The Ultimate Guide to ABRSM Grade 1 Music Theory

Learn the fundamental building blocks of written music, including whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. Understand how note stems and tails work, plus discover how to properly beam notes together to make your music easier to read.

In this chapter, we'll look at the concept of organizing music into measures using bar lines, and learn about time signatures like 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4. Understand how these crucial elements help define the rhythm and structure of musical pieces.

Dive into how music is written on the five-line staff. Learn about pitch, proper note placement, and how to use ledger lines to write notes above and below the staff. Essential knowledge for reading and writing music effectively.

In this chapter, we'll look at the musical alphabet, the treble and bass clefs, and understand how they tell us which notes are which on the staff. Learn memorable tricks for remembering note positions and their letter names.

Learn two ways to extend note durations in music - ties and dots. Understand how ties connect same-pitch notes while dots add half a note's value. Learn when to use each technique, learn proper notation practices, and gain the confidence to read and write extended note values in any time signature.

In this chapter, we'll cover the different types of rests and their time values, from whole rests to sixteenth rests. Learn how these moments of silence are just as important as the notes themselves in creating music.

Learn to modify pitches using sharps, flats, and natural signs. Understand when and how to use these vital musical symbols in your notation.

Learn about the smallest intervals in Western music and how they form the foundation for understanding scales and key signatures. Essential knowledge for anyone wanting to understand how music is constructed.

Discover how major scales are built using specific patterns of whole steps and half steps. Learn the four essential major scales for Grade 1: C major, G major, D major, and F major. Learn about scale degrees, their relationships, and how they form the foundation of melody and harmony in Western music.

Understand how key signatures show which notes should be sharp or flat throughout a piece of music. Learn the proper placement of key signatures on both treble and bass clefs, discover the pattern of sharps and flats, and identify keys from their signatures. Essential knowledge for reading and writing music confidently.

Here we're going to look at the use of sharps, flats, and natural signs that temporarily modify notes outside the key signature. Learn how long accidentals remain in effect when to use courtesy accidentals, and understand their role in creating musical variety.

In chapter 12, you'll learn how chords are built using three or more notes and discover how tonic triads use the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of scales. We cover the tonic triads in all four Grade 1 major keys, understand their role in harmony, and learn proper notation for writing chords on the staff.

In this chapter, you'll understand how to measure and identify the distance between any two notes using intervals. Learn to recognize both harmonic and melodic intervals up to an octave, starting from the tonic note in four major keys. Essential skills for reading melodies and understanding harmony.

In this chapter, we'll cover the three essential rules for grouping notes and rests: avoiding unnecessary ties, proper beaming, and correct rest placement. Learn specific guidelines for 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures to make your music clear and easy to read.