This document provides information about the NCEA Level 1 Music Theory External Achievement Standard. It outlines the requirements to achieve at the Achievement, Merit, and Excellence levels. These levels involve demonstrating knowledge of conventions used in music scores, such as key signatures, time signatures, notation of pitch and rhythm, and performance directions. The document also provides details on the various musical elements that can be assessed, including scales, intervals, chords, cadences, transposition, and instrumentation. It limits the scope to keys with up to 3 sharps/flats, specific time signatures, and scores of 16 parts or less.

1. NCEA Level 1 Music
Theory External

2. Achievement Standard Music 1.5
Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used
in music scores
• External, 4 credits
Achievement Achievement with
Merit
Achievement with
Excellence
 Demonstrate
knowledge of
conventions used
in music scores.
 Demonstrate in-
depth knowledge
of conventions
used in music
scores.
 Demonstrate
comprehensive
knowledge of
conventions used in
music scores.

3. A, M, E
• Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music scores involves identifying and
describing musical elements and features used in music scores.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of conventions used in music scores involves
explaining musical elements and features used in music scores.
• Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of conventions used in music scores
involves applying musical elements and features used in music scores.

4. • Students are expected to demonstrate understanding of conventions and
engage in reading of scores in a range of music styles eg classical,
pop/rock, jazz. Scores will contain independent instrumental/vocal parts up
to an ensemble consisting of no more than 16 parts.

5. • key signatures up to three sharps and three flats, major and minor keys
• time signatures, limited to: 2 3 4 6
• 4 4 4 8
• notation of pitch and rhythm (eg rhythmic groupings; major, minor and perfect intervals)
• performance directions (eg articulation, tempo indications, dynamics)
• terms and signs
• use of treble, bass, alto, tenor, and percussion clefs
• instruments and score layout
• chords in root position: limited to I, IV, V, V7, VI using Roman numerals and jazz/rock terminology (eg A, D, E, E7, F♯m)
• texture: limited to monophony, homophony, polyphony, textural density
• chord progressions including cadences involving chords I, IV, V, V7, VI only
• compositional devices (eg motif, riff, imitation, sequence)
• modulation to closely related keys
• transposition
• transposing instruments (instruments that are notated at a different pitch from their sound): limited to – C instruments/voice (piccolo, double bass, bass guitar, guitar,
tenor voice), B♭ instruments (clarinet and trumpet/cornet), E♭ instrument (alto saxophone), F instrument (horn)
• open to closed/closed to open score
• stylistic features (eg flattened notes in blues, hammer ons and pull offs in rock music, figured bass in Baroque music)
• form/structure: limited to – verse/chorus, Binary AB, Ternary ABA, 12 Bar Blues, intro, coda/outro, bridge.

15. Rhythm / Metre Limited to 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8 [including C]
 above time signatures –identification and understanding of rhythmic
groupings and classifications: simple/compound, duple/triple/quadruple
 durations – notes, rests, (to semiquaver), ties
 description of rhythmic feel (e.g. syncopation, swing)

18. Tied Notes, Dotted Notes, Triplets

21. time signatures, limited to: 2 3 4 6
4 4 4 8

23. 2/4 is also known as ‘simple duple’
¾ is also known as ‘simple triple’
4/4 is also known as ‘simple quadruple’
These are called ‘simple’ because the beats are divided in 2s
6/8 is a little different, its known as ‘compound duple’
It is called ‘compound’ because the beats are divided in 3s

28. Anacrusis-
incomplete bar at the beginning of the music
The incomplete bar at the beginning of the music will add up to a full bar with the final bar.
Eg… 1+3= 4

31. Straight Beats V.S. Syncopated Beats

35. This means that the pairs of quavers should be played with the first
one slightly longer than the second

37. Cross Rhythm

38. Useful links
•http://www.mymusictheory.com/index.html
•http://www.musictechteacher.com/musicquizzes.htm
•http://www.musictheory.net/index.html

