ABRSM Music Theory Study Guide – Grade 1

Chapter 1: The Basics of Rhythm & Pitch

The journey begins with two fundamental elements of music: rhythm and pitch.

• Rhythm describes how notes of different durations (or time values) are organised over time. A steady count, like a heartbeat, is called a pulse. The pulse is organised into groups of counts known as beats. At Grade 1, the pulse is arranged into groups of two, three, or four beats.
• Pitch describes how high or low a note sounds. Pitches are shown on a stave. Notes can be placed on every line and in every space of the stave, with higher notes placed higher on the stave. All pitches are given a letter name between A and G in the alphabet.

Chapter 1: Rhythm (Part 1)

This section delves deeper into rhythm, focusing on time values, bars and metre, and time signatures.

• Time Values: A note’s time value shows how many counts it lasts. At Grade 1, you will encounter four common time values: semibreves, minims, crotchets, and quavers.
  • A semibreve lasts for 4 counts.
  • A minim lasts for 2 counts.
  • A crotchet lasts for 1 count.
  • Pairs of quavers add up to one count. Single quavers and pairs of quavers are joined together with a beam.
  • Note names in different parts of the world may vary (e.g., ‘whole note’ for semibreve, ‘half note’ for minim, ‘quarter note’ for crotchet, ‘8th note’ for quaver, ’16th note’ for semiquaver). This book uses ‘semibreve’, ‘minim’, ‘crotchet’, and ‘quaver’.
• Bars and Metre: Rhythm is organised by arranging notes of different time values over a pulse. This organisation is called metre. We use bar-lines to separate the music into sections called bars, making it easier to see where each bar starts and ends. At Grade 1, bars contain two, three, or four beats. A double bar-line is used at the end of sections of music.
• Time Signatures: A time signature, found at the start of a piece of music, tells us how many beats are in each bar. At Grade 1, you will encounter music containing two, three, or four beats in a bar.
  • The top number in the time signature shows the number of beats in each bar.
  • The bottom number shows the time value of the beat. At Grade 1, this number is always ‘4’, meaning the beat is measured in crotchets (♩).
  • For example, a time signature of 4/4 means there are four crotchet beats in a bar. This is sometimes called common time and is written as ‘C’.
  • 3/4 means three crotchet beats per bar.
  • 2/4 means two crotchet beats per bar.
  • The time signature appears only at the start of a piece, unless the number of beats in each bar changes.

Exercises in this chapter include completing tables of note values, identifying note durations, performing musical sums with notes, marking beats in rhythms, identifying true/false statements about time signatures, completing time signatures for rhythms, adding notes to complete bars, and adding bar-lines.

Chapter 2: Pitch (Part 1)

This chapter focuses on reading notes on the stave using different clefs.

• Notes in the Treble Clef: The treble clef, also known as the G clef, is a special symbol placed at the beginning of the stave. It is mostly used to show notes from middle C upwards. It is called the G clef because it circles the line used for the note G. The pitch of each line and space on the stave is determined by the clef used.
  • Middle C sits on its own line, just below the stave. This is called a ledger line.
  • The four notes in the spaces in the treble clef spell FACE.
• Notes in the Bass Clef: The bass clef, also known as the F clef, is mostly used to show notes from middle C downwards. It starts on the line used for the note F and has two little dots either side of this line.
  • Middle C is above the stave in the bass clef, sitting above a ledger line.
  • You also need to know D above middle C in the bass clef, which sits above a ledger line.
  • The four notes in the spaces can be remembered using the phrase “All Cows Eat Grass” (A C E G).
• Notes in both clefs: Middle C falls exactly between the treble and bass clefs. The workbook shows notes from low F (in the bass clef) up to high G (in the treble clef).
• Notes with stems: Notes other than semibreves have stems attached to their noteheads. The stem’s length is always the same, but its position depends on the note’s placement on the stave.
  • If the note is below the middle line, the stem goes up from the right-hand side.
  • If the note is above the middle line, the stem goes down from the left-hand side.
  • Notes on the middle line can have stems going in either direction.
• Quavers on the stave: Single quavers follow the same stem rules as crotchets and minims. The tails of single quavers always attach to the end of the stem, on the right side. When quavers are in pairs, their stems always go in the same direction, even if the notes are on different sides of the middle line, making them easier to join together.

