Theory Study

Compiled ABRSM Grades 1-5 exam materials covering notes, rhythm, scales, chords and all major exam topics for easy reference and efficient preparation.

Contents

1. Note Values 2. Bars and Time Signatures 3. Pitch Names 4. Staves and Clefs 5. Staff Notation 6. Ledger Lines 7. Sharps, Flats, and Naturals 8. Semitones, Whole Tones, and the C Major Scale 9. G Major, D Major, and F Major Scales 10. Rests 11. Ties and Dots 12. Tonality and Key Signatures 13. Accidentals 14. Scale Degrees 15. Tonic Chords 16. Intervals 17. Beaming Notes within a Bar 18. Performance Directions

ABRSM Grade 1 Knowledge Points

Knowledge Point 11: Ties and Dots

A tie is used to join two adjacent notes of the same pitch. "Same pitch" means that neither note may be higher or lower than the other. In this case the tied notes become one continuous sound, and their durations are added together, as shown in Figure 27:

sounds the same as

Figure 27: Illustration

Note that the tie is written on the outside, and it must extend from the notehead of the first note to the notehead of the other note, as shown in Figure 28. No matter how many notes there are, we can use this method to join them together, as long as they are adjacent and share the same pitch.

Figure 28: Illustration

A dot after a note extends the note's duration by half, as shown in Figure 29. When a note is in a space, the dot is written in the same space. But if the note is on a line, the dot is generally written in the space above the line:

Figure 29: Illustration

There are two ways to extend a note: by using a tie or by using a dot. As shown in Figure 30:

Figure 30: Illustration

There is one major difference between these two methods: a tie can cross over two bars, but a dot cannot.

Figure 31: Illustration

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