39. Pitch / Tonality Limited to major and minor keys, up to three sharps and three flats
 clefs – treble, bass, alto C-clef, percussion, and “vocal tenor” (i.e. treble-octave)
 key signatures and scales– recognition of major and minor keys (harmonic and
melodic), plus addition of Blue notes
 key relationships (scale degrees) – tonic, subdominant, dominant, relative major and
minor
 pitch names: tonic↔leading note
 intervals – recognition of major, minor and perfect intervals within an octave; lower
note can only be the tonic of one of the permitted major keys (i.e B-flat, F, C, G, or D)
 transposition – upwards only, sounding pitch → written pitch only, limited to
instruments in B-flat and F also instruments transposing 8ve
 transcription – from treble clef ↔ bass clef, from alto clef↔ other clefs,
open ↔ closed score, written pitch → sounding pitch (i.e. vocal tenor, double bass,
piccolo)

40. Notation of Pitch
• Pitch- the highs and lows of the note

43. CLEFS
Treble, Alto, Tenor, Bass, Percussion

45. Guitar tabs (6 lines in a stave)

46. Intervals
• The distance between two pitches

48. Sharps, Flats, Naturals

49. Tones and Semitones

50. SCALE
Starts and Ends on the Same Note!!!
Starting Note= Pitch Name of the Scale!!!
• Major- sounds happy
• Minor- natural, harmonic, melodic- sounds sad
• Chromatic- 12 notes in total
• Pentatonic- 5 notes in total- sounds Asian
• Blues- 6 notes in total- used in Blues, Rock and Pop

51. Scale Names-
The Technical,
Proper way of
naming the
notes of the
scale

53. Major Scales
Rule- T, T, ST, T, T, T, ST
• Using this rule, we can create a major scale on any pitch we like!

54. Key Signature
To allow for the major scale rule to
happen in whatever pitch possible, key
signatures tells us which notes need to
be # or b. The Key signature is placed
at the start of the piece, and the # or
b will apply to all the notes throughout
the piece of music.

55. •http://www.musictheory.net/index.html
•Reminder: s key signature is found at the beginning of each stave in a piece of
music, just after the clef.
•It is the short way of writing down all the sharps or flats that will be used in
the scale or piece.
•It is there to help the performer to easily identify which key the music is
written in.

56. Keys & Key Signatures
Key of C= C major/minor
Key Note= Scale Starting Note
The # or b in the key signature does not
equal to the key!!!
For this level we need to learn major and
minor keys up to 3 # & 3b!!!

57. For Level 1 You Only Need to do up
to 3 # & 3bs major + minor keys

58. Ace the major scale in exam!
•Clef: check for the given clef or write it in
•Key signature: name the key signature if it is given, or write it
in
•Check if the ascending or descending version is required (or
both), then write in the eight notes of the scale, starting on the
key note (use semibreves)
•Check the note value required and adjust the semibreves if
necessary. Watch the stem direction for minims and crotchets!
•Check if the accidentals are required, rather than a key
signature. If so, write them in using the key signature as a guide
and then ease the key signature.

61. Minor Scales

62. Understand Minor Scales
•Every major scale is related to a specfic minor scale, meaning that
they share the same key signature.
•To find out the related major/minor scales, use the 'Holy Trinity'
rule...
•Majors to minor, go down 3 alphabet
•Minor to major, go up 3 alphabet
•Again, use the C major/A minor as a rule of thumb to help you.

63. For harmonic minor, always raise the 7th degree of the scale by a
semitone.
The raised 7th note is not part of the key signature and must
always be filled in as an accidental!
Scale/No
.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
A Min A B C D E F G# A
E Min
(F#)
E F# G A B C D# E
B Min
(F# C#)
B C# D E F# G A# B
D Min
(Bb)
D E F G A Bb C# D
G Min
(Bb Eb)
G A Bb C D Eb F# G

64. Filler Harm'Minor
Tip:Work out the Key Signature first
Scale/No
.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(sharp
me)
8
A Min
E Min
B Min
D Min
G Min

65. Ace the Harmonic Minor Scale
•Clef and key signature: check and/or write in
•Check if the ascending or descending version is required, then write
in the right notes of the scale, starting on the key note.
•Check the note value required and adjust if necessary. Watch the
stem direction for minims and crotchets!
•Locate the 7th note of the scale and raise it by a semitone!

