Theory & Impro I don't think I "have it" :-( (Music Theory)

[MandyH]

I have been having weekly music theory lessons since the start of September. My aim is to take the ABRSM grade 6 theory exam.
But, so far, the light bulb has not come on.

I understand everything that my tutor tells me in the lesson, but when left to do a question on my own, I don't stand a chance!

My current challenge is composition, but I was just as challenged on harmonising last term.

I taught myself up to grade 5 theory, and got 94% in the exam! But, for me, there are too many variables at grade 6, grade 5 was very "black and white".

I live in hope that if I stick at the lessons, then there will be a "Eureka" moment.....eventually!

 

[Veggie Dave]

As I'm someone who's never done the exams, can you give us an example, please?

 

[GiGi]

I have been having weekly music theory lessons since the start of September. My aim is to take the ABRSM grade 6 theory exam.
But, so far, the light bulb has not come on.

I understand everything that my tutor tells me in the lesson, but when left to do a question on my own, I don't stand a chance!

My current challenge is composition, but I was just as challenged on harmonising last term.

I taught myself up to grade 5 theory, and got 94% in the exam! But, for me, there are too many variables at grade 6, grade 5 was very "black and white".

I live in hope that if I stick at the lessons, then there will be a "Eureka" moment.....eventually!

Oooooffff... respect. Why do you want to do the exams?

 

[jbtsax]

There will be that "Eureka moment" sooner or later. Just stick with it. If it happens as you are bathing, make sure to wrap a towel around you before running around shouting to the rooftops. 🙂

It sounds as if the key is to practice applying the principles learned through Grade 6. I'm sure you will avail yourself to all of the practice materials available. Like everything else, it gets easier with practice.

 

[kevgermany]

Good luck. My sieve head can't even remember simple tunes when I'm playing, let alone theory.

 

[Jeanette]

Stick with it Mandy I am sure it will come 🙂

Jx

 

[richardr]

I don't know what kind of player MandyH is but from the news she's given us of her exploits I'd guess that her main skill is translating sheet music into sound. Now she's being faced with the theory of harmonisation and composition, which seems to me to amount to writing her own dots as opposed to reading someone else's and playing them. I'd guess that you can learn all the theory that's available but you aren't going to be able to compose or arrange without that spark of originality whereby a tune or a sound comes into your mind, at which point you need the theory to write it down and make it work.
I wonder whether MandyH could take a step sideways by playing with a jazz band where she has to improvise? Improvisation is new music done on the spur of the moment; composition is where you write down the ideas and refine them.
A relative of mine did theory up to Grade 8 which included doing an original composition. Said relative was bereft of ideas so we made up a tune in a family conference. It was fairly dire but it served its purpose, being served up in different guises for a succession of exams, all of which she passed with flying colours.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I have no idea what the current grade 5 theory syllabus is, but if it's any consolation when I was studying it, it made no sense to me at all really. But at the same time I was studying functional (jazz) harmony and that made total sense.

 

[Colin the Bear]

You can't force it. Just let it come to you. I find it's more of an absorption process than anything else.

If the theory is the picture on the box then the music is the jig saw puzzle inside. Some start with the corners, some find all the straight edges and some just start finding matching pieces and putting them together. I try not to get hung up on looking for one missing piece. Keep your eye on the big picture.

 

[Tenor Viol]

When I did G6 theory 18 months ago, the composition question was my weakest as you're at the mercy of the given extract to continue. In the old papers I did, I was fine, but the question on the day threw me as I couldn't work out what key the preferred question was in and I needed to modulate to answer the question.

The question usually asks you to continue a tune for a nominated instrument and will advise if you should modulate or not. They are looking for writing appropriately for the nominated instrument - so strings are different to woodwind for example. This means having some awareness of instrumental range and stylistic items for the instrument.

 

[Ivan]

... I needed to modulate to answer the question....

'Modulate'?

Musical term for bull***t?

 

[Nick Wyver]

'Modulate'?

Musical term for bull***t?

Nope. It means change key - which is difficult if you can't work out what key you're in to start with.

 

[Ivan]

Nope. It means change key - which is difficult if you can't work out what key you're in to start with.

Mines woz funnier

 

[MandyH]

So this mornings lesson was just as bad as last weeks lesson!

After he picked my answer apart, I think 2 or my 6 bars made the cut!

This week he has suggested that I take the given beginning and play it on my sax, meeting the necessary modulation at the ending.
He said, when I like a melody that I have improvised, then I should write it down.

It's a different approach, I guess, but I can hardly take my sax to the exam!

Still, I am not planning to take the exam in. March (because it occurs in the same week that I am giving a concert, and that is far more important to me) so I have a few months to continue failing / trying to succeed.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I'll keep chipping away. And @jbtsax I'll remember the bath towel when the.Eureka moment occurs.

 

[fibracell]

The only thing I would say is to try to sing the phrase and then develop what comes naturally. There are lots of stock composition tricks you can use like making a sequence and varying the sequence the 3rd time etc. You can also practice singing motifs and developing them to resolve in the modulation keys - getting use to the chromatic leading tone moving to the new key . In my view, the best composition tool is your voice - just sing what seems natural, and it will generally be the most musical.

just my 2 cents..

 

[Tenor Viol]

I think I have my examples of past papers - I'll try to copy them and send them to you

 

[Colin the Bear]

Quite entertaining at school watching the music teacher reading a manuscript and moving to the music. I suppose if you stick at it long enough you can hear the dots.

 

[jbtsax]

Quite entertaining at school watching the music teacher reading a manuscript and moving to the music. I suppose if you stick at it long enough you can hear the dots.

Quite true. After years of reading scores to band pieces I can pretty much hear in my "mind's ear" what a new piece sounds like by looking at the "dots" as you call them. Try looking at a lead sheet for a tune you know and you will see how you can hear the music as you follow along the printed score. It's when you hear a different tune than the one you are looking at that you really need to worry. 😱

 

[MandyH]

I have no problem working out rhythms from the dots, and I can hear the tune in my head in alto sax pitch (so not in concert pitch) but I guess that doesn't really matter as it's only the relative positions of the notes that matter when I am writing my composition.
I can't yet pitch a note when singing, and I am an appalling singer. I am working on my "ear-training" to improve that too.
I know I am a good sight-reader when it comes to playing sax. I may not be perfect, but I can make it through a piece first time.
I don't know if part of my "problem" is that I had little formal music education until 7 years ago when I took up sax playing, and because it's a single line instrument, it doesn't really matter when I play what the harmony is, as that only comes when 2/3/4 or more of us play together (all from sheet music)
I do believe that it is a "practice makes better" situation. The more I practice, the better and more fluent I will become. I just need to give it time with focussed practice.
I wonder if there is anything else that I can do which will have a beneficial impact on my music theory ability? - like listening to certain types of music, learning to play piano (that is not going to happen for many years!), videos, books....who knows?!

 

[MandyH]

Oooooffff... respect. Why do you want to do the exams?

As a personal challenge, mainly.

However, I believe I will need grade 6 if/when I come to take the middle level of Diplomas (the one I'm aiming for at the moment requires grade 5, but the next one requires grade 6)
I am under no illusion that the step up from grade 5 to grade 6 is significant, and my sax teacher, who helped me with grade 5 admitted readily that she couldn't help me with grade 6 and she had found it challenging at Uni herself.