Exercises cover ticking the higher note, writing note names in boxes, spelling words with notes, identifying notes in both clefs, determining stem direction, checking stem accuracy, and checking correct/incorrect quaver writing.

Chapter 3: Rhythm (Part 2)

This chapter introduces the semiquaver, grouping notes, and rests.

• The semiquaver: The semiquaver (or 16th note) is the shortest time value encountered at Grade 1. Semiquavers have two tails. There are four semiquavers in a crotchet, and two semiquavers in a quaver. Semiquavers are often beamed in groups of four.
• Grouping notes: We use beams to group quavers and semiquavers together, often making notes easier to read and showing which notes make up one full beat.
• Rests: Silences in music need to be counted, just like notes. We use rests to represent these silences. There are rests corresponding to the time values learned:
  • Semibreve rest: worth 4 beats, or a whole bar of silence. It hangs down from the fourth line on the stave.
  • Minim rest: worth 2 beats of silence. It sits up on the third line.
  • Crotchet rest: worth 1 beat of silence.
  • Quaver rest: worth a ½ beat of silence.
  • Semiquaver rest: worth a ¼ beat of silence.

Exercises include identifying true/false statements about note durations, performing musical sums with notes including semiquavers, matching rhythms to time signatures, numbering beats and completing time signatures, checking correct bar grouping, completing a table of note and rest values, checking if bars add up to the correct number of beats, numbering beats and completing time signatures with rests, adding rests to complete melodies, and adding missing bar-lines.

Chapter 4: Pitch (Part 2)

This chapter expands on pitch, introducing accidentals, semitones, and tones.

• Accidentals: Signs called accidentals are used to change a note’s pitch. The three main accidentals are the sharp, the flat, and the natural.
  • A sharp (♯) written in front of a note makes it sound higher.
  • A flat (♭) written in front of a note makes the note sound lower.
  • A natural (♮) changes a note with a sharp or flat back to its normal pitch.
  • Accidentals always go in front of a note and must be written so the stave line or space goes through the middle of the accidental.
  • An accidental changes all notes of the same pitch in a bar.
  • An accidental applies only to notes on the same line or in the same space.
  • An accidental applies only within the same bar and is cancelled by the bar-line.
  • To cancel an accidental within a bar, a natural (♮) is written in front of the note.
  • A natural can also be used as a reminder to cancel an accidental from the previous bar, although this is not essential.
• Semitones and tones: The words semitone and tone are used to describe the distance between notes.
  • A semitone (S) is the shortest distance we can measure between two notes. On a piano keyboard, the distance between every note is either a tone or a semitone. For example, C to C# is a semitone. C to D is a tone (two semitones) because there is a note between them (C# or Db). E to F is a semitone because there are no other notes between them. B to C is also a semitone.
  • A tone (T) is two semitones. For example, C to D is a tone. Every black note on a piano keyboard has two names: the flat of the white key above, or the sharp of the white key below.
  • ‘Semi’ means ‘half’, so a semitone is half a tone, just as a semicircle is half a circle.

Exercises involve writing note names with accidentals, identifying higher/lower notes with accidentals, writing note names in melodies with accidentals, identifying the distance between notes as a tone or semitone, and adding accidentals to make distances a tone or semitone.

Chapter 5: Rhythm (Part 3)

This chapter concludes the rhythm study by introducing ties, dotted notes, and grouping dotted notes.