66. Scale/N
o.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
A Min A B C D E F#
F natural
G#
G natural
A
E Min
(F#)
E F# G A B C#
C natural
D#
D natural
E
B Min
(F# C#)
B C# D E F# G#
G natural
A#
A natural
B
D Min
(Bb)
D E F G A B natural
B flat
C#
C natural
D
G Min
(Bb Eb)
G A Bb C D E natural
E flat
F#
F natural
G
• For melodic minor scale:
• raise the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale by a semitone when ascending and...
• Lower the raised 6th and 7th degrees of the scale by a semitone when descending.
• Remember that the raised and lowered accidentals are not part of the key
signature.

67. Ace the Melodic Minor in Exam
• The general procedure for writing scales is applicable to the
melodic minor scale, but remember to adjust your 6th and 7th
notes!
• Clef
• Key Signature
• Write in the notes
• Locate the 6th and 7th notes of the scale
• Raise them by a semitone if ascending
• Lower them by a semitone if descending (do this only if the
ascending version is written first!)
• Check for accidentals or key signatures and adjust if necessary

68. Filler Mel'Minor
Tip:Work out the Key Signature first
Scale/No
.
1 2 3 4 5 6 ( up
then
down
7 (up
then
down)
8
A Min
E Min
B Min
D Min
G Min

69. Chromatic Scales=
all the semitonessss

70. Pentatonic Scales=
penta= 5= 5 note scale (sounds Asian)

71. Blues Scale

73. Advanced Intervals
• Intervals have 2 things-
• Quality (major/minor/perfect/augmented/diminished) (p.s. does NOT
relate to the major/minor keys/signature ok@@)
• Quantity (123456789….)

74. Finding the Interval Quality
• In all MAJOR KEYS, intervals are either MAJOR or PERFECT (see below
C major example)

75. And then…
• Pending on the addition of #, b, naturals etc, intervals can become
minor/augmented/diminished

78. Transposing Instruments
• C instruments (don’t need to transpose, they see C, they sound C
• Bb instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound Bb (major 2nd lower)
• Eb instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound Eb (major 6th lower)
• F instruments, transposing, they see C, they sound F (perfect 5th lower)
Reason for transposing instruments (to screw with your brain… no I kid I kid…) it
evolved from the technical development of the wind/brass instruments throughout
history, some things just got stuck and we worked around them to fit our music.

81. How to Transpose
• Check key signature (use major key chart
from Circle of 5th)
• Bb up a major 2nd is C
• And just move all the other notes up 1 (so
that the interval becomes major 2nd
automatically
• With any accidentals just double check the
semitones etc… no biggie

82. Transpose a key signature in the SAME WAY that you transpose a note.
There is nothing special about transposing a key signature, but many candidates struggle
with this task! Key signatures are transposed in the same way as notes.
The original key is G major. Let’s say you have to transpose up a perfect 5th.
The note a perfect 5th above G is D, so the new key signature is D major.
It doesn’t matter whether the piece is major or minor, the result will be the same. If we
assume this is actually E minor, then a 5th above E will produce B minor, which also has
two sharps.

