Trinity Music Theory Study Guide – Grade 2

Rhythm

The Grade 2 syllabus expands upon Grade 1 knowledge with new rhythmic concepts.

1. Note Values: New note values introduced include the dotted crotchet, single quavers, and semiquavers (always beamed in groups of four where the beat is a crotchet for Grade 2). Semiquavers last for a quarter of a crotchet beat. A dotted crotchet lasts for one and a half crotchet beats, being a crotchet (one beat) plus a quaver (half a beat). Single quavers and beamed quavers each last for half a crotchet beat. The dotted crotchet is often followed by a single quaver, as together they make up two crotchet beats. The syllabus allows the option to use American terms for note values, such as minim or half note.
2. Rest Values: The new rest values for Grade 2 are the dotted crotchet rest and the single quaver rest. The syllabus allows the option to use American terms, such as minim or half note rest. The quaver rest is only written when there is no other quaver rest within the same crotchet beat, where the beat is a crotchet. If a dotted crotchet’s worth of silence is needed, you should always complete one crotchet beat with a rest before starting the next, which applies to all time signatures with a crotchet beat. A semibreve rest is used to show a whole bar of silence in any time signature. Remember that there is no need to tie rests together; the silence simply continues.
3. Time Signatures: Grade 2 introduces new time signatures: 3/8, 6/8 (or cut common time ¢), and 3/2. The top number of a time signature shows the number of beats in a bar. The bottom number shows the type of beat in a bar; an 8 means a quaver beat, a 2 means a minim beat.
   • In 3/8, there are three quaver beats in the bar. Notes and rests are usually grouped in quaver beats, unless three quaver notes appear in a bar, in which case they are beamed together for readability. Two quaver rests should be used for two quaver beats of silence in 3/8.
   • In 2/4 or ¢, there are two crotchet beats in the bar. Grouping notes and rests in 2/4 or ¢ is very similar to 4/4 or C. Composers tend to use 4/4 or C for a feeling of four in a bar and 2/4 or ¢ when they want a feeling of two in a bar.
   • In 6/8 or ¢ (cut common time), there are two minim beats in the bar. Notes and rests are usually grouped in minim beats. Like 2/4, 6/8 is counted in minim beats.
   • In 3/2, there are three minim beats in the bar. Notes and rests are usually grouped in minim beats. A full bar’s note in 3/2 is a dotted semibreve, which lasts for three minim beats (a semibreve is two minim beats, a minim is one minim beat). A handy tip for filling bars with notes/rests is to always complete one beat with a note or rest before moving to the next, working from the beginning of the bar and thinking in the main beat of the bar (quaver, crotchet, or minim).
4. Grouping Notes and Rests: The syllabus specifies grouping note and rest values within 4/4, 2/4 or ¢, and 3/2. Semiquavers are excluded unless grouped in 4s.
5. Tied Notes: Tied notes are used when composers want musicians to play notes that are not of a standard length. Same-pitch notes are ‘tied’ together to make longer notes. Ties are usually used only where a standard note value cannot be used. Ties should be placed close to the note-heads and away from the stems. If tying a dotted note, the tie begins just after the dot. If a tied note has an accidental before it, that accidental applies to all tied notes, even across a bar line.
6. Slow and Fast Beats: The concept of slow and fast beats being possible in different time signatures is important. Tempo indications and metronome markings show whether the speed of the beat (quaver, crotchet, or minim) is slow or fast. For example, 4/4 can be slow (Adagio) and 6/8 can be fast (Allegro molto). Metronome markings give the exact speed of the beat, telling the player how many beats (quaver, crotchet, or minim) there are per minute. M.M. stands for Maelzel’s Metronome. M.M. J = 100 means 100 minim beats per minute, and M.M. J = 100 means 100 crotchet beats per minute. Players keep these markings in mind but don’t always play at the exact speed indicated.
7. Syncopation: Syncopation involves ‘throwing’ notes offbeat (before or after the beat) instead of writing them on the usual beats of the bar. It has been popular in many musical styles. The two syncopated patterns you need to recognise for Grade 2 are described and shown as ♪. ) and/or ♪♪♪ patterns. The way they are written breaks the normal rules for grouping notes. An ostinato is a pattern of notes in a certain rhythm that repeats over and over.

