Free Printable Music Theory Worksheets on Music Theory Print

Sight Reading Generator: Free Printable Melodies to Play at Sight

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is sight reading?#

Sight reading means playing or singing music from notation the first time you see it; sight singing is its vocal form. It is a core part of aural skills training, where you learn to hear pitches and rhythms in your head as your eyes read them. Practice material should be a little easier than the pieces you are learning, so you can keep a steady pace without stopping to fix errors.

Grade 1 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 1 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

The levels are modelled on the typical progression of graded theory exams such as ABRSM and Trinity. This is a general progression, not any exam board’s syllabus, and the site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board.

Major Scale Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is the pattern of a major scale?#

A major scale is eight notes, one for each letter name, ending on the octave. Its step pattern is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half, written W-W-H-W-W-W-H. The half steps fall between degrees 3 and 4, and between degrees 7 and 8.

To write a major scale, start on the tonic (the note named in the key). Apply the step pattern, use the next letter name for each degree, and add the accidental that produces the correct step.

Grade 2 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 2 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Minor Scale Worksheet (Natural, Harmonic & Melodic, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Minor scales come in three forms, and each one must be spelled correctly with one letter per degree. Choose one form to drill it, or mix all three. You either write the scale on an empty staff or identify a scale shown on the staff (key and form).

Methods#

Natural minor: W-H-W-W-H-W-W. It has the key signature of its relative major.
Harmonic minor: natural minor with the 7th degree raised a half step (W-H-W-W-H-W+H-H, where W+H is an augmented second).
Melodic minor: ascending, the 6th and 7th are both raised (W-H-W-W-W-W-H); descending, it is natural minor. Melodic exercises are set ascending, descending, or both in one line.

What each level contains#

Easy: minor keys with up to three sharps or flats (A, E, B, F♯, D, G, C).
Medium: up to five (adds C♯, G♯, F, B♭). Identify exercises also include a scale with one wrong note.
Hard: all fifteen minor keys, including D♯, A♯, E♭ and A♭, with double sharps where the spelling requires them.

Identify exercises show the scale ascending with accidentals written in; the first note is the tonic.

Grade 3 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 3 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Scale Degrees Worksheet (Names, Numbers & Solfège, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Every note of a scale has a number (1 to 7), a traditional name, and a movable-do syllable. The questions run in both directions: from the degree to the note, and from the note to the degree. Each answer page also shows the scale on a staff with the degrees written under the notes.

The names#

Degree	Name	Major solfège	Natural minor solfège
1	Tonic	do	do
2	Supertonic	re	re
3	Mediant	mi	me
4	Subdominant	fa	fa
5	Dominant	sol	sol
6	Submediant	la	le
7	Leading tone (subtonic in natural minor)	ti	te

What each level contains#

Easy: keys with up to two sharps or flats.
Medium: up to four sharps or flats.
Hard: every key, and the minor exercises add harmonic minor, where the 7th is a leading tone (ti) rather than a subtonic (te).

Counting is always from the tonic of the stated key, and spelling matters: the 3rd of E♭ major is G, not F♯.

Grade 4 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 4 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Whole and Half Steps Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is a half step and a whole step?#

A half step (also called a semitone) is the distance between two neighbouring keys on a piano, black or white. A whole step (also called a tone) is two half steps. On the piano, E to F and B to C are half steps, and every other pair of neighbouring white keys is a whole step.

Counting works the same way on the staff. One semitone is H, and two semitones is W. Because the natural half steps are E-F and B-C, you can check any pair of natural notes against those two gaps.

Grade 5 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 5 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Relative Major and Minor Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Each major key has a relative minor that shares its key signature, and each minor key has a relative major. The sheet mixes four kinds of question:

the relative minor of a major key;
the relative major of a minor key;
a key signature on the staff, for which you name both the major key and its relative minor;
writing the relative scale on the staff (natural minor from a major key, or major from a minor key) with the key signature already given.

Method#

From the major tonic, count down three half steps to a note whose letter is two letters lower: C to A, G to E, E♭ to C. From the minor tonic, go up three half steps and two letters. For a key signature, the major key is the one whose sharps or flats match, and the relative minor is its 6th degree.

