support Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces

New Year's Resolution - Grade 5 Theory

The largest interval in the sop part is a 9th. Sop part is identified by the tails going up (for notes that have tails). You ignore the notes tails down. So it's the 9th D-E aka compound major 2nd. What Mandy said.
 
"Compound" is a description of an interval I have not heard before. I have deduced that it means with an octave added. Is this a British term like "chuffed"? :)
I think it must be :)

I've never heard it used in practice and must say it seems easier to me than the alternative :)

Jx
 
From the pink book:
078C4495-EFAB-4065-AB32-5F3801ACEDF9.jpeg
 
I don't think it's particularly British; just not very commonly used.

"compound major 3rd" only gets 175 hits on google. Perhaps it'll be 176 after I've posted this. "major 10th" gets 38,600 which is also surprisingly few imo.
 
A 'compound' interval is certainly a term I have been familiar with for a long time. I agree I'm more likely to say a 10th than a compound major third... I can't remember whether I learnt the term in my teens doing O Level music, or when I did my OU music theory course in my early 40s....
 
Help, I'm revising?

There is something I am not getting re chords or I had it and have forgotten...

I've just done 3 exercises to enter the chords for a piece of music and chose the wrong chord twice. I got them right when I was studying but don't understand why my I'm wrong. See pics :)
15391135960309038300324369342811.jpg


The ones with a X are wrong

Jx
 
I think it helps if you write in all the chords.

In the first example, I think the chord should be a II, but I can't say why.
So I think the chord sequence in the first two bars should be I, IV, II, V
Your answer says I, IV, IV, V, which seems acceptable to me, but not as interesting.

In the second example (Baa Baa Black Sheep), the harmony should settle down in bar 4 ("wool"), rather than hang unresolved. So a "I" chord is more appropriate than a V.
Your version would be I, I, IV, V : IV, I, V, I
I think the "correct" version is I, I, IV, I : IV, I, V, I

Edit: first chord in second half of Black Sheep is a IV, not a V
 
Last edited:
When you were studying these, did the "chords" only have one note in?
I've looked back at my grade 5 past papers (which may be different from current grade 5 papers because of the change in the format of the exam paper) but all of my "give the chord" questions have at least 2 relevant notes in them, making it much more obvious which chord was needed.

The chords can only be I II IV or V at grade 5, and the question is asking you to consider the cadence at that point.

Therefore you may need to be humming the tune and trying to decide what happens at that point in the tune, so trying to decide if you'd need a Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect or Interrupted cadence.

This would mean that you also need a good idea for how each cadence feels/ sounds.

Are these examples from a ABRSM grade 5 publication?

I've found that whilst some books may offer the right knowledge, they don't do it in a way that is relevant and pertinent to the ABRSM exams.
 
Who said that they are wrong?

They are both viable in that they fit with the melody notes but there are better choices.

Assuming you only have I II IV and V to play with:

In the first one there is a IV chord in the second half of the previous bar. A change in harmony would be reinforce the time signature so a II would be better here.

The second one is ba baa baa black sheep and you usually hear a I at the point where you have a V, The V chord is usually be followed by a I but there's a IV in the next bar.

Is this grade 6? If so, the real marking criteria seems to be a little bit more subjective than just right and wrong for each choice.

ABRSM: Music Theory marking criteria: Grades 6-8
 
I just realised, in baa baa black sheep you've got consecutive octaves between the bass and the melody so it's definitely wrong. If there had been a first inversion in the next bar you could have got away with it.
 
I just realised, in baa baa black sheep you've got consecutive octaves between the bass and the melody so it's definitely wrong. If there had been a first inversion in the next bar you could have got away with it.
This is grade 5.
I’m pretty sure consecutive octaves/ Fifths are not considered nor are inversions in the chords.
 
Actually this was this year's new years resolution but for a variety of reasons which I won't bore you with it hasn't happened. However I have started serious structured study and intend sitting it some time in 2017.
So two years on I sat my grade 5 theory today. I can't believe how nervous I was. However I'm now experiencing a calm satisfaction and sense of achievement, the exam doesn't matter really apart from a sense of pride but I've studied hard and learnt a lot so am pleased.

Just want to say a big thank you to all who answered my questions over the last couple of years and also to @Pete Thomas and @aldevis who both promptly dealt with some last minute panic misunderstanding last night :)

:thanks3:

Jx
 
So two years on I sat my grade 5 theory today. I can't believe how nervous I was. However I'm now experiencing a calm satisfaction and sense of achievement, the exam doesn't matter really apart from a sense of pride but I've studied hard and learnt a lot so am pleased.

Just want to say a big thank you to all who answered my questions over the last couple of years and also to @Pete Thomas and @aldevis who both promptly dealt with some last minute panic misunderstanding last night :)

:thanks3:

Jx
Just done mine tonight too, not as bad as I was expecting.
 
Well done @Jeanette and @Martin O and any other cafe lurkers who may also have sat a Music Theory exam yesterday.

Just that little wait for the results, but I am sure you will have all passed wonderfully with flying colours.

As you've said, it isn't the end result so much as what you've learnt on the way.
 

Support Cafesaxophone

Tutorials CDs PPT mouthpieces
Back
Top Bottom