Pitch

Understanding pitch involves naming and using notes and relating them within scales and chords.

1. Naming and Using Notes: You need to name and use notes in treble or bass clefs, including those up to two leger lines above or below the stave. The workbook shows the new treble and bass clef note names required for Grade 2 in green. You know the others from Grade 1. A handy tip for leger lines is to write them the same distance from the stave as the stave lines. Leger-line accidentals should be placed carefully to belong to the correct notes. All notes can be checked using the G in the G clef (treble clef), the F in the F clef (bass clef), or Middle C.
2. Related Keys: Major keys have closely related keys, the closest minor key being its relative minor. Relative minors share a key signature with their relative major. To find the tonic of a relative minor key, count down three semitones from the tonic of a major key. For example, A minor is the relative minor of C major. To find the tonic of a relative major key, count up three semitones from the tonic of a minor key.
3. Minor Keys, Scales, Arpeggios, and Triads: For Grade 2, you need to know A, D, and E minor keys. These are the relative minors of C major, F major, and G major respectively. Their natural (Aeolian mode) and harmonic minor scales, key signatures, one-octave arpeggios, and tonic triads are required. Minor keys sound different from major keys mainly because they have a different tone-semitone pattern. The 1st degree of the scale (whatever the register) is the tonic. Tunes often begin and end on the tonic.
   • The natural minor scale is the simplest kind, used in folk and jazz. Playing white notes from A to A on a keyboard creates an A natural minor scale. It uses the exact same notes as the C major scale, but the tonic is A, giving a different focus. In every natural minor scale, the tone-semitone pattern is the same: semitones appear only between the 2nd & 3rd and 5th & 6th degrees. The natural minor scale is also known as the Aeolian mode.
   • The harmonic minor scale is the same as the natural minor scale, except the pitch of the 7th degree is raised by a semitone (both going up and going down). A handy tip for writing a harmonic minor scale is to write the natural minor scale first, then raise the 7th degree by a semitone. This raising creates a wide interval of a tone plus a semitone between the 6th & 7th degrees, and semitones between the 2nd & 3rd, 5th & 6th, and 7th & 8th degrees. This scale is used a lot in Middle-Eastern and Klezmer music.
4. First Inversions of Tonic Triads: You need to understand root position and first inversion of major and minor tonic triads of the keys covered so far (C, G, F major, and A, D, E minor). A tonic triad in root position has the tonic (or root) at the bottom. In first inversion, the triad is inverted so the third of the chord is at the bottom, with the root moved up an octave.
5. Identifying the Key: For Grade 2, you need to identify the key of a piece in A, D, or E minor, or their relative majors (C, F, G major). Since relative major and minor keys share a key signature, you need to be careful. You can work out the key by looking at the key signature or accidentals, checking for a raised 7th degree (which suggests a minor key), and looking at the first and last notes, and if the music centres around the tonic triad.
6. Degrees of the Minor Scale: The concept of numbers 1-8 being used to name degrees of the minor scale is required. The 1st degree of the minor scale is known as the tonic. Degrees of the minor scale can be at different registers.
7. Minor Tonic Triad Labelling: Minor tonic triads can be labelled as a chord symbol above the music (e.g., Am in the key of A minor). They can also be labelled as a Roman numeral below the music (e.g., i in the key of A minor). Roman numeral ‘i’ indicates the chord is built on the 1st degree but contains a minor 3rd at the bottom, unlike the ‘I’ used for major tonic triads. Any chord using only the notes of the tonic triad (in any register) can have this label. A handy tip is to write Roman numerals below the stave(s) and chord symbols above the stave(s). A tonic triad is a chord made up of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of a scale. This works the same way in a minor key.
