Trinity Grade 7 Music Theory

Welcome to the Trinity Grade 7 Music Theory Start Page!

On this page you can find the syllabus information, and links to the free and paid Trinity Grade 7 Music Theory lessons available on this site.

You will find a large number of free lessons on this website, or get the full Trinity Grade 7 Music Theory course in your preferred format:

Trinity Grade 7 Syllabus

Rhythm and Form

• Irregular rhythmic groupings (e.g. quintuplets, 5:4)
• Unusual time signatures — 9/4, 12/4, 2/8, 4/8, 6/16, 9/16, 12/16 and 16/32
• Notational shorthand
• Rondo and sonata rondo forms
• Coda
• Scherzo and trio
• Sonata form
• Sonatina
• The number and type of movements likely to be found in Classical sonatas, string quartets and symphonies — definitions for each as defined in the workbook
• 12-bar blues

Composers and General Knowledge

Classical period as defined in the workbook
Layout of Classical scores (for orchestra and string quartet) as defined in the workbook
Blues style as defined in the workbook

Composers of particular relevance to this grade are those writing in the Classical period (approximately 1750–1830), e.g. the early works of Beethoven, and works by J Haydn and W A Mozart

Pitch

• Transferring a short extract from close to open score for string quartet, or vice versa
• Recognising and writing all pentatonic major, pentatonic minor, and blues scales
• Recognising and writing Dorian mode scales starting on C, D, F or G
• Identifying an extract written using Dorian mode
• Recognising and writing whole-tone scales
• Writing an 8-bar melody using notes from the major, minor, pentatonic major, pentatonic minor, blues or whole-tone scales or using notes from the Aeolian or Dorian mode
• Identifying modulation turning points through pivot notes, pivot chords and diminished 7th or dominant 7th chords
• Recognising and writing secondary 7ths
• Recognising and writing pre-cadential chord progressions
• Recognising and writing suspensions in a harmonic sequence
• Labelling the chords of a phrase of a chorale/hymn in Roman numerals and chord symbols, and completing it with an appropriate 3-chord progression (bass line given)
• Recognising and writing Tierce de Picardie and inverted cadences – including ivb–V (Phrygian cadence)
• Transposing a simple 12-bar blues chord progression (I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V) and writing an accompaniment using it in piano style (block chords or vamping)
• Recognising Alberti bass and other features in Classical piano/string composition
• Inversion of pedal points and melodies
• Transposing a melody for any transposing instrument for the grade (transposing intervals to be known include those for Grade 6 and also treble recorder, clarinet in A, soprano saxophone in Bb, baritone saxophone in Eb, tenor horn in Eb), also understanding the way Baroque/Classical composers notated music for brass/timpani in orchestral scores
• Ranges of timpani, tenor horn in Eb, trombone (tenor and bass), as defined in the workbook
  
• Musical terms and symbols

Download the complete Trinity Music Theory Syllabus here.