How to Tackle Music Theory Exam with Ease?

Classical music students always struggle with music theory. Many of them find it challenging to take music theory exams to qualify for the next level of musical achievement.

Why do students have problems with music theory? The main reason is that they did not learn music theory at the same time they learned their instruments. Therefore, their music theory level is far behind their music performance level. I have met piano students who have taken piano lessons for years but do not understand key signatures. I had to teach the theory from the beginning. Why didn’t the piano teachers include music theory in the piano lessons? It seems like a tradition. As I recall, my early piano teacher did not teach me music theory either. She sent me to a music theory class to learn music theory to pass the Grade 5 Music Theory exam required to be promoted to Grades 6-8 Performance exams. Later, I studied Grade 8 theory with another teacher to pass Grade 8 Theory before going to college. My “real” music theory lessons on harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, form and analysis were from college, where I also studied music composition.

AMusTCL (Associate of Music, Trinity College of London) and LMusTCL (Licentiate of Music, Trinity College of London) are typically recognized as professional musical accomplishments among Commonwealth countries and different parts of Asia, even though they are only equivalent to undergraduate level. For musicians who do not have an opportunity to enroll in a music program at a university, obtaining AMusTCL or LMusTCL improves their credentials significantly. They would take private lessons or courses to prepare for the exams. Many university music students or graduates would also pursue the Trinity Music Theory Diplomas. Some prepare on their own; some take lessons outside the university. I am amazed that some of my LMusTCL students have already received a master’s degree in music. So why would they want to pursue a diploma at the undergraduate level? Were the music courses in their university curriculum inadequate? Probably not. A good university music program provides a complete music theory and history curriculum. Students must pass all the courses to graduate. Society’s recognition of music theory diplomas over graduate music degrees is a strange phenomenon. In this competitive world, the more certificates, the better. If most of your musician friends and colleagues have obtained a Theory Diploma and you don’t, how does that make you feel? You would want to get one too, right? Therefore, many adult students taking theory lessons are for a practical reason to obtain a diploma to make them more qualified in the music field.

The tradition of separating music performance lessons and music theory lessons might be hard to break. If piano teachers did not learn music theory from their piano teachers, it would be natural that they do not teach music theory to their piano students unless they are composers. Fortunately, the recent music pedagogy of integrating listening, performing and creating breaks the tradition of performance focus in music lessons. In a classroom setting, students can listen to each other and perform together. For private piano lessons, Faber’s Piano Adventures series includes Music Theory with ear training and composing exercises which aligns with the pieces students learn to play. It is fun. The kids love that.

So, what about adult music students who are “victims” of the old school and feel inadequate in music theory? How can we improve the situation at this point?

First, we need to adjust our mindsets when learning music theory. If you treat music theory as something awful, your learning process will be painful, which only hinders progress. If you wish to be a better musician, you must understand the musical structures and styles of the music you play and teach. Music theory is simply a tool to fulfill that goal. It is necessary and should have been learned a long time ago. You did not have a chance to learn it sooner, which is not your fault. It is never too late to learn it now. Just like learning a new language, it might seem not easy initially, but the more effort you put into it, the more progress you will make, and the easier it will become. It might take some time before you see the result. Therefore, be patient. You are on the right track.

Students are overwhelmed by all the rules from the abundant textbooks on tonal music theory. Actually, the concepts are simpler than you think. Different rules are related to each other and belong to the same basic concepts. If you understand the basic concepts of tonality and the common practice of those concepts, you will not need to memorize so many rules. For instance, Bach’s four-part chorale features four independent parts, each moving within designated registers. Therefore, parallel octaves and fifths are not allowed to compromise the independence of the parts, and they would move smoothly to stay within their ranges. The fundamental concept of tonality is the tonic-dominant-tonic relationship. The music typically starts from the tonic, goes to dominant, and returns to tonic. The harmonic movement in between is through the circle of fifths progression: iii-vi-ii-V-I. As for doubling, all the scale degrees can be doubled except for the leading tone and the seventh. Preferences are on the scale degrees 1 and 5. All the textbooks basically say the same thing, perhaps a little differently. Have you applied those concepts to your theory exercises?

From my students, I perceive a gap between knowing the rules and applying them correctly. Students get frustrated when they keep making mistakes even though they have already understood the rules. It is a normal and necessary learning process: we all learn from mistakes. The best way to eliminate future mistakes is to remember not to make the same mistakes again. It requires continuous practice: the more you do, the better it will get, and the fewer mistakes you will make. I have witnessed students’ significant improvement after a few months of consistent hard work. It can be done.

A deeper issue lies within students’ musicianship. Many students have problems with harmonization mainly because they cannot hear how the melody sounds when they read the notation. Therefore, they are unaware of the tonal and harmonic implications of the given melody. If students can sing the melody in solfège, they would know the scale degree of each note and see the harmony implied. I understand that not everyone learned solfège in their former musical training. If you have not learned solfège and have problems harmonizing melodies, I strongly recommend you learn solfège now. Sight-singing is an essential part of musicianship.

Furthermore, knowing the harmonic implications of specific melodic patterns to facilitate the harmonization process would be helpful. Those patterns are predictable in tonal music and can be learned and practiced. If you can play ii6-V-I patterns (with scales degrees 2-1 in the melody) in different keys (up to four sharps and flats) on the keyboard anytime, you will not have a problem constructing and harmonizing the final cadence of a Bach chorale. Knowing other melodic/harmonic patterns can help the rest of the chorale writing.

Listening to and analyzing compositions in a musical style is essential to fully understanding it. If you want to study Bach chorales, listen to more Bach chorales with the scores and analyze them. Many theory students ignore the listening part and focus on reading the rules, which makes learning difficult. Music is an aural art. No matter how many books you read, how many teachers you study with, and how many courses you take, you will not learn much if you do not listen to the music and apply the principles to practice.

Changing a learning habit will take a little time, but it is beneficial in the long term. Incorporating listening, sight-singing, analysis, and keyboard practice with written theory will alleviate the pain in theory studies. ?The goal of learning music theory goes beyond passing a theory exam. It elevates your musicianship. You will become a better musician and educator with a strong musicianship. You will no longer be afraid of a theory exam. You will excel with ease.

If you have further concerns about theory studies, please feel free to contact me. I would be happy to help. Wishing you all the best on your musical journey!