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NSJMA · Letter · Music theory

NSJMA Letter music theory

Review the musical alphabet, grand staff, scales, intervals, scale degrees, meter, and common time signatures.

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Section 01

The grand staff

The musical alphabet repeats A through G. Treble and bass clefs join to form the grand staff, with ledger lines extending its range.

Musical alphabet on the grand staff
Musical alphabet on the grand staff

Section 02

Major scales and intervals

  • Major-scale pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
  • Scale degrees: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone, tonic
  • Intervals are measured by counting both the starting and ending notes.
Intervals between notes in a major scale
Intervals between notes in a major scale
Major scale degree names
Major scale degree names
Intervals from tonic in a major scale
Intervals from tonic in a major scale

Section 03

Simple and compound meter

  • Simple meters divide each beat into two equal parts: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and 2/2.
  • Compound meters divide each beat into three equal parts: 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8.
  • Irregular meters such as 5/4 and 7/4 combine groups of two and three beats.
Four-four time
Four-four time
Common time
Common time
Two-two time
Two-two time
Cut time
Cut time
Two-four time
Two-four time
Three-four time
Three-four time
Six-eight time
Six-eight time
Nine-eight time
Nine-eight time
Triplets in cut time
Triplets in cut time
Twelve-eight time
Twelve-eight time
Three-eight time
Three-eight time
Five-four time
Five-four time
Seven-four time
Seven-four time