• Ties: A tie is a curved line that joins neighbouring notes of the same pitch. Notes joined by a tie are played as one note lasting the length of the tied notes added together. For example, two crotchets tied together sound like one minim. Ties are useful when you want to join notes across a bar-line, or across the middle beats of a bar in 4/4 time.
  • Ties are placed above or below the notes they join, depending on where the notes are positioned on the stave. Notes below the middle line have ties below the noteheads, and notes above the middle line have ties above the noteheads.
  • It is easy to confuse a slur with a tie. Slurs can be found over two different notes, or over a group of notes, while ties link together two or more notes of the same pitch. A slur means to perform smoothly.
• Dotted notes: Instead of using a tie to make a note longer, it is sometimes possible to place a dot after a note. A dot adds on half the time value of the note.
  • A dotted minim is equal to a minim plus half its value (a crotchet), so 2 counts + 1 count = 3 counts.
  • A dotted crotchet is equal to a crotchet plus half its value (a quaver), so 1 count + ½ count = 1½ counts.
  • A dotted quaver is equal to a quaver plus half its value (a semiquaver), so ½ count + ¼ count = ¾ count.
  • The dots for notes on lines should be placed in the space above the note.
• Grouping dotted notes: Just as quavers and semiquavers can be beamed together to show beats, dotted notes can also be grouped this way. For example, a dotted quaver joined to a single semiquaver equals one beat.

Exercises cover writing the total number of crotchet beats for tied notes, adding a note to show the total value of tied notes, joining notes with ties and numbering beats, rewriting tied notes as dotted notes, adding a dot to complete bars, performing musical sums with dotted notes, rewriting notes in order of duration, adding time signatures to bars, checking correct bar grouping for dotted notes, and adding missing bar-lines.

Chapter 6: Scales

This chapter introduces the concept of scales and explores the scales of C, G, D, and F major.

• The scale of C major: A scale is a ‘ladder’ of notes that move in step, either ascending (going up) or descending (coming down). The scale of a key contains all the notes belonging in that key. C major is a useful scale to learn first as it has no sharps or flats. The scale of C major, ascending, is written in the treble clef from C up to the C an octave higher. You can play a C major scale by playing up or down the white notes on a piano, starting and ending on C.
  • Make sure there is one note on every line and in every space between the first and last notes of the scale.
• The degrees of the scale: The notes in a scale are known as degrees. The first and last notes of an ascending or descending major scale are the same (though they are at different pitches) and are the most important. They are called the tonic or key note. All the degrees in a scale are numbered in relation to the tonic. In the scale of C major, C is the 1st and 8th degree (tonic), D is the 2nd degree, E is the 3rd, and so on. Remember that in a descending scale, the degrees will count backwards!
• Tones and semitones in scales: The distance between each note in a major scale is either a tone or a semitone. The pattern of tones and semitones is the same for all major scales. The distance between the 3rd and 4th degrees and the 7th and 8th degrees is a semitone. The distance between all other consecutive degrees is a tone. For the C major scale (ascending): C-D (T), D-E (T), E-F (S), F-G (T), G-A (T), A-B (T), B-C (S).
  • Writing the degree number above each note can help work out the pattern of tones and semitones.
• The scales of G major, D major and F major: The scales of G, D, and F major all follow the same pattern of tones and semitones as C major.
  • In G major, an F# is required to make the pattern correct, specifically between the 6th and 7th degrees, not the 7th and 8th degrees. There would be a semitone between the 7th and 8th degrees (F# to G).
  • In D major, two accidentals – F# and C# – are needed to keep the same pattern of tones and semitones.
  • In F major, a Bb is needed to keep the semitone between the 3rd and 4th degrees.

Exercises include adding notes to complete C major scales, adding named degrees to the C major scale, writing T or S between notes in the C major scale, writing and identifying ascending/descending G, D, and F major scales, adding accidentals to make scales correct, identifying degrees of G, D, F major scales, identifying which degree a note is, and showing semitones in G, D, F major scales.

Chapter 7: Keys & Key Signatures

Building on scales, this chapter introduces the concept of keys and key signatures.

