Grade 5 Theory Exam For piano students of Tony O’Brien Home. Exam Structure. Learning Pathway. Exam Topics.

This table covers all the instruments you would be expected to know for the Grade 5 theory exam.   A transposing instrument is one which  plays a different pitch  from the note written on the page - the instrument sounds at concert pitch but is scored at written pitch.  


Only “wind” instruments can be transposing instruments** where the basic length of the “tube” restricts the fundamental notes is can generate - e.g.  a trumpet in Bb has a fundamental note of Bb with overtones of F, D etc - it’s set up to play the scale of Bb major easily but not C major  ,which needs a lot of difficult embouchure and/or difficult valve combinations - (like starting to learn to play the piano in a scale with lots of black keys).  


When you start learning a transposing instrument, you start with pieces written in the home pitch (scale) of the instrument that make it the easiest to play (e.g.  the scale can be played by sequentially lifting fingers from bottom to top on a woodwind instrument)  but written in the scale of C major, the easiest to read.


The other huge advantage  of (and the real reason for ) transposing instruments is that with this system you learn the same set of fingerings for a scale for the entire family of instruments  - e.g. the C major scale has the same easiest fingering for a clarinet in Bb, a clarinet in A, a clarinet in Eb, a saxophone in Bb, etc - which makes if much easier to play all of these instruments because as you read a note from the page, you use the same finger combinations on keys or valves across the whole family of instruments.


Use the table below to learn which instruments are transposing and some other useful facts (e.g. pitched and unpitched percussion). If it is a transposing instrument,  the interval between concert and written pitch is expressed as relative to concert pitch - e.g. “5th higher” means music is written a 5th higher than it sounds, “5th lower” means music is written

a 5th lower then it  sounds.


** (excluding instruments like the guitar or the piccolo where the music is written an octave lower or higher for ease or reading)


Family

Instrument

Transposing

Comment

Voice

Soprano


Other voices are:-

“Mezzosoprano” - female voice lower than Soprano but higher than ...

“Contralto” - deepest female singing voice.

“Counter tenor” - male singer in mezzo-soprano range through singing “falsetto”

Alto


Tenor


Baritone


Bass


Strings

Violin


All capable of playing harmonics and so extending upper range according to ability of player.

Viola


Guitar


‘Cello


Harp


Has seven pedals corresonding to each of 7 notes (A,B,C etc). Each pedal has 3 positions to modify the pitch of the fixed string - e.g. C pedal - in position 1, all C’s play as C flat; in position 2, all C’s play as C natural,  and in position 3 all C’s play as C#

Double Bass



Woodwind

Flue

Piccolo


In flue instuments  the sound is producing by blowing across the edge of one end of a tube. Pitch is varied according to holes - when all holes covered the lowest sound is produced

Flute


Recorder


Woodwind

Double

Reed

Oboe


The air vibration is caused by tonguing a pair of reeds (cane) to vibrate - but essentially a long tube of  “wood” /metal with holes controlled by elaborate set of  keys/levers

Cor Anglais

Perfect  5th higher

Bassoon


Double Bassoon


Woodwind

Single

Reed

Clarinet in Bb

Major 2nd higher

As you may have worked out, the tranposing interval is worked out from the home pitch of the instrument in relation to C. E.g. For a clarinet in A, C is a minor 3rd above A, so music is written a minor 3rd higher. If the music is written lower than it sounds, then you have to invert the interval - Clarinet in Eb - Eb to C is a major 6th. Compound intervals of a 9th and 13th occur when the music is written in the treble clef for a “bass” instrument.

Clarinet in A

Minor 3rd higher

Clarinet in Eb

Minor 3rd lower

Bass Clarinet in Bb

Major 9th higher

Bb Soprano Sax

Major 2nd higher

Eb Alto Sax

Major 6th higher

Bb Tenor Sax

Major 9th higher

Eb Baritone Sax

Major 13th higher

Brass

Bugle


The most basic brass instrument because lacking valves (slides) it key only sound its fundamental note and its overtone series

Trombone (in Bb)


NOT A TRANSPOSING instrument

Bass Trombone



Trumpet in Bb

Major 2nd higher


Cornet

Minor 3rd lower

Common in brass bands but not orchestras

Horn in F

Perfect  5th higher


Tuba


A variety in different home pitches exist but always written at concert pitch

Euphonium

Major 2nd higher

Also know as tenor tuba

Percussion

Pitched

Timpani


Range of around a 5th, so two drums can cover an octave. Modern instruments have pedals to alter pitch quickly so capable of playing “glissandi”

Xylophone


Wooden bars hit with wooden sticks. Sounds an octave higher than written

Glockenspiel


Laid out like piano keys but metal bars instead. Vibraphone has a resonator tube under each bar fitted with a spinning disc that creates a pulsating sustained sound.  Glockenspiel sounds two octaves higher than written

Vibraphone


Tubular Bells


Metal tubes hanging from a frame with range from middle C (C4) to top line F (F5)

Percussion

Unpitched

Bass drum



Side drum



Tambourine



Cymbal



Gong/Tam-tam



Triangle



Keyboard

Piano


Strings struck with felt hammers - huge range of dyanmic possible (compared to harpsichord/clavichord)

Harpsichord


Strings plucked - virtually no dynamic possible, but multiple strings for same pitch of different tension/width/length give different tone/dynamic - hence multiple keyboards (manuals)

Clavichord


Strings struck by thin blade of metal which remains in contact with string - can produce a vibrato effect!

Organ


Multiple key boards (manuals) plus pedal board. Music written on 3 staves - upper two (like piano) for hands, bottom one for feet on pedal board.

Celesta


A keyboard version of a glockenspiel