signatures on a stave, in your music theory
exam you should make sure you don't write them like this! On a stave, time signatures should be
written one number directly above the other and without a slash or line, like so:

Time signatures are placed at the beginning of the stave, after the clef and key signature. They only
appear right at the beginning of a piece (unless there is a change of time signature in the middle of
the piece somewhere).
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EXAMPLES
Here are some short tunes using the new time signatures from the grade two music theory syllabus.
Play them through on your instrument.

2/2 – Two half note beats per bar

3/2 – Three half note beats per bar

4/2 – Four half note beats per bar

3/8 – Three eighth note beats per bar

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9. SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
True or False?

a. The time signature means there are four crotchet (quarter note) beats per bar.

b. The time signature means there are three minim (half note) beats per bar.

EXERCISE 2

a. The time signature means that there are four ________ beats in a bar.

b. The time signature means that there are two ________ beats in a bar.

EXERCISE 3
a. Which time signature means there are three quaver (eighth note) beats per bar?

b. Which time signature means there are two minim (half note) beats per bar?

c. Which time signature means there are three crotchet (quarter note) beats per bar?

EXERCISE 4
Which of these staves shows the correct order of symbols?

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9. SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a. False
b. True

EXERCISE 2

a. The time signature means that there are four crotchet (quarter note) beats in a bar.

b. The time signature means that there are two minim (half note) beats in a bar.

EXERCISE 3
d. 3/8

e. 2/2

f. 3/4

EXERCISE 4
The correct stave is b.

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10. WORKING WITH TIME SIGNATURES

In the Grade Two Music Theory exam, your knowledge of time signatures will be tested in a variety
of ways. Here are some of the questions that are likely to come up:

• Adding bar lines to a melody with a given time signature

• Adding a time signature to a melody with given bar lines

• Rewriting a melody in a new time signature

• Adding rests of the correct time value

• Composing a rhythm

• Questions about the meaning of the numbers in time signatures

In this lesson we will look at adding bar lines or a time signature. Rewriting in a new time signature is
explained in lesson 11, adding rests in lesson 12, and composing a rhythm is covered in lesson 16.

ADDING BAR LINES

If you are asked to add bar lines to a short melody, you'll be given the time signature and the first
bar line will be in place already.

The question could look something like this:

Add the missing bar lines to this tune. The first bar line is given.

Look carefully at the time signature - how many beats are there per bar, and what type of beats are
they?

This melody is in 3/4, so we need to have three crotchet (quarter note) beats per bar.

Underneath each note, carefully pencil in its value, like this:

Now count out the note values, and draw a bar line when each bar has the value of three crotchets
(quarter notes):

See lesson 15 for more about adding bar lines to melodies that contain triplets.

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HOW TO DRAW BAR LINES IN YOUR MUSIC THEORY EXAM

You could lose points if your work is messy or difficult to read. Always use a ruler
to draw your bar lines neatly. Place them closer to the edge of the 1st note in the
bar, like this:

Don't draw the bar line too close the last note of the bar, and make sure you leave
more space for longer note values. This bar line is in the wrong place because
there isn't enough space after the minim (half note), and it's not close enough to the crotchet
(quarter note):

This bar line is also in the wrong place, because it's more or less exactly half way
between the two notes, instead of being closer to the crotchet (quarter note):

In the Grade Two Theory Exam, every bar should be a complete bar, even the last one (although in
real life the last bar can be incomplete).

WORKING OUT A TIME SIGNATURE

The method for adding a time signature is the opposite of that for adding bar lines.

Here's an example question:

Add the time signature to this tune.

Start by counting the notes in each bar. Use a value of 1 for a crotchet (quarter note), 1/2 for a
quaver (eighth note), 2 for a minim (half note) and so on. Group quavers (8th notes) and
semiquavers (16th notes) together to make complete beats:

Here you can see that each bar contains three crotchet (quarter note) beats. The top number of the
time signature tells you how many beats to count in each bar, so the top number must be 3 in this
case. The lower number tells you what kind of beats to count, and the number 4 means "crotchet"
(quarter note) beats, so our time signature needs to be 3/4.

Remember that the lower number of the time signature tells you the type of beats you need to
count. In Grade Two, there are only three possibilities:

• 2 = minims (half notes)

• 4 = crotchets (quarter notes)

• 8 = quavers (eighth notes)

And, in Grade Two, there are only three possibilities for the top number too. Your top number will
always be 2, 3 or 4. This means the answer can only be one of these time signatures: 3/8, 2/4, 3/4,
4/4, 2/2, 3/2 or 4/2.
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DIFFICULT TIME SIGNATURES

Let's try another question, this time a bit harder. What's the time signature for this tune?

When you count up the notes in each bar, you'll find there are in fact 8 crotchet (quarter note) beats
per bar. So is the time signature 8/4?

Well, no. (The time signature 8/4 does exist, but it's very rare and it's definitely not on the Grade
Two Music Theory syllabus!)

We can count the minims (half notes) instead, and we'll find that we have four minim beats per bar.

When we count minims (half notes), the time signature has the number "2" as the bottom number.
We counted four minims, so the time signature must be 4/2. Other "minim" (half note) time
signatures you might see in the Grade Two music theory exam are 2/2 and 3/2.

Here's a final question. What time signature do we need here?

Here, we can't count crotchets (quarter notes), because we would have one and a half beats per bar,
which is not possible - no half beats allowed! We can't count minims (half notes) either, so we'll
need to count quavers (eighth notes).

This melody has three quaver (8th note) beats in each bar, so the time signature must be 3/8.
Remember that the "8" means "quaver beats" (eighth note beats).

2/2 OR 4/4?
You might be wondering what the difference is between 4/4 and 2/2, as they have exactly the same
number of beats per bar?

Well, the answer is, not much! If you see lots of minims (half notes), you could choose the 2/2 time
signature. If you see lots of crotchets (quarter notes), you could use the 4/4 time signature. But don't
worry if you're not sure which one it should be - in the Grade Two music theory exam these two
time signatures are completely interchangeable.