Grade 6 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 6 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Parallel Major and Minor Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Parallel keys have the same tonic: C major and C minor, D major and D minor. Comparing them shows exactly what makes a minor scale sound minor. The questions ask you to:

say which degrees must be lowered to turn a major scale into the minor, or raised to go the other way;
list the notes that are not shared;
count how many notes the two scales have in common;
write the parallel scale on the staff, using accidentals;
name the key signature of the parallel key.

Method#

Write out both scales and compare them degree by degree, not by pitch alone: the letters line up, so D major (D E F♯ G A B C♯) against D natural minor (D E F G A B♭ C) differs on degrees 3, 6 and 7. The minor form you pick controls how many degrees change: three for natural, two for harmonic, one for ascending melodic.

Grade 7 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 7 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Pentatonic Scale Worksheet (Major & Minor, Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is a pentatonic scale?#

A pentatonic scale is a five-note scale, and “penta” means five. Each octave contains five different pitches. The worksheet asks you to build these scales on the staff and to recognise them when they are written out.

How do you build a major pentatonic scale?#

Take the major scale and leave out the 4th and 7th degrees. That leaves degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. In C major, this gives C D E G A. In F major, the 4th (B♭) and 7th (E) are left out, so the F major pentatonic is F G A C D.

Blues Scale Worksheet (Minor & Major Blues, Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is the blue note in a blues scale?#

The blue note is an extra note added to a pentatonic scale to create a bluesy sound. In the minor blues scale it is the flattened fifth, and in the major blues scale it is the flattened third. It works as a passing note between two notes of the pentatonic scale, not as a home note.

What notes are in the minor blues scale?#

The minor blues scale uses degrees 1, ♭3, 4, ♭5, 5 and ♭7 of the major scale. In C it is C E♭ F G♭ G B♭, and in G it is G B♭ C D♭ D F. To build it, start from the minor pentatonic scale (1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7) and insert the lowered fifth between the 4 and the 5.

Grade 8 Music Theory Worksheet: Free Printable Paper with Answers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each paper is a mixed set of questions at grade 8 level, built from the site’s worksheet generators and arranged in numbered sections, so a single sheet covers several topics. Every question has a sheet number, and the answer key prints on its own page.

Chromatic Scale Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

A chromatic scale moves by half steps only. The skill is in the spelling: knowing where a note needs a sharp or flat and where the next letter name comes straight away.

Convention used#

Ascending: write the natural notes and use sharps for the notes between them: C C♯ D D♯ E F F♯ G G♯ A A♯ B C.
Descending: use flats: C B B♭ A A♭ G G♭ F E E♭ D D♭ C.
E to F and B to C are single half steps, so there is no accidental note between them.

Other spelling conventions exist (for example following the key of the piece); here only the sharps-up, flats-down spelling is marked correct.

Modes Worksheet (the 7 Diatonic Modes, Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What are the seven modes of the major scale?#

The seven modes are Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Each one is built by starting the major scale on its 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th degree. D Dorian, for example, uses the notes of C major played from D to D, which is the same as the white keys from D to D.

How do I find a mode from its step pattern?#

Apply the mode’s step pattern from its tonic, using one letter name per degree. W means a whole step and H means a half step.

Accidentals and Key Signature Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises reading a short melody under a key signature. Each question gives a one-bar melody with a key signature at the start, and you say how each note actually sounds.

What to remember#

The key signature raises or lowers every note of that letter in every octave.
A drawn accidental (sharp, flat or natural) overrides the key signature for that line or space until the barline.
Other octaves are not affected. An F-sharp drawn on the top line does not alter an F in the bottom space.

Tasks#

Name each note as it sounds. Write the note names including any sharps or flats the key signature or the bar’s accidentals add.
Find the notes changed by the key signature. List which notes of the melody the signature alters and what they become.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: one to three sharps or flats, four quarter notes, no accidentals drawn in the bar.
Medium: one to five sharps or flats, four quarter notes, and one accidental drawn in the bar (a natural, sharp or flat that is not already in the key signature).
Hard: one to seven sharps or flats, six notes in 4/4, two drawn accidentals, with the same pitch repeated later in the bar so you have to carry the accidental forward and, where it fits, the same letter in another octave to test you.

