ABRSM
Music They
Grade 1
Grade 1-5
,Grade 1
The basics: Rhythm and Pitch
Rhythm
• Rhythm describes how notes of different durations (or
time values) are organised over time.
• A pulse is a steady count, like a heartbeat. It provides the
framework on which rhythms are built.
Tap: '
·
• The pulse is organised into groups of counts. These
counts are known as beats. Here, the pulse is arranged
into groups of four beats:
Pulse:
Beats: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
• A time value shows how many Semibreve: 4 counts
counts a note lasts. Here are Minim: 2 counts
three common time values: Crotchet: 1 count
• Minims and crotchets are made up of a vertical line
called a stem joined to a notehead. Semibreves have a
notehead but not a stem.
Tap: Stem
Notehead
Pitch
• Pitch describes how high or low a note sounds.
• To show pitches, we place notes on a stave:
•
• Notes can be placed on every line and in every space of
the stave. Each line and each space represents a
different pitch.
• The higher the note is placed on the stave, the higher its
pitch. High
Low
• All pitches are given a letter name between A and G in the
alphabet.
, 1 RHITHM (Part 1)
Time values
• Time values show how many Semibreve 4 Courts
counts a note lasts. Four Minim 2 counts
common time values are Crotchet 1 count
·
semibreves, minims, Quaver 1/2 count
·
crotchets and quavers.
• Pairs of quavers add up to one count.They are joined
together with a beam: becomes
· ·
Smart tip
Use this note tree to
hellp you with your
musical maths.
(1)
(2)
· · · · (4)
· · · · (8)
Bars and metre
• Rhythm is the arrangement of notes of different time
values over a pulse.
• The pulse is organised into bars containing a certain
number of counts, or beats. This organisation is called
metre.
• We use bar-lines to make it easy to see where each bar
starts and ends.
• At Grade 1, we will explore bars containing two, three and
four beats.
Bar doble bar-line Did you
1
know?
· · · · · · Double bar-
Beats: ↑ lines are
bar-line used at the
end of
sections of
music.
Music They
Grade 1
Grade 1-5
,Grade 1
The basics: Rhythm and Pitch
Rhythm
• Rhythm describes how notes of different durations (or
time values) are organised over time.
• A pulse is a steady count, like a heartbeat. It provides the
framework on which rhythms are built.
Tap: '
·
• The pulse is organised into groups of counts. These
counts are known as beats. Here, the pulse is arranged
into groups of four beats:
Pulse:
Beats: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
• A time value shows how many Semibreve: 4 counts
counts a note lasts. Here are Minim: 2 counts
three common time values: Crotchet: 1 count
• Minims and crotchets are made up of a vertical line
called a stem joined to a notehead. Semibreves have a
notehead but not a stem.
Tap: Stem
Notehead
Pitch
• Pitch describes how high or low a note sounds.
• To show pitches, we place notes on a stave:
•
• Notes can be placed on every line and in every space of
the stave. Each line and each space represents a
different pitch.
• The higher the note is placed on the stave, the higher its
pitch. High
Low
• All pitches are given a letter name between A and G in the
alphabet.
, 1 RHITHM (Part 1)
Time values
• Time values show how many Semibreve 4 Courts
counts a note lasts. Four Minim 2 counts
common time values are Crotchet 1 count
·
semibreves, minims, Quaver 1/2 count
·
crotchets and quavers.
• Pairs of quavers add up to one count.They are joined
together with a beam: becomes
· ·
Smart tip
Use this note tree to
hellp you with your
musical maths.
(1)
(2)
· · · · (4)
· · · · (8)
Bars and metre
• Rhythm is the arrangement of notes of different time
values over a pulse.
• The pulse is organised into bars containing a certain
number of counts, or beats. This organisation is called
metre.
• We use bar-lines to make it easy to see where each bar
starts and ends.
• At Grade 1, we will explore bars containing two, three and
four beats.
Bar doble bar-line Did you
1
know?
· · · · · · Double bar-
Beats: ↑ lines are
bar-line used at the
end of
sections of
music.
