Music Theory in Practice
Music Theory in Practice
Pitch and Melody
- Understand the concept of pitch, which refers to how high or low a sound is.
- Identify intervals, the distance between two pitches, including major, minor, perfect, diminished, and augmented.
- Explore melodies, sequences of pitches that create a distinct musical line.
- Learn to recognise and compose musical phrases and motifs.
Rhythm and Tempo
- Understand the concept of rhythm, the pattern of sounds and silences in music.
- Learn the value and grouping of various types of notes and rests, such as whole, half, quarter and eighth.
- Recognise how tempos like Adagio, Allegro, or Presto affect the pace of a piece of music.
- Explore the effect of rhythmic devices such as syncopation and polyrhythm.
Harmony and Tonality
- Learn how chords are constructed and categorised, such as major, minor, diminished and augmented.
- Understand the concept of tonality, including keys and scales.
- Get comfortable with terms relating to harmony like consonance, dissonance, and modulation.
- Grasp the basic principles of cadences and their different types: perfect, imperfect, plagal and interrupted.
Texture and Dynamics
- Familiarise with different types of texture in music, including monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, and heterophonic.
- Learn about different dynamics and their notations, such as piano, forte, crescendo, and diminuendo.
- Understand how changing dynamics can influence the mood and impact of a musical piece.
Music Notation
- Learn how to read and write in standard notation including notes, rests, clefs, keys, and time signatures.
- Understand how to interpret additional notational symbols and instructions including articulation marks, dynamic marks and other performance directions.
- Look at examples of notated music and see if you can identify relevant elements of music theory.
Applying Music Theory
- Practice using theory knowledge when performing, composing, or listening to music.
- Analyse music, identify musical elements, and understand how they work together to create a piece.
- See how understanding of theory can enhance how you express yourself in music.