Music Notation

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of music notation:

• Understanding rhythm: halving and doubling rhythmic values, 6/8 and 12/8, half notes and triplets

• Understanding pitch: 8va and 8vb symbols, ledger lines

• Understanding dynamics and articulation

• Re-writing scores with a new time signature

• Understanding and recognising trills

• Identifying note names up to four ledger lines

• Understanding time signatures of the same sound with different notation

• Recognising triplets

• Understanding the use of key signatures and accidentals in major and minor scales

Popular Music Harmony

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of popular music harmony:

• Identifying intervals: major 6th and 7th

• Understanding scales: pentatonic and variants

• Applying scale knowledge: Blues scale

• Adding accidentals to scales

• Writing and understanding scales

• Writing and understanding accidentals

• Naming chords: maj7, min7, dom7, m7b5

• Applying chord knowledge: roman numeral progressions

• Understanding key signatures up to four sharps and flats (Emaj, Abmaj)

Band Knowledge

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of band knowledge:

• Identification of Drum kit parts

• Identification of Guitar and Bass Guitar parts

• Identification of keys: acoustic and electronic piano keyboards

• Understanding vocal pitch ranges

• Different techniques used across instrumental disciplines

• Understanding and identifying varied instrumental notation

• Understanding and identifying instrumental scores and clefs

• Understanding of musical symbols

Band Analysis

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of band analysis:

• Understanding scores with up to four different instruments

• Recognising keys

• Recognising chord symbols, including roman numerals

• Instrumental features and techniques across all disciplines

• Understanding tempo markings

• Recognising note values and duration

• Recognising pitches across different instrumental notation

• Understanding dynamic markings

• Understanding articulation markings

• Understanding melodic intervals

• Recognising musical devices on a multi-instrumental score

• Recognising musical genres

• Understanding genre-specific instrumental techniques

• Understanding scales

• Recognising key musical terminology on a notated score

Digital Popular Music Theory Exams

We’ve been working hard to make our Popular Music Theory Exams available online, and we’re delighted to announce that is now possible to continue your musical progression from the comfort of your own home.

The content of the exams remains largely unchanged and an interactive sheet music editor means you and your students’ exam experience will be straightforward and accessible.

You can learn more about how our Digital Popular Music Theory exams work, including how to enter for an individual exam or arrange a private exam day, here, and download the full list of FAQs below.

During your music theory exam, you will be expected to complete some tasks which involve writing notation. These are completed using software called ‘Flat’, which is embedded into the online exam system. Please download the guidance below for instructions on how to access the software and some sample tasks to help you practise prior to your exam day.