Here are some typical 4/4 bars - you can usually find crotchets and quavers (quarters and eighths) in
the melody:

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10. WORKING WITH TIME SIGNATURES EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Add the missing barlines to these tunes. The first barline is given in each.

a.

b.

c.

d.

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

a.

b.

c.

d.

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10. WORKING WITH TIME SIGNATURES ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a.

b.

c.

d.

EXERCISE 2
a. 2/4
b. 4/2
c. 3/8
d. 3/2

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11. REWRITING IN A NEW TIME SIGNATURE

WHAT'S NEW IN GRADE TWO

Grade 2 Music Theory introduces a new kind of exercise with time signatures which you didn't see in
Grade 1: rewriting music in a new time signature.

The question will ask you to rewrite a melody using notes and rests which have either TWICE or
HALF the value of the original.

The new time signature will already be in place, and you'll get a few notes done for you to get you
started.

TWICE THE VALUE

Here's an example question:

Rewrite the following in notes of twice the value, beginning as shown.

There's actually nothing very complicated about doing this!

Start by jotting down, lightly in pencil, the value of each note in order, like this:

Each of the original notes needs to be twice as long. This means you need to change each one into
the next longest type of note. So, if you have a

change it to a

or if you have a change it to a .

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DEALING WITH DOTTED NOTES AND TIES

What do we do with dotted notes? Just change them in the same way, but keep the dot there!

Looking at small dotted notes like quavers (eighth notes) can get confusing, so let's compare a
dotted crotchet and a dotted minim to see what happens.

= 3 crotchets (quarter notes)

= 1.5 crotchets (quarter notes)

So, you can see that a dotted minim (half note) is twice as long as a dotted crotchet (quarter note).
In the same way, a dotted quaver (eighth note) is twice as long as a dotted semiquaver (16th note),
and so on.

Here's the finished answer to our question:

Tied notes don't need any special treatment either - just add any ties in the same place in your
rewritten tune.

HALF THE VALUE

If you are asked to rewrite the music in notes/rests of half the value, the process is the same, but the
other way round.

A semibreve (whole note) will become a minim (half note), a minim will become a crotchet (quarter
note) and so on.

Again, dots don't make a difference, just keep them there! Look at the finished answer for the
question we just did - if we halve all the note values in our answer we'll get back to the original note
values again!

Make sure you write your notes and rests out as neatly as you can, and don't forget to add any ties
or accidentals if necessary!

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11. REWRITING IN A NEW TIME SIGNATURE EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Rewrite the following tunes in notes and rests of half the value, beginning as shown.

EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the following tunes in notes and rests of twice the value, beginning as shown.

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11. REWRITING IN A NEW TIME SIGNATURE ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

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12. ADDING RESTS

RESTS REVIEW
Do you remember how to draw each of the rests correctly?

Here's some quick revision. The names in British English are:

And in American English:

HOW TO ADD RESTS TO A MELODY

If you get a question asking you to add a rest or rest to a melody, the first thing you need to check is
the time signature.

Here's an example question:

Add the correct rest(s) at the places marked * in this tune to make each bar complete.

The time signature is 2/2, so we need to have 2 minim (half note) beats per bar.

Find the first bar with missing rests, and pencil in the values of the notes that you do have. Add small
values together to make complete beats, where you can.

Here we can see that we only have one and a half beats in the second half of the bar, where in fact
we need 2. So we need a quaver (eighth note) to complete the full minim beat.

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Here's the rest added to the bar:

Try to work out the other rests for yourself, in the same way. Remember that your rests need to
make complete beats. Think carefully about the last bar - you need to complete the first minim (half
note) beat first, then finish the bar off, so you'll need two rests in the last bar.

Here is the answer:

IS THIS WRONG?
Look at that last bar again. Students often wonder if it's wrong to write something like a dotted
minim (half) rest, or a minim followed by a crotchet (quarter), in this type of bar. After all, it's just a
silence isn't it, so does it really matter?

Well, the short answer is, yes, it does matter! You must look carefully at the time signature, and you
must make up complete beats before you do anything else.

Here’s another example. In 4/4, there are four crotchet (quarter note) beats per bar. So how should
you fill up a bar like this with rests?

So far the notes in the bar make up a total of 3 beats (1½ +½+½+½). Since we need four in total, you
might be tempted to write a crotchet (quarter) rest here, but you’d be wrong. The rests you choose
need to make it obvious to the eye where the beats of the bar fall. If you write a crotchet (quarter)
rest, the position of beat 3 will be hidden – somewhere in the middle of that rest.

Instead, you need to write a quaver (eighth) rest first, to finish off the second beat, then another one
to begin the third beat.

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12. ADDING RESTS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
In each of the numbered spaces add the rest named below, as shown in the answer to [1].

[1] crotchet (quarter) rest [3] whole bar (whole measure) rest

[2] quaver (eighth) rest [4] dotted crotchet (quarter) rest

[5] semibreve (whole) rest [8] minim (half) rest

[6] semiquaver (sixteenth) rest [9] crotchet (quarter) rest

[7] quaver (eighth) rest

[10] minim (half) rest [12] quaver (eighth) rest

[11] semibreve (whole) rest

EXERCISE 2
Add the correct rest(s) at the places marked * in these tunes, to make each bar complete.

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12. ADDING RESTS ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

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13. TONIC TRIADS

BUILDING TONIC TRIADS
What are tonic triads? Tonic triads are simple chords with just three notes in them. To build a tonic
triad, we start by taking the first note from any scale (which is also known as the "tonic" or "key
note"). Let's make a tonic triad of D major.

We start by writing the first note of the scale of D major - D:

Next we add a note which is 2 notes higher (also known as the third degree of the scale). In the scale
of D major, the note which is 2 notes higher than D is F#:

Finally, we add the note which is two notes higher than the last note - otherwise known as the fifth
degree of the scale. In the scale of D major, the fifth degree of the scale is A:

The notes D-F#-A make up the tonic triad in the key of D major.