8. Intervals: An interval means the distance between two notes. For Grade 2, you need to know unison, major/minor 2nd, major/minor 3rd, perfect 4ths, 5ths, and octaves (8ths) above any tonic for the grade. To get the interval number, always count up from the bottom note using note names.
   • Major and Minor 3rds: There is a difference between a major 3rd and a minor 3rd. In major keys, there is always a major 3rd between the 1st and 3rd degrees of the scale. In minor keys, there is always a minor 3rd between the 1st and 3rd degrees of the scale. This different interval is part of why major and minor scales have different characters. An interval can be written as a chord or as a tune. A major 3rd is larger than a minor 3rd.
   • Major and Minor 2nds: For Grade 2, you also need to know the difference between major and minor 2nds. A major 2nd is shown and can be described as a tone apart. A minor 2nd is shown and can be described as a semitone apart. In every major and minor key, there is always a major 2nd between the 1st and 2nd degrees of the scale. A major 2nd is larger than a minor 2nd.
   • Perfect Intervals: For Grade 2, you need to know about perfect 4ths, 5ths, and 8ths (octaves). All major and minor scales have a perfect 4th between the 1st and 4th degrees, a perfect 5th between the 1st and 5th degrees, and a perfect 8th (octave) between the 1st and 8th degrees. Violin, viola, and cello players tune their strings so there is a perfect 5th between each one. Double bass players tune their strings so there is a perfect 4th between each one. Most guitar strings are tuned perfect 4ths apart too.
9. Circle of 5ths: The circle of 5ths relates the keys covered. It shows major and minor keys. Starting at C major (no sharps or flats), moving round one notch to the right (up a perfect 5th) finds the key with one sharp: G major, with its relative minor E minor below it. Moving round one notch to the left (down a perfect 5th from C) finds the key with one flat: F major, with its relative minor D minor below it. The 5ths in the circle of 5ths are perfect 5ths.
10. Broken Chords: A broken chord is made by ‘breaking up’ a chord, similar to an arpeggio. There are many ways to make broken chords depending on the rhythm and number of notes in each pattern. Examples using the G major tonic triad in 4-note and 3-note patterns are shown. Broken chords appear in all sorts of music to give different textures and make accompaniments more interesting. An accompaniment is music that supports a tune. Sometimes you can find one-octave arpeggios within larger broken chord patterns.
11. Sequences: A sequence is a tune pattern that is repeated starting on a different note, maintaining the rhythm but changing the pitch of the tune pattern. Some sequences repeat at a higher pitch, others at a lower pitch. This is different from an ostinato, which repeats the rhythm to the same tune pattern.
12. Ranges of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass Voices: The ranges for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voices are provided. Changing the register of a tune can give a different feel to the music. Music for tenor voice is sometimes written in the treble clef an octave higher than it sounds (you learn this in a later grade), but you need to know its range at sung pitch for Grade 2. If the notes of a tune fit within a voice range, it is suitable for that voice to sing.
13. Transposing Tunes: You may need to transpose a tune up or down an octave within the treble or bass clef. This is done if a piece is too high or low for an instrument or voice. To transpose a tune up or down an octave, find the next note with the same letter name (up or down), write out the tune keeping the same distances (intervals) between notes, and check that the last note has the same letter name as the original.

