Music Theory Lessons Online

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Last Updated on 2 June 2026 by Victoria Williams

Pass ABRSM & Trinity Music Theory (Grades 1–8)

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Take a short test to find out what Music Theory Grade you are.

Try not to guess - if you are not sure of an answer, just skip to the next question.

1 / 24

What is the name of this note?

note name

2 / 24

What key is this the tonic triad of?

triad

D major

F major

C major

G major

3 / 24

Which note would need an accidental in the key of F major?

4 / 24

Which of the following bars is grouped correctly?

5 / 24

Complete the sentence by typing a number.
This time signature means there are _______ minim (half note) beats per bar.

error

6 / 24

What is the key of this melody?
key

E minor

G major

D minor

C major

7 / 24

Which two notes are missing from this scale of D minor harmonic?
scale

Bb and C#

Bb and C

B and C

B and C#

8 / 24

Which of the below notes is a major 6th higher than this note?
note

9 / 24

What does sostenuto mean?

sleepily

in time

sustained

quickly

10 / 24

Look at these notes then choose the correct sentence.

1 is higher than 2

2 is higher than 1

1 and 2 are the same pitch

11 / 24

Which of the below notes is the correct enharmonic equivalent of this note?
note

12 / 24

What type of interval is this?

note note

Augmented

Major

Perfect

Minor

Diminished

13 / 24

Transpose this key signature up a minor 3rd.

key sig

14 / 24

What type of cadence is this?
cadence

Imperfect

Perfect

Plagal

15 / 24

What is the name of this note? note

16 / 24

Which of these is a correctly written 5/3 chord?

17 / 24

Which of these chord progression is not a typical cadence used in the Classical era?

IV-V

V-VI

VI-V

V-IV

18 / 24

The key is B minor. What is this chord?

chord

V7c

ii°a

vii°b

iv7d

19 / 24

Which feature is not present in this extract?

music

Changing note

2nd inversion chord

Inverted pedal

Syncopation

20 / 24

What type of chord is this?
chord

Diminished 7th

Dominant 7th

Neapolitan 6th

Italian 6th

21 / 24

Which of these chord progressions is most likely to be found in a Bach chorale?

vi-IV-ii-I

vii°-V-IV-ii

I-iii-V-IV

vi-ii-V-I

22 / 24

What type of chord is this?

chord

German 6th

Picardy 6th

Italian 6th

French 6th

23 / 24

A symphonic score includes parts for contrabassoon, four tubas and six harps. Who is the likely composer?

Telemann

Debussy

Handel

Wagner

24 / 24

Which two chords use identical "sounding" notes, but are written with enharmonic equivalents and are therefore functionally different?

German 6th and dominant 7th

German 6th and diminished 7th

Diminished 7th and dominant 7th

Your score is

Take this short test for a rough and ready assessment of your music theory knowledge according to the British Grades system!

Grade 1 = beginner and Grade 8 = ready to study at university!

Grade 5 is the average/intermediate level of most musicians who are playing at grade 6 and above.

Find lots more quizzes here!

Lessons for:

ABRSM Grades 1-8
Trinity Grades 1-8
Trinity AMusTCL Diploma
GCSE & A Level
AMEB and AP

Victoria Williams:

BA (Hons) Music, Leeds UK 1995
AMusTCL (Distinction) & LMusTCL
LCM Grade 8 Composition (Distinction)
ARSM
MISM

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Grade 3 is a step up and I'm finding it a lot more challenging, but the videos are very good and easy to navigate and repeat to look again at the more difficult areas to learn. You have an excellent set up and it's good value. Ian

6. May, 2026.

I have just been looking over your modern song composition guide. This is really excellent. I like how it is so comprehensive yet succinct and giving so much useful detail. It demystifies modern song writing for me as I am currently only familiar with classical music theory. I look forward to getting this knowledge under my belt and using it in my compositions. Bernice

6. May, 2026.

I’ve bought the books at Grades 6, 7 and 8. Although I’m not taking the exams, I’m finding the books very useful, with their clarity, worked examples, etc. I have recommended them on the Tonebase website of which I am a member.

24. April, 2026.

Thank you so much. I am so grateful to have discovered your program! So much more informative than the other book series. I am learning the material much better and faster now, thanks to your program.

24. April, 2026.

Just a short email to say that I passed grade 8 theory. This has been a long road, but a very satisfying one – I started learning music theory almost exclusively with your website way back in 2011. There is no way I could have passed these exams without your help and teachings. Thank you so very much. Once I passed grade 5 theory, I decided to change careers to being a media composer (and I still am one to this day). You’re changing lives. Thank you so much.

24. April, 2026.