• Keys: The scales of C, G, D, and F major contain all the notes belonging in that key. For example, the scales of C major and G major contain mostly the same notes, but G major has F# instead of F. The two keys have different tonics (key notes). A melody written in a particular key uses notes from the scale of that key.
  • C major has no sharps or flats.
  • G major has one sharp (F#) instead of F.
  • D major has two sharps (F# and C#).
  • F major has one flat (Bb).
• Key signatures: A key signature tells us the key of a piece of music by showing which notes will be sharpened or flattened. It is written at the start of the stave, after the clef and before the time signature. Using a key signature means you don’t have to keep writing accidentals for the sharps and flats in that key. A sharp or flat in a key signature applies to every note of that name, wherever it is on the stave.
  • C major has no sharp or flat notes, so there is nothing in its key signature.
  • G major has one sharp (F#) in its key signature.
  • D major has two sharps (F# and C#) in its key signature.
  • F major has one flat (Bb) in its key signature.
  • Key signatures look different in the treble and bass clefs. The sharps and flats are placed next to the notes to which they apply.
  • The clef and key signature are written at the start of every stave, unlike the time signature which is written only once at the beginning of the music.
• More on accidentals: Accidentals are sometimes still needed in music with a key signature. This happens when the music uses a note that does not belong to the key it is written in. Remember that accidentals last until the end of the bar, unless they are cancelled by another accidental, and apply only to notes of the same pitch within the same bar.

Exercises include naming the key of melodies, circling notes that need an accidental in a melody of a named key, ticking the correctly written key signature, naming the major keys for given key signatures, adding key signatures to make scales correct, naming the key of melodies and identifying scale degrees, and naming notes marked in melodies with key signatures and accidentals.

Chapter 8: Intervals

This chapter focuses on understanding the distance between notes, known as intervals.

• Intervals: An interval measures the difference in pitch between two notes. We can use the degrees of the scale to measure the intervals between the tonic of a key and every other note in that key. The workbook shows the intervals above the tonic in C major:
  • C to C is the 1st or Tonic.
  • C to D is the 2nd.
  • C to E is the 3rd.
  • C to F is the 4th.
  • C to G is the 5th.
  • C to A is the 6th.
  • C to B is the 7th.
  • C to the C an octave higher is the 8th or Octave (8ve).
  • We can use the term octave (8ve) or 8th to describe the interval from C to C.
• Intervals can be written in two ways: sometimes one note after the other (as in a melody), and sometimes they are written one note above the other (as a chord). In the Grade 1 exam, intervals are written one note after the other.
  • When identifying intervals above the tonic, count up the scale from the bottom note of the interval until you reach the top note. The number you reach tells you the interval.
  • When asked to write an interval above a tonic, the note you write should be higher than the given note.

Exercises include writing missing numbers to identify intervals above the tonic in F major and G major, writing notes to form named intervals above the tonic in D major, writing notes to form named intervals above the tonic in C, D, F, and G major, remembering to add accidentals where needed, writing missing numbers to identify intervals above the tonic in C, G, F, and D major, ticking the correct number of each interval in F, C, G, and D major, and identifying intervals marked by brackets in melodies.

Chapter 9: Tonic Triads

This chapter focuses on understanding basic chords called tonic triads.

• Tonic triads: A tonic triad is a chord made up of three notes:
  • The 1st degree of the scale (the tonic).
  • The 3rd degree of the scale.
  • The 5th degree of the scale.
  • The tonic is the lowest note.
  • The 3rd degree is in the middle.
  • The 5th degree is the highest note.
  • Each note is separated by the interval of a 3rd.
  • The tonic triad of D major has an F# because the 3rd degree of D major scale is F#, not F.
  • Remember that the notes of a tonic triad include the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the scale. This may mean adding an accidental if a key signature hasn’t been used.

Exercises include circling the correct key for each tonic triad shown, ticking the tonic triad of D major, adding one missing note to complete each triad with the tonic as the lowest note, and naming the key of each tonic triad shown.

Chapter 10: Terms & Signs

This chapter introduces common musical terms and signs, mostly derived from Italian. These tell us not just the pitch and rhythm of notes, but also how loudly or quietly to play, or at what speed, or other kinds of expression.