Pick any of the four clefs, or treble plus bass. The notes stay close to the staff, with at most one ledger line.

Alto Clef Notes Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

The alto clef is a C clef: it is drawn so that its centre sits on the line that is middle C. Because that line is the middle one, the alto clef covers a range centred on middle C, which suits the viola. This worksheet shows a note on an alto staff and asks you to name it.

How the levels differ#

Easy stays within the five lines and the spaces directly above and below, from E3 to A4.
Medium adds notes on up to two ledger lines.
Hard allows up to three ledger lines and adds sharps and flats.

Reading strategy#

Start from the middle line: C. The line above is E, the line below is A, and the notes move up in the same way as in other clefs. Practise by naming the middle line first, then counting outward from it. The bottom line is F and the top line is G.

Bar Completion Worksheet: Add the Missing Note or Rest (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Each question shows one bar with its time signature and leaves out the last note or rest. Your job is to work out the missing length and write the one note or rest that makes the bar add up exactly.

How to work it out#

Find the bar total. In simple time the top number counts the beats and the bottom number names the beat note. In compound time (6, 9 or 12 on top) the beat is a dotted note, so 6/8 is two beats, 9/8 three and 12/8 four.
Add what is already there. Count in beats, using halves and quarters of a beat for eighth and sixteenth notes.
Subtract. What remains is the missing value.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: whole, half, quarter and eighth values in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4, or 6/8 and 9/8 for compound time.
Medium: adds sixteenth notes, eighth rests, dotted halves and dotted quarters, and 12/8.
Hard: adds dotted rhythms and syncopated figures, plus 2/2, 3/8 and 5/4.

For compound time the answer key also gives the length as a fraction of a beat (an eighth note is 1/3 of a dotted-quarter beat). Rhythms are printed on a single-line staff, so the pitch does not matter.

Bass Clef Notes Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What are the note names on the bass clef lines and spaces?#

From the bottom, the lines are G, B, D, F and A, and the spaces are A, C, E and G. Many players learn the lines with “Good Boys Do Fine Always” and the spaces with “All Cows Eat Grass.”

Why is it called the F clef?#

The clef developed from a letter F. Its two dots sit on either side of the fourth line, which is F below middle C (F3). Because the dots surround that line, you always have a fixed starting point for reading the staff.

Cadence Identification Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this exercise practises#

A cadence is the harmonic punctuation at the end of a phrase. Each question gives a key and two chords in four-part harmony on a grand staff; you name the cadence. The answer key gives the British name first and the American name in brackets.

The cadences#

Chords	British name	American name
V (or V7) - I	Perfect	Authentic
IV - I	Plagal	Plagal
I, IV, ii or ii6 - V	Imperfect	Half
V (or V7) - vi (VI in minor)	Interrupted	Deceptive

How to solve a question#

Identify the key from the key signature (check for a raised leading tone in minor).
Work out each chord’s Roman numeral from the bass note and the notes above it.
Match the pair of numerals to the table. If the last chord is V, the cadence is imperfect (half) whatever came before.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: perfect, plagal and imperfect cadences in root position, keys up to three sharps or flats.
Medium: adds interrupted cadences and ii6-V (first-inversion supertonic) with keys up to four accidentals.
Hard: adds V7-I and V7-vi and uses keys up to six accidentals in major and five in minor.

Chord Building Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this exercise practises#

You are given a root and a quality, such as A♭ minor triad or D dominant 7th chord (D7), and write the notes by name from the root upwards. There is no staff: the focus is correct spelling.

Method#

Write the letter names: root, then every other letter (A♭, C, E for a triad; A♭, C, E, G for a seventh chord).
Give the root its accidental. Decide the accidental of each other note from the interval it must make with the root.
Intervals above the root:
- major triad: major 3rd, perfect 5th; minor triad: minor 3rd, perfect 5th
- diminished triad: minor 3rd, diminished 5th; augmented triad: major 3rd, augmented 5th
- add a major 7th (major 7th chord), minor 7th (dominant, minor and half-diminished 7th) or diminished 7th (diminished 7th chord)
Count semitones if you are unsure: a major third is four, a minor third three, a perfect fifth seven.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: major and minor triads (or major 7th, dominant 7th and minor 7th chords when the family is set to sevenths). In the default mixed mode the easy level uses triads only.
Medium: diminished and augmented triads, major, dominant, minor and half-diminished 7th chords, roots with a sharp or flat and no double accidentals.
Hard: adds diminished 7th chords and every root from C♭ to B♯, with double sharps and double flats.

