Music Notation

At Grade 3 you will cover the following aspects of music notation:

• Understanding note lengths, and adding barlines

• Recognising note values

• Beaming notes correctly

• Understanding and adding time signatures: 3/8, 6/8, 12/8

• Understanding how to beam notes of different values, and adding missing notes where applicable

• Understanding and adding equivalent notes and rests

• Understanding note names: up to three ledger lines

• Recognising clefs

• Recognising notes on the stave, and understanding enharmonics

• Understanding repeat marks in beats and bars: Segno, D.S/ D.C al Coda and Fine

• Identifying and understanding dynamics: pp and ff

• Identifying and understanding articulation

• Understanding scales: major and minor

• Understanding triplets and swing notation

• Recognising improv directions

• Understanding vibrato

• Understanding fermata

Popular Music Harmony

At Grade 3 you will cover the following aspects of popular music harmony:

• Identifying intervals: perfect 4th and 5th

• Applying interval knowledge

• Identifying scale intervals

• Recognising tones and semitones

• Understanding, and writing, scales with accidentals

• Understanding, and writing, major pentatonic and minor pentatonic scales

• Understanding pentatonic melodies: major and minor

• Understanding, and applying, scale knowledge, including the harmonised major scale

• Identifying arpeggios

• Understanding chords, and harmonised major scales, including diatonic chords

• Understanding, and writing, chords

• Recognising chord charts

• Creating chord charts from roman numerals

• Application of chord knowledge

• Recognising melodic and harmonic intervals

• Understanding notation: 3 sharps and flats

Band Knowledge

At Grade 3 you will cover the following aspects of band knowledge:

• Identification of Drum kit parts

• Identification of Guitar and Bass Guitar parts

• Identification of keys on acoustic and electronic piano keyboards

• Understanding vocal pitch ranges

• Understanding and identifying varied instrumental notation

• Understanding and identifying instrumental scores and clefs

• Understanding and recognising musical symbols on instrumental scores

Band Analysis

At Grade 3 you will cover the following aspects of band analysis:

• Understanding scores with up to three different instruments

• Identification of tempo including an understanding of BPM

• Understanding time signature

• Recognising chord symbols

• Instrument-specific techniques

• Understanding pitch

• Recognising dynamic markings

• Identifying scalic patterns

• Recognising Intervals

• Recognising arpeggiated chords

• Understanding articulation

• Recognising keys

• Genre-specific features of the music

• Understanding note values: including equivalent notes and rests

• Understanding musical devices in a variety of band scores

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.