We can also build tonic triads in minor keys of course. The rules are the same, but we need to use
the minor scale. In D minor, the tonic is D, the third degree of the scale is F (natural) and the fifth
degree of the scale is A. So, the tonic triad of D minor looks like this:

Tonic triads are always built on the tonic, third and fifth degrees of the scale of the same key.

ADDING A CLEF TO A TONIC TRIAD

You might be asked to add a clef (either treble or bass) to a tonic triad. You'll see the tonic triad on
the stave, and will be told what key it's in, like this:

Remember that tonic triads are always built on the first note of the scale, so in this tonic triad, the
lowest note has to be a G, because the key is G major. This note will be a G if we add a bass clef:

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ADDING ACCIDENTALS TO A TONIC TRIAD

Sometimes you might need to add some accidentals as well as a clef. Look at this
tonic triad:

Here we need to add a treble clef, so that the lowest note is a B, and we also need
to put a flat sign on the B, to make it a Bb:

NAMING THE KEY OF A TONIC TRIAD

Another type of question you might get in the Grade Two Theory Exam, is to name the key of a tonic
triad. Again, you need to think first about the lowest note of the chord. Look carefully at the clef and
the key signature or accidentals too. You should also look at the middle note of the chord to see if
it's a major or a minor tonic triad.

What key is this tonic triad in?

The lowest note is A (it's in the bass clef), so it's a tonic triad in the key of A. The middle note is C#,
which is the third degree of the scale in A major (in A minor, the third degree of the scale is C
natural). So, this tonic triad is in A major.

GRADE TWO TONIC TRIADS

Here's a list of all the tonic triads you'll need to recognise for Grade Two, in both the treble and bass
clef:

FINDING TONIC TRIADS IN A MELODY

Sometimes you might need to find three notes in a melody which form a tonic triad when they're
put together. You'll be told what key the melody is in, and could see a question like this:

This melody is in C major. In which bar can all three notes of the tonic triad be found?

Because the piece is in C major, the tonic triad must contain the notes C-E-G. (They could be in any
order.) Bar two contains the notes C, E and G, so that's the right answer. (Bar one doesn't contain a
G, so it's not right!)

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13. TONIC TRIADS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
Add the correct clef and any necessary sharp or flat signs to each of these tonic triads. Do not use a
key signature.

EXERCISE 2
Name the keys of these tonic triads.

EXERCISE 3
Draw a circle round 3 notes next to each other that form the tonic triad. (The key is given.)

Bb major

D major

EXERCISE 4
In which bar can all three notes of the tonic triad be found? (The key is given.)

Eb major

A minor

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13. TONIC TRIADS ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2
a. A major d. E minor
b. Bb major e. D major
c. G major f. A minor

EXERCISE 3

EXERCISE 4

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14. INTERVALS

NEW FOR GRADE TWO

What you need to know about intervals for the Grade Two theory exam is more or less the same as
for Grade One.

You need to be able to write and recognise any harmonic or melodic interval, written in any of the
keys for this grade (C, D, Eb, F, G, A and Bb major and A, E and D minor).

There are no new techniques to learn, just the new key signatures.

HARMONIC AND MELODIC INTERVALS

A harmonic interval is the distance between two notes played at the same time. It is called a
"harmonic interval", because the two notes together create harmony, or a chord.

A melodic interval is the distance between two notes played one after the other. It's called a
"melodic interval", because the two notes occur as part of a melody.

WORKING OUT INTERVALS

The method of working out intervals is the same for both melodic and harmonic intervals: Count up
the letter names, starting from the lower note.

Look again at the intervals above.

The lower note is Eb. The higher note is G. This means we count the letter names E, F and G. Three
letters, so this interval is a third.

When two notes are exactly the same pitch (the same position on the stave), the interval is called a
unison.

An interval of an 8th is normally called an octave, or "8ve" for short.

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WRITING INTERVALS
You might get a question which asks you to write a note to make the named interval, something like
this:

Add a note next to this note, to make the melodic interval of a 6th. The key is A major.

Count the letter names, starting with the given note, A. We need to count six letters: A-B-C-D-E-F. In
this case, the key signature will turn the note we write into F#. Here is the answer:

If there is no key signature, you will need to remember which sharps or flats belong in the scale of
that key. In A major, there are three sharps: F#, C# and G#, so you would need to add an F#
accidental to the interval of a 6th.

If the interval you have to write is a unison or harmonic 2nd, you will need to move the top note to
the side of the lower one, otherwise they will cross over each other! They should be right next to
each other, touching. A melodic unison or 2nd should have a clear gap between the two notes.

Note: for grade 2, you will not be asked about an interval's quality, e.g. "perfect" or "major" etc.

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14. INTERVALS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
a. Draw a circle round two notes next to each other that are a 5th apart.

b. Draw a circle round two notes next to each other that are a 4th apart.

c. Draw a circle round two notes next to each other that are a 6th apart.

d. Draw a circle round two notes next to each other that are an octave apart.

EXERCISE 2
Above each note, write another note to form the named harmonic interval. The key is given.

EXERCISE 3
After each note, write a higher note to form the named melodic interval. The key is given.

EXERCISE 4
After each note, write a higher note to form the named melodic interval. The key is given.

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14. INTERVALS ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 3

EXERCISE 4

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15. TRIPLETS (UK)

A "triplet" is a group of three notes played in the time of two. To look at how triplets work, we'll first
look at a short rhythm in 3/4 time. Remember that in 3/4 time, one crotchet beat can be divided into
two quavers:

One crotchet beat can also be divided into four semiquavers:

But, if we want to split the crotchet into three equal parts, we need to use a triplet.

To show a triplet, we write the notes as three quavers beamed (joined) together, and we also write
"3" on the beamed side of the notes.

Look at this rhythm using triplets:

CROTCHET TRIPLETS
Triplets don't always have to be quavers - we can make triplets out of notes of any length. We can
split a minim up into three equal notes by writing triplet crotchets, for example:

Crotchets don't have beams, of course, so we write crotchet triplets with a square bracket, with the
number 3 in the middle of the longest line.