Musical Words and Symbols

In addition to Grade 1 words and symbols, you need to know new dynamic, articulation, tempo, expression marks, and other words and signs for Grade 2. Handy tips mention that articulation marks are usually put close to note-heads, expression marks below the music, and tempo marks above the music at the beginning.

• Dynamic and Articulation Marks:
  • Decrescendo (decresc.) – gradually getting softer. Note: diminuendo has the same meaning.
  • Phrase marks ( ) – long curved lines above the music showing its natural shape; they often relate to the number of notes sung or played before taking a breath. The signs • and || are sometimes used to show the end of a phrase where there are no phrase marks.
  • Tenuto (ten.) – slightly lengthen and sustain the note.
• Tempo, Expression Marks and Other Words and Signs:
  • Adagio – slow.
  • Allegretto – quite fast.
  • Cantabile – with a singing tone.
  • Espressivo – expressively.
  • First and second time bars ( |1. | and |2. |).
  • Grazioso – gracefully.
  • Metronome marks (M.M. J = 92) – tell the exact speed of the beat.
  • Octave signs (8va or ottava above , 8vb or ottava below ) – play the music an octave higher or lower respectively. These are usually found in keyboard music.
  • Pause mark (r. ) – hold the note or rest a little longer than usual.
  • Vivace – fast and lively.
  • Molto – very (e.g., molto espressivo means ‘very expressively’).

Other words with the same meaning you need to know for Grade 2 include: accompaniment/backing, Am/Ami/Amin/A-, diminuendo/decrescendo, long/length/duration, natural minor scale/Aeolian mode, player/musician, semiquaver/sixteenth note, shape (of a tune)/contour, transpose/move.

Doing the Tasks

The workbook contains various tasks to practise these concepts. For example, you will name and write notes, add note and rest values, fill bars correctly, correct grouping mistakes, arrange metronome markings, write key signatures and tonic triads, find relative keys, write scales (natural and harmonic minor), identify and write intervals, write and label tonic triads (root position and first inversion), write and label arpeggios, write broken chords, identify the key of a piece, write sequences, transpose tunes, and add musical words and symbols to music. Notice that notes are spaced out in music to show their length, making the music easier to read.

Writing Your Own Tunes

A section is dedicated to writing your own tunes to a given rhythm. You can use notes of the tonic triad in any register. You should use a key signature and finish on the tonic. Another task involves using the first five degrees of the scale in any register. Making up tunes like this on an instrument (without writing them down) is called improvising. You are also encouraged to add musical words and symbols you know to the tunes you write.

Analysis

Analysis is about noticing how music is composed. This helps you play your instrument or sing more fluently by understanding how the music is put together. Section 7 of the exam is dedicated to Analysis, typically with 10 questions worth 20 marks. Questions may cover identifying notes with accidentals, naming the tonic and key, identifying rhythmic patterns (like syncopation), comparing pitch across sections (like octaves higher/lower), identifying the type of beat from the time signature, explaining note grouping rules, identifying broken chords, sequences (and how the pattern is repeated), naming intervals, explaining musical terms (like tempo and expression marks), identifying registers of notes, labelling chords (Roman numeral or symbol), identifying dynamics, commenting on phrase lengths, identifying arpeggios, and understanding symbols like first/second time bars and pause marks. Bar 1 is not usually numbered in music, but numbers are included in the workbook to make bars easy to find for questions.

Sample Examination Paper

The workbook includes a sample examination paper. It is structured into seven sections mirroring the syllabus.

• Section 1: General multiple choice questions covering various topics like naming notes, time signatures, note/rest values, relative keys, scales, tonic triads, and intervals. This section is worth 10 marks with 10 questions.
• Section 2: Writing scales, arpeggios, and broken chords. This is worth 20 marks.
• Section 3: Correcting mistakes in music notation. This is worth 10 marks.
• Section 4: Sequences – writing a sequence based on a given pattern. This is worth 10 marks.
• Section 5: Transposition – transposing a tune up or down an octave. This is worth 15 marks.
• Section 6: Writing a tune to a given rhythm, using specific scale degrees or tonic triads. This is worth 15 marks.
• Section 7: Analysis – answering questions based on a piece of music. This is worth 20 marks with 10 questions.

Remember that you may use American names for note values in the exam if you wish, but there is no need to use them if you prefer not to. Trinity College London reserves the right to alter the format and content of examination papers, so it is advised to consult the latest syllabus and their website before entering for an examination.