Music Theory Guide — Music Maestro

The Staff & Note Names

What is a staff?

Music is written on a staff — 5 lines and 4 spaces. Notes sit on the lines or in the spaces. The higher the note on the staff, the higher it sounds.

Treble Clef (𝄞) — right hand / higher notes

The treble clef curls around the G line (second from bottom) — that's why it's also called the G clef.

Memory Trick — Lines (bottom → top)

Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit
→ E · G · B · D · F

Memory Trick — Spaces (bottom → top)

The spaces spell a word: F · A · C · E = FACE

Bass Clef (𝄢) — left hand / lower notes

The bass clef's two dots surround the F line (fourth from bottom) — also called the F clef.

Memory Trick — Lines (bottom → top)

Good Boys Deserve Fine Apples
→ G · B · D · F · A

Memory Trick — Spaces (bottom → top)

All Cows Eat Grass → A · C · E · G

Middle C

Middle C sits on a short ledger line below the treble clef or above the bass clef. It's the C in the middle of the piano — a great landmark note!

Trick

Count up from the bottom of the treble clef: the first ledger line below the staff is Middle C (C4). Count down from the top of the bass clef: the first ledger line above is also Middle C.

Accidentals

Symbol	Name	Effect
♯	Sharp	Raises the note by one semitone
♭	Flat	Lowers the note by one semitone
♮	Natural	Cancels a sharp or flat

Note Values & Rests

Note values (in 4/4 time)

UK Name	US Name	Beats	Rest looks like
Semibreve	Whole note	4	𝄻 (hanging block)
Minim	Half note	2	𝄼 (sitting block)
Crotchet	Quarter note	1	𝄽 (zigzag)
Quaver	Eighth note	½	𝄾 (small zigzag)
Semiquaver	16th note	¼	𝄿 (double zigzag)

Trick — halving

Each shorter note is half the value of the one above: Semibreve → Minim → Crotchet → Quaver → Semiquaver. Double a note to go the other way!

Dotted notes

A dot after a note adds half of that note's value to it.

Note	= Note + …	Total beats
Dotted minim ♩.	Minim + crotchet	3 beats
Dotted crotchet ♩.	Crotchet + quaver	1½ beats
Dotted quaver ♩.	Quaver + semiquaver	¾ beat

Trick

Dot = add half. If the note is worth 2, the dot adds 1. If it's worth 1, the dot adds ½.

Rests — silence

Every note value has a matching rest (silence). The semibreve rest hangs from the 4th line; the minim rest sits on the 3rd line.

Trick — semibreve vs minim rest

The semibreve rest hangs DOWN like a heavy brick (it's heavier = 4 beats).
The minim rest sits UP like a hat (lighter = 2 beats).
"The heavy one hangs, the light one sits."

Time Signatures

The time signature appears at the start of a piece. It tells you:

Top number = how many beats per bar
Bottom number = what note gets one beat (4 = crotchet, 8 = quaver, 2 = minim)

Trick

The bottom number is like a fraction: 4 means "quarter" (crotchet), 8 means "eighth" (quaver), 2 means "half" (minim).

Simple time Grade 1

Sig	Beats	Beat note	Feel
2/4	2	Crotchet	March — ONE two ONE two
3/4	3	Crotchet	Waltz — ONE two three
4/4 (C)	4	Crotchet	Most pop songs — ONE two three four

Compound time Grade 2

Sig	Beats	Beat note	Feel
6/8	2	Dotted crotchet	Swung/lilting — ONE-and-a TWO-and-a
9/8	3	Dotted crotchet	3 compound beats — lilting waltz

Trick — simple vs compound

Simple time: each beat divides into 2. Compound time: each beat divides into 3 (dotted note as the beat). In 6/8, you feel 2 big beats, not 6 small ones!

Cut time Grade 3

Sig	Beats	Beat note	Also called
2/2 (𝄵)	2	Minim	Alla breve / Cut time — brisk marches

Key Signatures & Scales

Order of sharps & flats

Order of Sharps — FCGDAEB

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
→ F# · C# · G# · D# · A# · E# · B#

Order of Flats — BEADGCF (reverse of sharps!)