MIXED NOTE VALUE TRIPLETS

Triplets don't always have to have three notes in them: the notes of the triplet just need to add up
to three of whatever value there would normally be two of.

In 4/4 time, for example, a crotchet is worth two quavers, or three triplet quavers. This means you
can make a triplet out of other note values, as long as they also add up to three quavers overall.
Here are some different ways one crotchet beat can be split into triplets with different rhythms.

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ADDING BAR LINES WITH TRIPLETS

Adding bar lines to music with triplets can look difficult at first glance, but don't panic! Remember
that you are looking at three notes in the space of two, and that they are grouped together in whole
beats. Here's an example:

Add the missing bar lines to this tune.

The time signature is 3/4, so each bar needs to have an equivalent of three crotchet beats.

Each "3" symbol shows a triplet group. One triplet group is worth one crotchet. The quavers beamed
in twos are also worth one crotchet each.

Write a "1" under each group of notes which adds up to one crotchet. (You can write "2" under the
minim, and any other values which are necessary, of course!)

Then after each count of three (because this is 3/4 time), draw a bar line.

ADDING RESTS WITH TRIPLETS

Here's a melody which you need to add rests to, and the melody contains a triplet:

What do we need to do? We can see that there is a triplet marked with a "3" above the beamed
quavers, but there are only two notes written instead of three. The star (*) shows us where the
missing rest is supposed to go - in this case it's in the middle of the triplet.

The other notes in the triplet group are quavers; we've got two quavers but we need three, so the
rest must have the value of a quaver. Draw the quaver rest carefully, in the place shown by the star.
If you have to write a crotchet triplet rest, make sure it's inside the square "triplet" brackets.

Here's the finished answer, with the quaver rest in place:

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15. TRIPLETS (USA)

A "triplet" is a group of three notes played in the time of two. To look at how triplets work, we'll first
look at a short rhythm in 3/4 time. Remember that in 3/4 time, one quarter note beat can be divided
into two eighth notes:

One quarter note beat can also be divided into four sixteenth notes:

But, if we want to split the quarter note into three equal parts, we need to use a triplet.

To show a triplet, we write the notes as three eighth notes beamed (joined) together, and we also
write "3" on the beamed side of the notes.

Look at this rhythm using triplets:

QUARTER NOTE TRIPLETS

Triplets don't always have to be eighth notes - we can make triplets out of notes of any length. We
can split up a half note into three equal notes by writing triplet quarter notes, for example:

Quarter notes don't have beams, of course, so we write quarter note triplets with a square bracket,
with the number 3 in the middle of the longest line.

MIXED NOTE VALUE TRIPLETS

Triplets don't always have to have three notes in them: the notes of the triplet just need to add up
to three of whatever value there would normally be two of.

In 4/4 time, for example, a quarter note is worth two eighth notes, or three triplet eighth notes. This
means you can make a triplet out of other note values, as long as they also add up to three eighth
notes overall. Here are some different ways one quarter note beat can be split into triplets with
different rhythms.

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ADDING BAR LINES WITH TRIPLETS

Adding bar lines to music with triplets can look difficult at first glance, but don't panic! Remember
that you are looking at three notes in the space of two, and that they are grouped together in whole
beats. Here's an example:

Add the missing bar lines to this tune.

The time signature is 3/4, so each bar needs to have an equivalent of three quarter note beats.

Each "3" symbol shows a triplet group. One triplet group is worth one quarter note. The eighth notes
beamed in twos are also worth one quarter note each.

Write a "1" under each group of notes which adds up to one quarter note. (You can write "2" under
the half note, and any other values which are necessary, of course!)

Then after each count of three (because this is 3/4 time), draw a bar line.

ADDING RESTS WITH TRIPLETS

Here's a melody which you need to add rests to, and the melody contains a triplet:

What do we need to do? We can see that there is a triplet marked with a "3" above the beamed
eighth notes, but there are only two notes written instead of three. The star (*) shows us where the
missing rest is supposed to go - in this case it's in the middle of the triplet.

The other notes in the triplet group are eighth notes; we've got two eighth notes but we need three,
so the rest must have the value of a eighth note. Draw the eighth rest carefully, in the place shown
by the star. If you have to write a quarter rest as part of a triplet, make sure it's inside the square
"triplet" brackets.

Here's the finished answer, with the eighth rest in place:

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15. TRIPLETS EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1
True or false?

a. Triplets always contain three notes.

b. Triplets can be made from any types of note value, not only quavers (eighth notes)
c. Triplets are used when two notes are played in the time of three.
d. Triplets are marked with a bracket when there are no beams on the notes.

EXERCISE 2
Add the correct rests at the places marked * to make each bar complete.

EXERCISE 3
Add the missing bar lines to these tunes. The first bar line is given in each case.

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15. TRIPLETS ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1
a. False. The value of the notes adds up to three, but there can be any number of notes in the
triplet.
b. True.
c. False. They are used when three notes are played in the time of two.
d. True. (Beams are the lines that join up quavers (eighth notes) etc.

EXERCISE 2

EXERCISE 2

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16. COMPOSING A RHYTHM

Composing a rhythm in grade two music theory is just a little bit harder than for grade one.

In grade two, you're only given one bar of rhythm, and you have to compose three more.

The rhythms you are given (and those you are supposed to write) will be a little bit more
complicated than in grade one. They'll often include dotted rhythms or triplets, for example.

EXAMPLE QUESTION
Here's a question for us to work through together:

Write a four-bar rhythm using the given opening.

How do we start? The first thing to learn is that your 4-bar rhythm must be made up of two phrases
- we'll call them A and B.

Phrase A is the first two bars, and phrase B is the last two.

We can think of phrase A as a "question", and phrase B as the "answer".

QUESTION PHRASES
As you can see, in grade two we are actually only given half a question phrase (whereas in grade one
you're given a complete 2-bar question). The same kind of thing in words could be something like
why do you.....?" or "have you ever......?"

There are probably millions of ways to finish these questions in a sensible way, and even more ways
to finish them with something meaningless!

We could ask

• Have you ever been to France?

