Study Guide - Grade 8 Music Theory

Music Theory is simply understanding the written language of music.

Students are required to be able to master the following skills by the
end of grade 8

Staff
The five lines and 4 spaces that music is written on is called the staff.

Music lines and spaces are always counted from the BOTTOM up.

Clefs
Clefs are used to help us determine pitch. There are multiple clefs, but
you need to recognize and understand the Treble Clef, and the Bass
Clef.

The Treble Clef is sometimes referred to as the G Clef because the

line it curls around is where the pitch G sits.
 The Bass Clef is sometimes called the F Clef because the two dots sit
on either side of the line where the pitch F sits

The musical alphabet is the following

ABCDEFG
It then repeats over and over.
To remember where pitches (notes) are on the staff we have a few tricks. Learn these
sayings to remember the lines and basses in both clefs.
Accidentals
Sometimes in music we need to play notes that are altered. They are either raised, lowered,
or brought back to the natural pitch by using accidentals.

Accidentals are always drawn BEFORE the note when it is on the staff.
Accidentals are written after the note name when naming notes...for example F#

Key Signatures
Sometimes the composer wants all of a certain note in a song to be played sharp or flat.
They will then include a key signature at the beginning of the piece.
Key Signatures and Identifying sharps and flats:

Accidentals
Sometimes in music we need to play notes that are altered. They are either raised, lowered,
or brought back to the natural pitch by using accidentals.
Accidentals are always drawn BEFORE the note when it is on the staff.
Accidentals are written after the note name when naming notes...for example F#
Sharps raise the note a half step
Flats lower the note a half step
Naturals return the pitch to it's natural pitch..so if it was a sharp it no longer is.

Key Signatures
Sometimes the composer wants all of a certain note in a song to be played sharp or flat.
They will then include a key signature at the beginning of the piece.

Identifying the order of Sharps:

If you have one sharp in your key signature it is ALWAYS F#, If you have two sharps they
will always be F# and C#.

Use the following sentence to remember the order of sharps.

Father Charles Goes Down and Ends Battle
So if there are 4 sharps they will be F# C# G# and D#

Identifying the order of Flats

Just as with sharps, flats are always in the same order. Simply reverse the sentence above
to figure out the order of flats:
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father

So if there were 3 flats in the key signature they would be B, E and A

Ledger Lines
Sometimes we need to write or read notes that are too high or too low to fit on the staff.
To do this we use ledger lines.
Reading notes on ledger lines is done the same way as reading the notes on the staff.
Musical pitches always follow the same pattern.
a b c d e f g a a b c d e f g..
If the note f is in a space, then g will be on the line...a will be in the next space and be will
be on the next line.
Dynamics
Dynamics are how loud or soft we play.
To describe this in music we use the following terms:

We also use crescendo which means gradually get louder, and decrescendo which means
gradually get softer.

Rhythm and Time:

In music we have to know how long to hold a note for. To do this notes are written in
different ways.
For each note there is corresponding rest. Notes make sound, Rests are silent.
Time Signatures:
Time signatures are found at the beginning of a piece of music and tell us two things.
The top number tells us how many beats are in a bar or measure.
The bottom number tells us what kind of note gets one beat
Music Terms and Definitions
Music is an international language but most of the music we play and study finds it's roots in
European traditions. Because of this, many of the terms we need to learn are not in English,
but rather in Latin, Italian, French or German.
Students need to be able to recognize and use the following terms:
1. Tempo - How fast or slow to play
2. Allegro - Fast and lively
3. Andante - Walking speed
4. Lento - Slow and serious
5. Slur - A curved line connecting two notes meaning to play them legato
6. Legato - Smooth
7. Dynamics - How loud or soft to play
8. Ritardando - To gradually get slower
9. Decrescendo - Gradually get softer
10. Natural - A symbol that changes a sharp or flat back to its original pitch
11. Pitch - How high or low a note is
12. Staccato - to play short and detached
13. Accent - to put extra emphasis on the note
 14. Tie - a curved line that joins two notes of the same pitch together. It adds the value
of the notes together. It is like a musical plus sign
15. Crescendo - to gradually get louder

Rhythm and Counting

● Students will need to recognise and write down a rhythm played to them by the
teacher.
● Students will need to add barlines to a line of music.