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father
→ Bb · Eb · Ab · Db · Gb · Cb · Fb

Major key signatures

Key	Sharps / Flats	Grade
C major	None	G1
G major	1 sharp: F#	G1
F major	1 flat: Bb	G1
D major	2 sharps: F# C#	G2
A major	3 sharps: F# C# G#	G2
E major	4 sharps: F# C# G# D#	G3
Bb major	2 flats: Bb Eb	G2
Eb major	3 flats: Bb Eb Ab	G2
Ab major	4 flats: Bb Eb Ab Db	G3

Trick — sharps keys

The key name is one semitone above the last sharp. E.g. the last sharp in D major is C# — one semitone above C# is D.

Trick — flats keys

The key name is the second-to-last flat. E.g. Bb major has 2 flats (Bb Eb) — the second-to-last is Bb. (Exception: F major = 1 flat, just memorise it.)

Scale patterns

Every major scale follows the same pattern of Tones (T = whole step) and Semitones (S = half step):

TTS TTTS

Trick

Two tones, semitone, three tones, semitone. The semitones are always between steps 3–4 and 7–8.

Harmonic minor scale Grade 2

TST TST+SS

The harmonic minor raises the 7th degree by a semitone, creating an augmented 2nd (3 semitones) between degrees 6 and 7. This gives it an exotic, dramatic sound!

Harmonic minor scales

Key	Notes	Key sig + raised 7th	Grade
A harmonic minor	A B C D E F G# A	No sharps/flats + G#	G1
D harmonic minor	D E F G A Bb C# D	1 flat (Bb) + C#	G1
E harmonic minor	E F# G A B C D# E	1 sharp (F#) + D#	G1
G harmonic minor	G A Bb C D Eb F# G	2 flats + F#	G2
C harmonic minor	C D Eb F G Ab B C	3 flats + B♮	G2

Intervals

How to count an interval

Count every letter name from the bottom note to the top note, including both notes.

Example: C → G = C(1) D(2) E(3) F(4) G(5) = a 5th.

Trick

Always count the bottom note as "1". Never start at 0!

Interval quality Grade 2+

Quality	Applies to	Semitones (e.g.)
Perfect	Unison, 4th, 5th, Octave	P4 = 5, P5 = 7
Major	2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th	M3 = 4, M6 = 9
Minor	2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th	m3 = 3, m7 = 10
Diminished	Perfect intervals − 1 semitone	d5 = 6

Recognise intervals by song

Every interval has a famous song that starts with it. Train your ears!

Minor 2ndJaws theme (duh-DUN)

Major 2ndHappy Birthday (Hap-py)

Minor 3rdSmoke on the Water · Greensleeves

Major 3rdWhen the Saints Go Marching In · Oh! Susanna

Perfect 4thHere Comes the Bride · Amazing Grace · O Christmas Tree

Diminished 5thThe Simpsons theme · Maria (West Side Story)

Perfect 5thStar Wars theme · Twinkle Twinkle (second note)

Minor 6thThe Entertainer · Love Story (Francis Lai)

Major 6thMy Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean · NBC chime

Minor 7thSomewhere (West Side Story) · Star Trek theme

Major 7thTake On Me · Somewhere Over the Rainbow (2nd interval)

OctaveSomewhere Over the Rainbow (first two notes)

Chords & Cadences

Building a triad

A triad is a 3-note chord built by stacking 3rds: root, 3rd, 5th.

Type	3rd above root	5th above root	Sound
Major	Major 3rd (4 semitones)	Perfect 5th (7 semitones)	Happy, bright
Minor	Minor 3rd (3 semitones)	Perfect 5th (7 semitones)	Sad, dark

Trick

Major chord = big 3rd + small 3rd stacked (4+3 semitones).
Minor chord = small 3rd + big 3rd stacked (3+4 semitones). Just swap the order!