85. When writing SATB parts, make sure the note STEMS are written the right way up.
In open score (4 staves) the stems point up or down depending on their position on the stave.
In a short score (on 2 staves) the stems point up or down depending on the part.
The circled notes here show where the stems need to have their positions changed when you rewrite the music.
Vocal Tenor Clef (is written an octave above they would sound, so when you transcribe vocal tenor to normal bass
clef, put it down an octave

86. Harmony Limited to chords I, IV, V, V7, and VI, in
major and minor keys, in root position only
 chords – identification of individual chords using Roman numerals and
jazz / rock notation
 chord progressions – identification of cadences (perfect, plagal, imperfect
I-V and IV-V only, interrupted)
 chords – notation of individual chords
 modulation – identification of modulation (via perfect cadence) to related
keys (subdominant, dominant, relative major and minor)

88. ID a chord
List all the notes vertically (A, E, C#),
Put it in a ROOT positon (A, C#, E)
The root note is the name (A chord)

89. Minor Chords have ‘m’ after the letter, plus the small letter roman numerals ‘i’
Roman Numerals are the I, ii, iii etc they are usually BELOW the stave
Jazz Rock are the C, Dm, Em etc they are usually ABOVE the stave

90. Intervals between the
Different Kinds of Chords

91. Cadences
• Two chords at the end of a phrase (like a comma or full stop)

92. ID a Cadence
• Find out the chords in the vertical fashion (as earlier mentioned)
• Find out the keys and its scale degree etc, match them up, voila~

93. Modulation
• Just means change of key (which usually means change of mood)

94. You can tell a piece of music has ‘modulated’ (change of key) by
• Accidentals (extra # or b or natural signs in the music that is not usually
there)
• Actual change of key signature (duh…)
• When modulation occurs, it goes to the familiar, hence, there will be a chord
that the old key and new (modulated) key share, that will be used as ‘pivot’
chord, to modulate a piece of music.

95. Common Modulation Pathway

96. Instrumentation Limited to scores of no more than 16 instruments.
Limited to common orchestral and jazz / rock
instruments, and common voice types
 score layout – recognition of family / instrument order,
English names

98. Woodwind in this order
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
Brass in this order
Trumpet
Trombone
Timpani
Strings in this order
Violin
Viola
Cello
Bass

100. Concert Band Score Layout
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Alto Sax
Tenor Sax
Bari Sax
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Baritone
Tuba
Mallets
Percussion/Timpani

104. Slides
In short, a slide is when you go from one note to another by
keeping contact with the string the whole time
Bends
Normally when you fret a note, you push it straight down on the
fingerboard. When you push or pull a string up or down, you
are bending the string. This causes the fretted note to go sharp.
Depending on how much you bend the string, you can change the
note up to a step and a half higher than the original.

110. Performance Directions- 14/3/2013
Articulation- How you play the note

111. Tempo Indication-
Tells us how fast or slow to play a piece of music
BPM- a.k.a. beats per minute, as
shown on the score with the ‘note
value equals to number’ sign at the
start of the music

112. Dynamics-
How Loud or Soft, and the
Gradual Changes in volume

113. Italian Phrasing Terms
italian abbreviation meaning
cantabile In a singing style
legato smoothly
staccato Short and detached

114. Italian Terms: Misc.
Italian abbreviation meaning
Da capo DC From the
beginning
Dal segno DS From the sign
fine The end
mezzo m half
moderato moderately
poco A little

115. Texture textural features e.g.
 monophonic
 homophonic
 polyphonic
 melody and accompaniment,
 layering (e.g. background, foreground)
 textural density

116. Texture
The use of instrument/s
and the combination of
instruments within a piece
of music.
The thin/thickness of
sound.

120. Form & Structure
Form / Structure Limited to identification and supporting evidence of:
 introduction
 A–B / binary
 A–B–A / ternary
 verse–chorus
 12-bar blues
 bridge
 outro / coda

124. Theme and Variations

128. In jazz and blues, a blue note (also "worried" note[1]) is a note
that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly
different pitch than standard. Typically the alteration is between a
quartertone and a semitone, but this varies among performers and
genres.

129. Compositional devices Melodic / rhythmic / textural devices e.g.
 sequence
 repetition
 ostinato
 motif/riff
 imitation
 Pedal note
 Syncopation
 Similar/contrary motion