Intervals – Can I Count Semitones?
Can I Count Semitones (half steps) to Work out Musical Intervals? Short answer: No. About once every few months or so I get an email from someone who has counted …
The Circle of 5ths
The Circle of Fifths The most useful tool in music theory is the circle of 5ths. This is a wheel or clock-like diagram which helps you to remember lots of different aspects …
Trinity Grade 5 Music Theory
Welcome to the Trinity Grade 5 Music Theory start page! On this page you can find the syllabus information, and links to the free and paid Trinity Grade 5 Music …
Identifying the Key
Identifying the Key The key signature at the start of a piece of music represents one major key, and one minor key. In sharp major keys, the sharp written furthest …
Modulation
Modulation “Modulation” in music means “change of key”. A modulation can happen with or without a change of key signature, and in fact, most modulations do not include a change …
Auxiliary Notes
Ordinary Auxiliary Notes Auxiliary notes are non-chord notes which are approached and quit in the opposite direction by step. They are usually unaccented. Auxiliary notes occur between two chord notes …
Accented Passing Notes
Accented passing notes fall on the beat, instead of between the beats. Here are some undecorated chords. There are thirds in the soprano part which could be decorated with unaccented …
Chord II – The Supertonic
You should already be familiar with the tonic, dominant and subdominant chords/triads. If not, please see Triads and Chords before reading this lesson! The chord built up from the 2nd …
Intervals in a Score
In your music theory exam, you might be given a musical score, with questions about finding or naming intervals in that score. There are a few extra things to keep …
Key Signatures
Relative Major and Minor Keys Each key signature represents one major key, and one minor key. These two keys are called “relative” keys – they share a key signature because …