Inversions Grade 3

Position	Lowest note	Example (C major)
Root position	Root (1st)	C – E – G
1st inversion	3rd	E – G – C
2nd inversion	5th	G – C – E

Primary triads Grade 3

The three most important chords in a key are built on the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees:

Roman numeral	Name	In C major
I	Tonic	C – E – G
IV	Subdominant	F – A – C
V	Dominant	G – B – D

Cadences Grade 3

Cadence	Chords	Sound / Feel
Perfect	V → I	Strong ending — like a full stop
Plagal	IV → I	Soft ending — "Amen" in hymns

Trick

Perfect = V→I (think "Five to One — done!").
Plagal = IV→I (think "Four to One — Amen").

Music Terms (Italian)

Tempo (speed)

Term	Meaning	Grade
Adagio	Slowly	G1
Andante	At a walking pace	G1
Moderato	At a moderate speed	G1
Allegro	Fast and lively	G1
Presto	Very fast	G1
Lento / Largo	Slowly / Very slow and broad	G2
Allegretto	Moderately fast (a little slower than Allegro)	G2
Vivace	Lively and fast	G2
Prestissimo	Extremely fast	G3

Dynamics (volume)

Symbol / Term	Meaning	Grade
p (piano)	Soft	G1
f (forte)	Loud	G1
cresc.	Getting louder	G1
dim. / decresc.	Getting softer	G1
pp / ff	Very soft / Very loud	G2
mp / mf	Moderately soft / Moderately loud	G2
sfz (sforzando)	Sudden strong accent	G3

Trick — dynamics order (softest → loudest)

pp · p · mp · mf · f · ff
Pianissimo · Piano · Mezzo-piano · Mezzo-forte · Forte · Fortissimo

Expression & style

Term	Meaning	Grade
Legato	Smoothly connected	G1
Staccato	Short and detached	G1
Cantabile	In a singing style	G2
Sostenuto	Sustained	G2
Dolce	Sweetly	G3
Con brio	With spirit	G3
Scherzando	Playfully	G3
Tranquillo	Calmly	G3

→ Practice all terms with flashcards

Cadences

What is a cadence?

A cadence is a pair of chords that ends a phrase — like a musical full stop or comma. The chord built on each degree of the scale has a Roman numeral:

Degree	Roman numeral	In C major
1st (tonic)	I	C major
4th (subdominant)	IV	F major
5th (dominant)	V	G major
6th (submediant)	VI	A minor

Perfect Cadence — V → I G1

The perfect cadence (also called an authentic cadence) goes from chord V to chord I. It sounds finished — like a musical full stop.

Memory Trick

V → I = "done!" — think of it as coming home. In C major: G major → C major. It's the most common ending in music.

Sound like…

The ending of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" — that final G → C is a perfect cadence!

Plagal Cadence — IV → I G1

The plagal cadence goes from chord IV to chord I. It sounds gentle and settled — softer than a perfect cadence.

Memory Trick

IV → I = "Amen" — this is the "Amen" cadence you hear at the end of hymns. In C major: F major → C major.

Imperfect Cadence — ends on V G3

An imperfect cadence ends on chord V. It sounds unfinished — like a musical comma, leaving you expecting more.

Memory Trick

Ends on V = "not finished yet…" Any chord → V. Common: I → V or IV → V. In C major: C major → G major.

Interrupted Cadence — V → VI G3

The interrupted cadence (also called a deceptive cadence) goes from chord V to chord VI — a surprise! You expect V → I, but get VI instead.

Memory Trick

V → VI = "surprise!" — the music tricks your ear. In C major: G major → A minor. Listen for the "wait, that's not right!" feeling.

Quick summary

Cadence	Chords	Feeling	Grade
Perfect	V → I	Finished	G1
Plagal	IV → I	Gentle / "Amen"	G1
Imperfect	any → V	Unfinished…	G3
Interrupted	V → VI	Surprise!	G3

→ Practice identifying cadences in Chord Game

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