24 replies to this topic

[thara96]

can you have a separate tutor who only teaches you theory?   My piano teacher said we do not have time in the half hour lessons to cover much theory  and i can do some theory on my own and ask any questions in the lesson for anything I do not understand.   I also do not cover theory in my flute lessons.  My piano lessons cover more things than my flute.  Is that usual?

What do you learn during your piano lessons? What grade are you taking now? I started working on some G2 pieces for my next exam yesterday during my last piano lesson. I am currently looking at music theory teachers online too. 

[Gordon Shumway]

My husband and I...used Eric Taylor's...  [inter alia] The AB Guide to Music Theory

I'd recommend everyone buy this book - it's two thin paperback volumes, and if you watch amazon long enough, you can get them for a penny each plus postage.

[mel2]

Maybe the piano teacher is hinting that if you had a 45 min lesson then there would be time. I'm issuing theory workbooks with some of my pupils, even the 30 min ones, and getting them to do the work at home. They bring the book in and I mark it between lessons. (Too embarrassing to mark in the lesson in case I'm not sure of the answer and have to research it!) I suppose I should charge extra for this but I don't.

[adultpianist]

 

can you have a separate tutor who only teaches you theory?   My piano teacher said we do not have time in the half hour lessons to cover much theory  and i can do some theory on my own and ask any questions in the lesson for anything I do not understand.   I also do not cover theory in my flute lessons.  My piano lessons cover more things than my flute.  Is that usual?

What do you learn during your piano lessons? What grade are you taking now? I started working on some G2 pieces for my next exam yesterday during my last piano lesson. I am currently looking at music theory teachers online too. 

 

  I no longer do grades.  I did up to  and including Grade 4 so if i did another one it would be Grade 5,   I do a full time hectic job so that comes first and doing Grades is not suitable anymore.  I still learn and progress at a much more relaxed pace.  During my lessons i do contrary motion scales and sight reading exercises and a piece and some hanon exercises.   That is more than enough to keep me going

[thara96]

 

My husband and I...used Eric Taylor's...  [inter alia] The AB Guide to Music Theory

I'd recommend everyone buy this book - it's two thin paperback volumes, and if you watch amazon long enough, you can get them for a penny each plus postage.

 

 

 

My husband and I...used Eric Taylor's...  [inter alia] The AB Guide to Music Theory

I'd recommend everyone buy this book - it's two thin paperback volumes, and if you watch amazon long enough, you can get them for a penny each plus postage.

 

 

 

My husband and I...used Eric Taylor's...  [inter alia] The AB Guide to Music Theory

I'd recommend everyone buy this book - it's two thin paperback volumes, and if you watch amazon long enough, you can get them for a penny each plus postage.

 

I found it in a music shop on Friday. It was worth the money. 

[Rach123]

This thread has reminded me I need to dig out my copies and refresh my theory knowledge.

 

Being more of an ensemble player i prefer the theory side of music to performing solo

 

The last theory exam I did was Grade 6 which happened to fall on my 19th birthday (I'm currently 27) and I was full of cold so I didn't do as well as I would have liked. 

 

I have only done 3 theory exams (My first was grade 2 at about age 16 (when i first discovered theory). Grade 5 I did twice as i failed it the first time, six months later I passed it with merit, 3 marks off distinction). I can't really afford to take any more exams even though I would like to retake my grade 6 and do grades 7 and 8)

[thara96]

Did you realise that each set includes four past exam papers? At £3.25, that's less than £1 per exam. It really is the best way to prepare for what the exam will be like. If you do go for this option, be sure to choose the most recent year possible as there have been changes in the syllabus.

Good value for money then! I spend waay too much money as it is. I bought one the other day. It was fairly recent. 

[mature clarinetist]

Hi, I am new to forums and just came across this topic. I passed Grade 5 theory as a teenager alongside Grade 5 clarinet.  When I returned to playing after a 25 year gap I wanted to take Grade 6 Clarinet.  Although I could tick the box to say I had passed Grade 5 theory I felt I needed to revisit it. I was recommended 'Pass Grade 5 Theory' by Dorothy Dingle which takes you all the way up to Grade 5 in one book.  It is a text book and workbook all in one with tips and hints in passing the exam plus a separate answer book. 

[hummingbird]

What topics do you need to know for Grade I?

This is a link to the syllabus where you can see what you're tested on: 

 

^ Nope, can't do link - the system insists on changing the url to "forums.abrsm.org/"  so go to "Our Exams > Our Syllabuses" in the menu bar.

The ABRSM's First Steps in Music Theory pocket book is divided into sections for each grade which makes it very easy to follow, and the step-by-step format makes the information easily digestible.
 

When will the results come back?

From what I can remember, the results take about 6 weeks, although that timescale may have changed since I took theory exams a few years ago.
 

Where will the exam be held?

I believe the exams are usually held at a local school, although "local" may depend on where you live. If you live in the middle of nowhere, you may have to travel to the nearest large town.
 
 
 

I was recommended 'Pass Grade 5 Theory' by Dorothy Dingle which takes you all the way up to Grade 5 in one book.  It is a text book and workbook all in one with tips and hints in passing the exam plus a separate answer book.

 
I've got the first edition of Dorothy Dingle's book and I liked it a lot as it was very clear, user-friendly and comprehensive.  I can't speak for the 2nd edition, but there were a few errors in the first edition which hopefully have been addressed in the 2nd edition.

[Dr. Rogers]

 

Did you realise that each set includes four past exam papers? At £3.25, that's less than £1 per exam. It really is the best way to prepare for what the exam will be like. If you do go for this option, be sure to choose the most recent year possible as there have been changes in the syllabus.

Good value for money then! I spend waay too much money as it is. I bought one the other day. It was fairly recent. 

 

 

I'm getting a lot of mileage out of the past papers.  I bought past papers from 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015, which, alongside the Theory Workbook for Grade 6, give me enough practice problems to keep me busy until the exam.