Music Theory Basics

What this page covers

This unit page collects resources on the building blocks of reading and understanding music. The quizzes include The Diatonic Scale, Diatonic and Chromatic Intervals. and Identify the Modulation - 1. Several quizzes follow the ABRSM Grade 5 style, with questions on time signatures, melodic intervals and the technical names of notes in a given key.

Where to start

If the basics are new, begin with the mind map called Music Theory Basics and the Basic music theory notes. Then move to the flashcard decks on terms and signs, such as Grade 1 Music Theory Flashcards and Key Signatures. Once those feel familiar, try a quiz.

1. Read a mind map or the notes to see the topic as a whole.
2. Go through a flashcard deck to learn the vocabulary.
3. Take a quiz to check what stuck.

Using quizzes and maps together

The Music Theory Review mind map lists the order of sharps and flats and the sharps in each major key. Keep it beside you while you take Key Signatures - Quiz. When a question goes wrong, find the branch on the map that explains it, then try the quiz again.

For exam-style practice, the page includes AQA GCSE Music - Cadences and Scales as a flashcard deck and AQA GCSE Music - Scales and Cadences as a quiz. There is also a mind map called AP Music Theory. Teachers can pick a quiz to set as a quick check, or use a deck as a vocabulary list.

Where this unit fits

Music Theory Basics sits in the Foundations of Music strand of the Music subject. It is the place for notation, scales, intervals, harmony and musical terms before you move on to anything more specialized.

Choose one quiz that looks about right for you, take it, and note which questions you missed. Then pick a map or deck that covers them.