neirocca sound-first music theory

Scales and Key Signatures

What is tested

You need to write and identify major and minor scales — natural, harmonic and melodic — and move confidently around the circle of fifths. Knowing which form of minor a passage uses is what unlocks the harmonic analysis later in the paper.

Common mistakes

Passages in minor are analyzed against the natural minor while the music is actually using the harmonic form. Scan for a raised seventh degree written as an accidental before deciding which form you are looking at.

Practice with

The tool below checks your answer against the theory engine, so you get the same verdict a marker would.

Open the tool: Scale Dictionary →

Read the lesson

Related reading

All topics in this exam