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Hello everyone

I just wanted to ask for some tips on teaching grade 5 theory, specifically how to find the key signature of an excerpt of music. I'm a conservatorie piano student and although I can do these exercises myself, much of it is guesswork ie telling the last note and thinking harmonically etc. I don't know where to start teaching it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot!

Grade 5 of which system in which country? If you are in a conservatoire, you would have a teacher. Is nobody teaching this? Is there any book being recommended to go along with this theory?


Does that mean that you intend to teach this theory? You have students studying with you, who may be preparing for the grade 5 theory exam themselves? Or are you the student, who is trying to figure this out?

For RCM there is a standard resource book, but atm we don't know what country or system you are with.

Hi there
I teach all grades of theory. You could take a look at my website which is www.mymusictheory.com - I have a lot of teachers who are members.

Your question isn't 100% clear: are you talking about "key" or "key signature". Finding the key signature is pretty easy, and I think as a conservatoire student you can most likely do that standing on your head. Finding the key of an excerpt which has modulated is a bit harder. Basically you need to be looking for a V-I progression in the new key. Say the piece starts in E minor, then somewhere in the middle you see notes which build up into the chords of D major and G major (they could be incomplete chords, but the root and third should be there), at this point the music will be either modulating to or moving through the key of G major (relative major). You wouldn't find those two chords as part of E minor, because in E minor the progression is III-VII, which is not part of functional harmony. In many cases the V chord will be fortified with the addition of a 7th, so you get D7-G, for example.

In grade 5 theory you are always shown the bars and asked the key (as opposed to locating where the piece changes key). It is really just a matter of working out what the chords are, then assuming one is a chord V and the other is a chord I, you can work out the key from there.

PM me if you need any more help.

I'm assuming this is ABRSM and that you are finding the key signature of a single line melody which has been written out using accidentals?

I'm not familiar with the ABRSM tests, but there are a few tricks to answering these kind of questions:

1) Read the last note. If it spells a chord at the end, read the lowest note (the root, usually).

2) If it's a single line, then take out all the accidentals. Line them up according to the order of sharps (FCGDAEB) or flats (BEADGCF). That will quickly lead you to the key signature.

If it's not incredibly chromatic, the music usually will be obviously in a major or minor key according to the key signature.

3) If the music is in minor, then usually there's a raised 7th for the harmonic form of the minor, and that will easily guide you to the tonic (a half step up). And you can double-check this answer with the flats/sharps found in the piece.

Hi,

I don't know which grade 5 theory board you mention here. If it is Grade 5 ABRSM, it's quite straight forward. First, listed the key signature that you see, then include accidentals, then you have to summarize what you got at the end. Listed all the possibilities key that might have for those key signatures and accidentals that you have, crossing out those impossible. Then you can have your answer.

EX: tricky occasion

Key signature F# C# G#,
Accidentals A#

It can be F# C# G# D# A#= B major, because it can't be harmonic or melodic of 3 or 4 sharps, other reason: no key have missing D# if there must be A#.
If there's no D#, it might because D note doesn't exist in the score.

I don't now what situation you have but this is some tricky occasion that I remembered.