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

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’

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

1. Question and Answer/ Balanced phrases of equal length (ideally 2 bar or four bar phrases)

2. The Rhythm of the answer phrase should balance/echo the rhythm of the question phrase

3. Start the first phrase on the tonic note4. Finish the last phrase on the tonic note5. Finish the first phrase on the 5th note of the

scale (the dominant)6. Mainly move by step7. Return within in an interval8. End with a long note9. Each phrase of the melody should be an arc or

inverse arc

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

An orchestra is a instrumental ensemble of many players. An orchestra is made up of four different groups, or sections of instruments:

1. Strings2. Woodwind3. Brass4. 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”.

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.) Violin 2 (H.P.) Viola (M.P.) Cello (L.P.) Double Bass (V.L.P.)Ways of playing strings:Arco – with the bow – The main way string instruments are

playedPizzicato – plucked - the next most common way string

instruments are playedDouble Stopping – playing two strings at one with the bow - a

type of arco playingTremelo – 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.

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) - VLPSometimes also: Alto Saxophone (single reed) MP

Trumpet – HP French Horn (sometimes just called ‘horn’) – MP Trombone - LP Tuba - VLP

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)

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?

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