• Why do you get up at 7 o'clock?

But it wouldn't make much sense if we asked

• Have you ever yesterday afternoon?

• Why do you rabbit mountains?

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In music, the question must also make sense - musical sense. This means that you need to write
something which fits with the first bar, and not something that is totally unconnected to it. Let's take
a look at some examples.

This is ok, but not very interesting. We

didn't create anything new, so we shouldn't
expect many points for this! You won't
normally get more than 7/10 if you copy the
given opening exactly.

This doesn't fit very well because none of

the note values in bar 2 appear in bar 1, so
there's no connection.

This one is good - bar two uses some old

material from bar one (the triplet), and
some new material (the minim (half note)).

This one is also good - the note values all

appear in the first bar, but we've changed
the order of them. So, there is a strong
connection, but it's not an exact copy.

Again, this is good because it re-uses some,

but not all, of the rhythms from bar 1.

Not such a good choice - the only note value

which appears in both bars is the crotchet
(quarter note), but everything else is
completely different. It's probably best not
to include rests in your rhythm, unless they
are part of the rhythm given in bar 1.

ANSWERING PHRASES
Before we think about answering the question phrase, we need to choose a completed question
phrase. Let's say we finish our question phrase like this:

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Look at the types of rhythm we've used on each beat.

We've got three types: a plain crotchet (quarter note), a triplet quaver (8th note) group and a dotted
quaver/semiquaver (dotted 8th/16th) pair.

We should use mostly the same types of rhythm in our answering phrase.

The very last note of the phrase should be a reasonably long one (at least a crotchet (quarter note)),
so that the rhythm sounds properly finished.

Let's take a look at some answering phrases and see which ones are any good, and why.

This sounds fine. We re-used some of the important rhythms, but not in the same order, and we
finished on a nice long minim (half note).

This doesn't sound very good. Because we forgot about the triplets, the last two bars don't match
the first two very well.

Here we forgot to re-use the dotted rhythm, and the last bar is certainly not very interesting!

This one is good - the rhythms are re-used in a different order and the final note value is a nice long
end note.

This is also a good answer. The rhythms are linked, and the last note is a long enough ending note.

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16. COMPOSING A RHYTHM EXERCISES

Write a four-bar rhythm for each of the given openings.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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16. COMPOSING A RHYTHM ANSWERS

The answers given on this page are suggested answers only, many different answers are possible.

Check you have put the right number of beats in each bar, that you have a "question" phrase
followed by an "answer" phrase, and that you have re-cycled some of the rhythms from the first bar.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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17. FOREIGN TERMS

ON FROM GRADE ONE

For Grade Two Music Theory, you have to know all the foreign musical terms and symbols which are
listed for Grade One, and a few more.

In each grade of the ABRSM music theory exams there are more foreign terms to learn, but you
always have to know all the terms from the earlier grades too.

METRONOME MARKINGS
A metronome is a gadget which makes a loud, regular clicking noise. You can set the speed of the
clicks. Metronomes are used so that musicians know exactly how fast to play a piece of music, and
they're also useful to practise with.

Metronome markings sometimes appear above the stave, to tell you about the tempo of the music,
because the Italian tempo terms are sometimes not very exact.

Metronome directions are made up of a note symbol and a number, joined together by the equals
sign, like this:

This means that the tempo of the music should be about 126 crotchets (quarter notes) per minute.
Metronome indications always tell you how many notes to play per minute. (Of course, it's best if
you actually have a metronome so that you can set it to click at the speed indicated.)

Metronome markings use the note length which is the beat shown by the time signature.

So if the time signature is 3/2, the beat is a minim (half note), and there will be a minim (half note)
shown in the metronome marking.

Time signatures with a lower number 4 have a crotchet beat (quarter note), and if the lower number
is 8, the beat is a quaver (eighth note).

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NEW TERMS FOR GRADE TWO

Tempo

Italian Term Pronunciation English Meaning

Allargando al-lar-gan-do Broadening (getting a little slower and probably a little louder)

Allegro assai al-leg-ro as-say Very quick

Andantino an-dan-tee-no Slightly faster than andante (or slightly slower)

Grave grar-vay Very slow and solemn

Larghetto lar-get-toe Rather slow (but faster than largo)

Largo lar-go Slow and stately

Presto press-toe Very fast

Vivace vi-var-chay Lively and quickly

Vivo vee-voe Lively and quickly

Dynamics

Fortepiano for-tay pi-ya-no FP Loud then immediately soft

Sforzando sfor-zan-doe Sf, Sfz Forced, accented

Sforzato sfor-zar-toe Sf, Sfz Forced, accented

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Phrasing
Dolce dol-chay Sweetly & softly

Espressivo es-press-ee-voe Espress., Espr. Expressive

Giocoso jo-ko-so Playfully, merry

Grazioso grat-zee-oh-so Gracefully

Maestoso my-stoe-so Majestically

Sostenuto sos-ten-oo-toe Sustained

Tenuto ten-oo-toe Held

Other Terms
A a (as in "cat") At, To, By, For, In, In the style of

Al, Alla al, a-la To the, In the manner/style of

Assai as-say Very

Con, Col kon, kol With

E, Ed e (as in "bed") And

Ma ma (as in "man") But

Marcia mar-chia March

Meno men-no Less

Molto mol-toe Very, Much

Mosso, Moto moss-o, mo-to Movement

Non nonn Not

Piu pi-yu More

Senza sen-za Without

Simile see-mi-lay Sim. In the same way

Troppo tropp-o Too much (non troppo = not too much)

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17. FOREIGN TERMS EXERCISES

1. Which term means “very slow and 6. Which word is the opposite of
solemn”? “meno”?
a. Mosso
a. Allargando
b. Molto
b. Grave
c. Piu
c. Giocoso
d. Ma
d. Sfortzato

7. Which word means “sustained”?

2. Which term means “majestically”?
a. Legato
a. Larghetto
b. Staccato
b. Senza
c. Mezzo
c. Maestoso
d. Sostenuto
d. Grazioso

