Grade Seven Music Theory

A complete course for students taking the ABRSM Grade 7 music theory exam.

This book takes you through each topic with a step-by-step approach. The topic in each unit is explained in simple terms with several musical examples, and is then followed by a page of consolidation exercises so that you can immediately practice your new-found knowledge. Model answers are provided.

The course covers the ABRSM syllabus for Grade Seven, which is a pre-advanced level.

The course is broken down into four sections, which mirror the way the exam paper is organised - figured bass, harmonic reconstruction, composition and score-based analysis questions.

In the figured bass section, you will build on the basic figured bass knowledge you gained at grade 6. You will extend your "harmonic vocabulary" to include chords with an added 7th (e.g. V7 or II7), with an added 9th (e.g. V9) and also learn about how dissonant suspensions are handled in figured bass four-part harmony, and how modulation works in figured bass. This section will also teach you specifically how to answer question 1 in the ABRSM grade 7 exam paper, which asks you to supply the figured bass to a given bass and melody line.

In the harmonic reconstruction question, you are asked to expand a given "skeleton framework" into a musical-sounding keyboard piece (in 4-part harmony) by adding recognised melodic decoration in an appropriate way. You will learn about the various types of non-chord notes, such as passing notes, appoggiaturas (accented passing notes), auxiliary notes, suspensions, anticipations and retardations. You will also learn how a melody can be decorated with additional chord notes, such as harmonic auxiliary notes. This section teaches you a step-by-step method for tackling question 2 in the grade 7 exam.

The third section in the course covers composition. At grade 7, you may be asked to compose a melody line which fits a given piano accompaniment - you'll learn how to fit a melody on top of another one. An alternative question is to compose a melody to a given chord progression, so this section will also teach you how to tackle this second type of question, and how to achieve top marks, whichever question you choose.

Last but not least (because it's worth 50% of the whole exam ) we cover the score analysis question. You will learn a wide range of interpretive skills, including transposition into or out of concert pitch, harmonic analysis, notation knowledge, awareness of stylistic eras and much more.

Perfect for self-study, or to use with your music teacher.

Ample musical illustrations and exercises are included, with model answers provided. Each page has been carefully designed to be suitable for photocopying.

This book is "bilingual", and contains both UK and USA musical terminology.