Transcript Slide 1

Year 7
Music Theory (Pitch and Rhythm)
 Melody Writing Rules
 Instruments of the Orchestra, including their
families and pitch range
 Benjamin Britten’s ‘Young Person’s Guide to the
Orchestra’
WORK YOUR WAY THROUGH THIS POWER
POINT TO CHECK YOU KNOW ALL THAT
YOU NEED TO
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For your exam you will need to know all of the Pitches on the
treble and bass clef
There will tests a) recognising notes
Quick Class Pitch Test: Music Theory
Use the notation tests on the following website to practice:
musictheory.net
Rhythm and Rests up to and including a semiquaver a) adding
notes to complete bars
Time Signatures a) inserting correct time signatures b) adding bar
lines to fit time signatures
EXAMPLE TESTS ARE GIVEN ON THE NEXT PAGES
ALL THE RHYTHM AND PITCH YOU NEED TO
KNOW ARE ON FROG, IN TWO FILES IN THE
YEAR 7 REVISION FOLDER CALLED ‘PITCH’ AND
‘RHYTHM’
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Reasons why a melody is not a suitable answer
phrase (The melody writing rules are on the
next slide for you to revise)
Writing a suitable answer phrase: Here is one
to practice with below
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Question and Answer/ Balanced phrases of equal
length (ideally 2 bar or four bar phrases)
The Rhythm of the answer phrase should
balance/echo the rhythm of the question phrase
Start the first phrase on the tonic note
Finish the last phrase on the tonic note
Finish the first phrase on the 5th note of the scale (the
dominant)
Mainly move by step
Return within in an interval
End with a long note
Each phrase of the melody should be an arc or inverse
arc
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Identifying the families instruments belong to
Knowing the pitch range if instruments
Knowing the two main ways in which strings
instruments are played (arco and pizzicato)
Recognising Instruments and families through
listening tests:
You can practice by going to the website below,
clicking on junior naxos and then instruments of the
orchestra; ask someone in your family to test you)
www.naxosmusiclibrary.com
Username and password: TiffinMM
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An orchestra is a instrumental ensemble of many players. An
orchestra is made up of four different groups, or sections of
instruments:
Strings
Woodwind
Brass
Percussion
The word orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name
for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the
Greek chorus.
Western Classical orchestras first appeared in the 1600s but
became widespread in the early 18th century (1700s).
The number and types of instruments in the orchestra grew from
the 1700s until the end of the 1800s, from around 30 players to
nearly 100 but changed very little during the 20th century.
Orchestra through the ages
A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period (of about fifty
players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size
orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a
"symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra”.
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Not all instruments belong in one of the
orchestral families of instruments e.g. guitar.
Instruments are put into the four categories
(Strings, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion)
according to how the sound is made (NOT by
what they are made from:
Strings –played with the bow
Woodwind – reeds e.g. saxophone (except
flutes, piccolos and recorder which have no
reed, but are still counted as woodwind)
Brass – have a mouth piece
Percussion – The sound is made by hitting
Violin 1 (H.P.)
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Violin 2 (H.P.)
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Viola (M.P.)
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Cello (L.P.)
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Double Bass (V.L.P.)
Ways of playing strings:
Arco – with the bow – The main way string instruments are played
Pizzicato – plucked - the next most common way string instruments
are played
Double Stopping – playing two strings at one with the bow - a type of
arco playing
Tremelo – moving the bow backwards and forwards on the string
very quickly, like a tremor – another type of arco playing
Glissando – A slide between two pitches - another type of arco
playing.
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Piccolo ( no reed - the ‘baby’ flute) - Very HP
 Flute – (no reed) HP
 Oboe (has a double reed) – HP
 Cor Anglais (a lower oboe with a double reed) – MP
 Clarinet (single reed)– HP
 Bass Clarinet (a single reed low Clarinet) – LP
 Bassoon (has a double reed) – LP
 Contra Bassoon (has a double reed) - VLP
Sometimes also:
 Alto Saxophone (single reed) MP
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Trumpet – HP
French Horn (sometimes just called ‘horn’) – MP
Trombone - LP
Tuba - VLP
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Timpani/ Kettle Drums (P)
Xylophone (wood – P)
Glockenspiel (metal P)
Piano (P)
Triangle (U)
Cymbals (U)
Gong (U)
Woodblock (U)
Castanets (U)
Bass drum (U)
Whip (U)
Tam Tam – U
Tambourine (U)
Side Drum (U)
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Legato (notes played smoothly)
Staccato (notes are detached)
Arco (string instruments played with a bow)
Pizzicato (string instruments being plucked)
Number of Beats in a bar (2, 3, or 4)
Major or minor key
Which instruments are playing?
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Questions on Benjamin Britten’s Young
Persons Guide to the Orchestra.
Mark sure you have listened to the whole piece
before the exam. Follow the link below to listen
to the theme and variations which lasts only
nine minutes.
Click here for music