8. Which word is the opposite of “col”

3. What does “allargando” mean?
(“with”)?
a. Very fast
a. Mezzo
b. Getting slower
b. Poco
c. Very smoothly
c. Senza
d. Broadening
d. Ed

4. What does “dolce” mean?

9. Which word is the odd one out?
a. Sadly
a. Cantabile
b. Sweetly
b. Presto
c. Securely
c. Allegro
d. Suddenly
d. Vivace

5. Put these terms in order of speed

10. Which word means “forced,
from fastest to slowest: Andante, Largo,
accented”?
Presto, Moderato.
a. Sforzando
a. Largo, Presto, Moderato, Andante
b. FP (Fortepiano)
b. Presto, Moderato, Andante, Largo
c. Larghetto
c. Andante, Largo, Moderato, Presto
d. Ritenuto
d. Presto, Andante, Moderato, Largo

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11. What does “assai” mean? 16. The term “andantino” tells you
…………………. to play something.
a. Very
b. A little a. what style
c. Too much b. what volume/dynamic
d. Gradually c. how long
d. what speed

12. What does “troppo” mean?

17. The term “largo” has a similar
a. Three times
meaning to the term:
b. Too much
c. Trippingly a. Allegretto
d. Very b. Ritardando
c. Adagio
d. Accelerando
13. Which phrase means “from the
beginning”?
18. What does “tenuto” mean?
a. Dal segno
b. A tempo a. Tenderly
c. Simile b. Too much
d. Da capo c. Held
d. Ten times

14. Which word can you put before

“Rondo”? 19. Which is the correct spelling of the
word which means “expressively”?
a. Alla
b. Fine a. Expressivo
c. Decrescendo b. Exspresivo
d. Senza c. Espresivo
d. Espressivo

15. What does “grazioso” mean?

20. What does the term “giocoso” mean?
a. Freely
b. Gracefully a. Playful and merry
c. Quickly b. Gracious and stately
d. Suddenly c. Slow and solemn
d. Quiet and smooth

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17. FOREIGN TERMS ANSWERS

1. b 11. a

2. c 12. b

3. d 13. d

4. b 14. a

5. b 15. b

6. c 16. d

7. d 17. c

8. c 18. c

9. a 19. d

10. a 20. a

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18. HANDWRITING MUSIC

Just like in the grade one music theory exam, the final question in the paper is to copy out a section
of music exactly as it is written.

There are ten points available for this question, which seems quite an easy ten points on the face of
it, but you really must be very careful to copy out everything neatly.

Remember to copy out everything, including the markings for tempo, dynamics and expression. Go
back and double check that you haven't forgotten anything, and then check again!

Try to copy every aspect of the music as it is written - make the notes the same size as the original,
the stems the same length, the beams the same angle, the notes the same distance apart from each
other and the bar lines in the same places (not closer to/further away from any notes). Use a ruler to
draw stems, bar lines, brackets or any other straight lines.

COMMON MISTAKES
Here are some very common mistakes that students make when copying out music - make sure you
don't make them!

• Don't forget to put the bar line at the end of the extract.

• The first note of each bar is always the same distance (about 1/2 a centimetre) from the
barline on its left.

• Accidentals are written on the left hand side of the note head, in the line/space of the note
they affect.

• Try to keep the same distance between the notes as you see in the original.

• Make sure the note stems are pointing in the right direction.

• Black note-heads must be a good solid colour - make sure you can see no white space at all
inside the notehead.

• Don't make the note heads too big.

• Don't forget ties!

• Read the question very carefully - make sure you copy out the right bars!

• Ledger lines are an extension of the stave and should be the same height
apart, and slightly wider than the note heads. In this example, the B ledger
line is too high, and the A ledger line is not wide enough!

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18. HANDWRITING MUSIC EXERCISES

Copy these extracts including all details.

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GRADE 2 PRACTICE TEST – TIME LIMIT 90 MINUTES

EXERCISE 1
Add the missing bar lines to these two tunes. The first bar line is given in each. (10 points)

EXERCISE 2
Write a four-bar rhythm using the given opening. (10 points)

EXERCISE 3
a. Give the letter name of each of the notes marked *, including the sharp or flat sign where
necessary. The first answer is given. (8 points)

b. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet or quarter-note) of the rest in the last bar. (2 points) ________

EXERCISE 4
Add the correct clef and any necessary sharp or flat signs to each of these tonic triads. Do not use
key signatures. (10 points)

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EXERCISE 5
Rewrite the following in notes and a rest of half the value, beginning as shown. (10 points)

EXERCISE 6
In each of the numbered spaces, add the note or rest named below, as shown in the answer to [1].
(10 points)

[1] minim (half) rest

[2] F, semibreve (whole) note

[3] Bb, crotchet (quarter) note

[4] F#, minim (half) note

[5] F natural, dotted minim (dotted half) note

[6] crotchet (quarter) rest

EXERCISE 7
a. Rewrite these treble clef notes in the bass clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first answer is
given. (8 points)

b. In which minor key are all these notes found? (2 points)

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EXERCISE 8
Look at this melody, adapted from a piece by Schumann, and then answer the questions below.

a. Give the meaning of each of these: (10 points)

i. iv.
v.
ii.
iii.
b. Answer the questions. (10 points)
i. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet or quarter-note) of the rest in the last bar.
ii. Draw a circle round two notes next to each other which are a 6th apart.

iii. How many times does this rhythm occur?

iv. The key of the melody is A major. On which degree of the scale (e.g. 2nd, 3rd) does the
melody begin?
v. Answer TRUE or FALSE to this sentence:
The time signature 2/4 means that there are two quaver (eighth-note) beats in a bar.

c. Copy out the music from the start of the melody to the end of bar 6, exactly as it is written
above. Don't forget the clef, key signature, dynamics and all other details. Write the music on
the blank stave below. Marks will be given for neatness and accuracy. (10 points)

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GRADE 2 PRACTICE TEST ANSWERS

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2
Answers will vary. The following answer would receive full marks:

EXERCISE 3

b. Minim (half) rest.