• Dynamics: The following Italian terms and abbreviations tell us how loud or quiet to play the music – they are called dynamics:
  • fortissimo (ff): very loud (-issimo means ‘very’).
  • forte (f): loud.
  • mezzo forte (mf): moderately loud (mezzo means ‘half’, so mezzo forte literally means ‘half loud’).
  • pianissimo (pp): very quiet.
  • piano (p): quiet.
  • mezzo piano (mp): moderately quiet.
  • crescendo (cresc.): gradually getting louder.
  • decrescendo (decresc.): gradually getting quieter.
  • diminuendo (dim.): gradually getting quieter.
  • Notice that decrescendo and diminuendo mean the same thing.
  • The piano instrument was named pianoforte (‘quiet and loud’) because it was the first keyboard instrument that could play both quietly and loudly.
• Tempo: The following Italian terms describe the speed of the music, known as tempo:
  • allegro: quick.
  • allegretto: fairly quick.
  • moderato: at a moderate speed.
  • andante: at a medium speed (often walking pace).
  • adagio: slow.
  • accelerando (accel.): gradually getting quicker.
  • rallentando (rall.): gradually getting slower.
  • ritardando (ritard. or rit.): gradually getting slower (same as rallentando).
  • a tempo: in time (resume the original speed).
  • Terms describing tempo are often written in bold at the start of a piece or section of music.
• More Italian terms:
  • cantabile: in a singing style.
  • da capo (D.C.): repeat from the beginning.
  • dolce: sweet.
  • fine: the end (al fine = ‘up to the end’).
  • legato: smoothly.
  • staccato (stacc.): detached.
• Signs: Various signs are used in music notation.
  • < (crescendo sign): gradually getting louder.
  • > (decrescendo or diminuendo sign): gradually getting quieter.
  • ^ or – above or below a note: accent the note (play with emphasis).
  • A curved line over different notes: slur (perform smoothly).
  • A curved line over notes of the same pitch: tie (hold for the value of both notes).
  • A dot above or below a note: staccato (detached).
  • 𝄐 (fermata or pause): pause on the note or rest.
  • ♩ = 60: metronome mark; the number indicates the beats per minute (here, 60 crotchet beats in a minute).
  • Parallel vertical lines with dots: repeat the section between the two signs (if the first sign is missing, repeat from the beginning).

Exercises involve ticking the correct meaning for various Italian terms (dynamics, tempo, other terms) and describing how a melody should be played based on added terms and signs.

Chapter 11: Music in Context

The final question in the Grade 1 exam is a Music in Context question. In this section, you will be asked about topics covered in the book, based on a passage of music. This allows you to apply the theory learned to actual musical examples.

This section of the workbook provides practice examples of Music in Context questions. Questions may cover identifying the key, determining if a bar contains an accidental, identifying the longest/highest/lowest note, identifying true/false statements about performance instructions (dynamics, tempo, ties), identifying specific notes or degrees, identifying bars with certain features (like rests or dotted notes), or describing elements of rhythm or articulation.

Practice Exam Paper

The workbook concludes with a Practice Exam Paper for ABRSM Grade 1. This allows you to test your progress and become familiar with the style and types of questions in the actual exam. The practice paper covers all the topics studied throughout the book, including Rhythm, Pitch, Keys and Scales, Intervals, Tonic Triads, Terms and Signs, and Music in Context. It is marked out of a total of 75 marks. Further practice exam papers are available from ABRSM.

Conclusion

The “Discovering Music Theory Grade 1” workbook offers a structured and progressive approach to learning the fundamental elements of music theory required for the ABRSM Grade 1 exam. By covering rhythm, pitch, scales, keys, intervals, tonic triads, and musical terms and signs, it equips students with the knowledge and understanding needed to read, understand, and engage more deeply with music. The included exercises and practice exam paper provide ample opportunity to build skills, check progress, and prepare effectively.