EXERCISE 4

EXERCISE 5

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EXERCISE 6

EXERCISE 7
a.

b. D minor

EXERCISE 8
a.

i. Very much in a singing style

ii. Tempo is 60 crotchets (quarter-notes) per minute, or one per second
iii. Sweetly
iv. Gradually getting louder
v. Moderately soft/quiet

b.

i. Quaver/eighth rest

ii.
iii. 3 times
iv. 4th
v. False

c. Please compare carefully with the original.

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GRADE TWO MUSIC THEORY TESTS

Each test is contained on one photocopiable page. The answers to each test are conveniently located
on the next page.

Each test is mostly based on a short extract of music, of the same complexity you may find in the
exam.

Care should be taken to write neatly and legibly. Answers should be written in pencil, and a ruler is
recommended for best results.

Each test is scored out of 20. Where several points are available for a question, deduct one point for
each unique mistake.

Please note that you are permitted to photocopy or print these tests/answers for your personal use
or to use with your own students. You are not permitted to sell, publish or otherwise publicly
distribute this material.

For help, tips and more visit http://www.mymusictheory.com/.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 1

Look at this melody which has been adapted from a piece by Kabalevsky, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Allegro assai”. __________________________ [2]

2. Give the meaning of (e.g. in bar 1). _________________________ [1]

3. Draw a circle around 2 notes which are 7th apart. [1]

4. Give the letter name of the highest note of the melody. ____________[1]

5. The time signature 4/4 means there are four _______________ beats in a bar.[1]

6. Rewrite bars 1-2 in notes of twice the value. [5]

7. Rewrite bar 8 using the bass clef, keeping the pitches the same. [4]

8. Name the keys of these tonic triads. [4 points]

a. __________ b. __________ c. __________ d. __________

9. How many times does this rhythm occur in the melody? _________ [1]

/20

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TEST 1 ANSWERS

1. Very fast

2. Accent – strike the note with more force

3.

4. C

5. Crotchet (or quarter note)

6.

7.

8. a) D minor; b) Bb major; c) C major; d) E minor

9. Twice

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 2

Look at this melody which has been adapted from a piece by Beethoven, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Allegretto”. ____________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 5). ___________________________ [1]

3. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 5). ______________ [1]

4. This melody is in A minor. What degree of the scale is the first note? _____________ [1]

5. Write an ascending scale of A minor, using semibreves (whole notes). [4]

Which form of minor scale did you use (melodic or harmonic)? _______________ [1]

6. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet or quarter note) of the shortest note. _____________ [1]

7. Rewrite bars 2-3 using notes of twice the value. [5]

8. Give the number (e.g. 4th, 5th) of the melodic interval of the two circled notes. ________ [1]

9. Complete bar 4 by writing a crotchet (quarter note) G# on a line, followed by a rest of the

same time value. [3]

10. What is the relative major key to A minor? _____________ [1]

/20

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TEST 2 ANSWERS

1. Fairly quick

2. Crescendo – gradually getting louder. (It is not enough simply to write “crescendo”.)

3. Slur

4. 5th

5. Either scale is correct:

A minor harmonic A minor melodic

6. Semiquaver (16th note)

7.

8. 2nd

9.

10. C major

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 3

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Beethoven, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of . _______________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 7). ___________________________ [1]

3. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 1). __________________________ [1]

4. Add the time signature at the beginning of the first stave. [1]

5. Draw a circle round a note which is not in the key of F major. [1]

6. Give the letter name of the lowest note in the melody. _______ [1]

7. What is the relative minor key to F major? _______________ [1]

8. How many times does this rhythm occur? __________ [1]

9. Above each note, write a note to form the named harmonic interval. An example is given. [5]

10. Using semibreves (whole notes), write out one octave of the descending scale of F major,

without using a key signature. [4]

11. Copy bar 2 into bar 6, keeping everything exactly the same. [3]

/20

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TEST 3 ANSWERS

1. Quietly/softly

2. Gradually becoming softer/quieter, decrescendo (an English explanation must be given).

3. Staccato – short and detached (English must be given).

4.

5.

6. E

7. D minor

8. 5 times

9.

10.

11.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 4

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Zipoli, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Presto” ________________________. [1]

2. The time signature 3/8 means there are three ________________ beats per bar. [1]

3. Complete bar 5 by writing beamed (joined) semiquavers (16th notes):

B on a line, C# in a space and A# in a space. [3]

4. The melody is in E minor. Give the degree of the scale of the lowest note. _______ [1]

5. Rewrite bars 1-4 without a key signature. Include any accidentals when they are needed. [4]

6. The longest note in the melody is worth the same as _______ semiquavers (16th notes). [1]

7. Give the number (e.g. 2nd, 3rd) of the circled interval in bar 8. __________ [1]

8. Add the correct clef and any necessary accidentals to make these tonic triads. [5]

9. Add the correct clef and any necessary accidentals to form the ascending E minor scale. [3]

Which form of the scale have you used (harmonic or melodic)? ______________

/20

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TEST 4 ANSWERS

1. Fast

2. Quaver (eighth note)

3.

4. 7th

5.

6. 6

7. 5th

8.

9.

Harmonic minor:

Melodic minor:

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 5

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Rameau, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Moderato” ____________________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of _____________ [1]

3. The key is A major. Add the key signature at the beginning of each stave. [2]

4. The time signature 2/4 means there are two ____________ beats per bar. [1]

5. Give the letter name of the highest note. ________ [1]

6. Give the number of the largest melodic interval used in the melody. ___________ [1]

7. Draw a circle around a note which does not occur in A major. [1]

8. How many times does this rhythm occur? ____________ [1]

9. Give the degree of the scale (e.g. 1st, 2nd) of the last note. __________ [1]

10. Write a note next to the given note to make the named melodic intervals. The key is A

major, add any necessary accidentals. An example is given. [5]

11. Put these note values in order from shortest to longest: [3]

12. Give the bar number of a bar which contains all the notes of the A major tonic triad. ____ [2]

/20

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TEST 5 ANSWERS

1. At a moderate speed/tempo

2. Loudly

3.

4. Crotchet (or “quarter note”)

5. A

6. Octave

7.

8. 3 times

9. 5th

10.

11.

12. Bar 7

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 6

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Mendelssohn, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Andante”. __________________________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 9). __________________________________[1]

3. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 11). _________________________________[1]

4. Add the correct time signature at the beginning of the melody. [1]

5. Complete bars 9-10 by writing a crotchet (quarter note) F on a line, a dotted minim (dotted half
note) C in a space, and a crotchet (quarter note) D on a line. [3]

6. The key is Bb major. True or false: there are no bars which contain all the notes of the tonic triad.
____________ [1]

7. Give the meaning of the “ ” in bar 4: _____________________________________ [2]

8. Using semibreves (whole notes) write one octave of the ascending Bb major scale, without

using a key signature. Add any necessary accidentals. [3]

9. Draw a circle around two notes in the melody which are not part of the key of Bb major. [2]

10. Rewrite these notes in the treble clef, keeping the pitch the same. Put in the correct key
signature too. [5]

/20

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TEST 6 ANSWERS

1. At a walking (medium) pace

2. Pianissimo: very softly. (English explanation must be given).

3. Pause on this note. (Also known as a “fermata”).

4. (The time signature 2/2 is also acceptable)

5.

6. True

7. Play three quavers (eighth notes) in the time of two.

8. Either answer is acceptable:

9.

10.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 7

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Haydn, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Grazioso”. _________________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of ______________________________ [1]

3. Add the necessary bar lines to the second stave. [3]

4. The piece is in G major. Using semibreves (whole notes), write the tonic triad of this key. [3]

5. Draw a circle around a note which is not found in the key of G major. [1]

6. Draw a circle around two notes which are a 4th apart. [1]

7. Give the letter name of the lowest note. _________ [1]

8. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet/quarter note) of the longest note. ________________ [1]

9. What is the relative minor key to G major? ______________________ [1]

10. Copy out bars 1-2 using notes of half the value. Include all other markings such as dynamics etc.
[5]

11. Add the correct clef and any necessary accidentals to make the scale of G major. [2]

/20

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TEST 7 ANSWERS

1. Gracefully

2. (Crescendo) Gradually getting louder. (English explanation must be given).

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. D

8. Dotted minim (dotted half note)

9. E minor

10.

11.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 8

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Scarlatti, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of (e.g. bar 3). ________________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of . ______________________________ [1]

3. Add the correct time signature at the beginning of the melody. [1]

4. The key is Eb major. Give the degree of the scale of the lowest note. _______ [1]

5. Give the interval number (e.g. 2nd) of the circled notes in bar 8. __________ [1]

6. How many times does this rhythm occur ? __________ [1]

7. Write one octave of the descending Eb major scale using semibreves (whole notes). Do not use a
key signature but add any necessary accidentals. [4]

8. Name the keys represented by the following key signatures. [5]

9. Complete bar 10 by writing three beamed (joined) quavers (eighth notes): a high Bb with one
ledger line, Ab immediately below it, and another Ab one octave lower. Slur the first two notes and
put a staccato mark on the third. [5]

/20

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TEST 8 ANSWERS

1. “Tenuto” means give the note its full value or “held”. (English explanation must be given).

2. Moderately softly (moderately quiet).

3.

4. 2nd

5. 6th

6. 4 times

7.

8. a. E minor b. Bb major c. F major d. G major e. D minor

9.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 9

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Scarlatti, and answer the questions.

1. Give the meaning of “Lento”. _________________________ [1]

2. Give the meaning of “cantabile” (bar 1) _______________________________ [1]

3. Give the meaning of “molto” (bar 15) ____________________________ [1]

4. Add the necessary bar lines to the second stave. [5]

5. Draw a circle around a note not normally found in the key of D minor. [1]

6. Give the scale degree (e.g. 2nd) of the highest note. The key is D minor. _______ [1]

7. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet/quarter note) of the longest note. ________________ [1]

8. How many times does the melodic interval of a 7th occur? _______ [1]

9. Using semibreves (whole notes) write one octave of the ascending D minor scale, using the correct
key signature. [4]

Which form of the minor scale have you used? __________________

10. What is the relative major key to D minor? ______________ [1]

11. Copy out these notes and time signature into the bass clef, without changing the pitch.

Include the correct key signature. [3]

/20

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TEST 9 ANSWERS

1. Slowly

2. In a singing style

3. Very

4.

5.

6. 6th

7. Dotted semibreve (dotted whole note)

8. Once

9. Harmonic minor (either is correct)

Or, melodic minor (either is correct)

10. F major

11.

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GRADE 2 MUSIC THEORY: TEST 10

Look at this melody which was adapted from a piece by Schubert, and answer the questions.

1. Give the letter name of the longest note. _______ [1]

2. Give the degree of the scale (e.g. 2nd) of the highest note. The key is D major. ________ [1]

3. Give the time name (e.g. crotchet/quarter note) of the shortest note. ________________ [1]

4. The time signature 2/2 means there are two ______________________ beats per bar. [1]

5. Add the correct rest(s) to the place marked with a star in bar 4. [1]

6. The key is D major. Write the tonic triad in this key without using a key signature, but adding any
necessary accidentals. [3]

7. Copy out bar 1 using notes of half the value. [4]

8. Give the number (e.g. 2nd) of the largest interval used in the melody. ________ [1]

9. Put these dynamics in order, from quietest to loudest. [3]

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

10. Using semibreves (whole notes), write out the descending scale of D major. Do not use a key
signature but include any necessary accidentals. [3]

11. “Sehr langsam” is a German term which means “very slowly”. Which one of these Italian terms
means the same thing? ______ [1]

a. Mezzo largo c. Più lento

b. Molto adagio d. Assai andante

/20

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TEST 10 ANSWERS

1. E

2. 4th

3. Semiquaver (16th note)

4. Minim (half note)

5.

6.

7. (Beaming must also be correct for full points)

8. 4th

9.

10.

11. Molto adagio (b)

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