Chord Inversion Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this exercise practises#

An inversion changes which chord note is in the bass without changing the chord’s name. The worksheet has two tasks:

Identify: a chord is shown on the staff; name the chord and its inversion.
Write: a chord and an inversion are named (for example A♭ major triad, second inversion); write it on the empty staff.

The rule#

Lowest note	Triad	Seventh chord
Root	root position	root position (7)
Third	first inversion (6)	first inversion (6/5)
Fifth	second inversion (6/4)	second inversion (4/3)
Seventh	-	third inversion (4/2)

To identify a chord, restack the notes in thirds to find the root, then look at the lowest written note. To write one, spell the root-position chord and move the lower notes up an octave until the requested note is at the bottom.

Chord Progression Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this exercise practises#

A progression is a sequence of diatonic chords named by Roman numerals. The worksheet has three tasks:

Numerals to chord symbols: I-V-vi-IV in D major becomes D-A-Bm-G.
Chord symbols to numerals: the reverse.
Write chords on the staff: write each chord in root position with the key signature given.

Method#

Write out the scale of the key (for minor keys also the harmonic minor, with a raised seventh).
Number the degrees. The numeral tells you which note is the chord root.
Build the chord in thirds from that root using only notes of the scale. Capital numerals are major, lowercase are minor, ° is diminished. A 7 adds a seventh, maj7 a major seventh and ø7 a half-diminished seventh.
In minor keys use the raised seventh degree for V and vii°, and the natural seventh for VII.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: four-chord triad progressions such as I-IV-V-I and I-vi-IV-V (major keys) or i-iv-V-i (minor keys), up to three sharps or flats.
Medium: three- to six-chord progressions with ii-V-I and iii, vi and vii° chords, up to four sharps or flats.
Hard: adds progressions with seventh chords (ii7-V7-Imaj7, iiø7-V7-i), up to six sharps or flats in major and five in minor.

Chord Symbol Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What does a chord symbol mean?#

A chord symbol is a short label that tells you which notes make up a chord. It starts with the root, the note the chord is built on, and adds a suffix that sets the chord quality and any extra notes.

To spell a chord, write the letters first. For thirds, take every other letter: C, E, G, B. For 2nds, 4ths and 6ths, use the letter the symbol names: Csus2 gives C, D, G. Then apply the accidentals the suffix demands. Cm lowers the third to E♭, so it is C, E♭, G. Cmaj7 keeps the major seventh, B, while C7 uses B♭.

Circle of Fifths Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Why does the circle of fifths have only 12 positions?#

There are 15 key signatures, but only 12 positions on the circle. The keys with 5, 6 and 7 sharps overlap with the keys with 7, 6 and 5 flats. B and C-flat, F-sharp and G-flat, and C-sharp and D-flat sound the same, so they share the positions at the bottom of the circle, at 5, 6 and 7 o’clock.

Compound Intervals Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises compound intervals: intervals bigger than an octave. They are named the same way as simple intervals; you just keep counting past the octave, so a 2nd above the octave is a 9th and a 3rd above the octave is a 10th.

The method#

Number: count letter names from the lower to the upper note, including both ends. E up to the F-sharp an octave and a step above is a 9th.
Quality: it is the same as the quality of the matching simple interval. A major 9th is a major 2nd plus an octave; a perfect 12th is a perfect 5th plus an octave.
Reduce: subtract 7 from the number (9 becomes 2, 10 becomes 3, 13 becomes 6).

Tasks#

Name: give the number and quality of the compound interval.
Reduce: name it and the simple interval it equals.
Write: write the compound interval above a given note.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: natural notes, 9ths to 13ths, major, minor or perfect.
Medium: sharps and flats allowed, 9ths to 14ths.
Hard: augmented and diminished intervals, and the perfect 15th (a double octave).

Notes always stay within two ledger lines of the staff, so intervals larger than about two octaves are not used.

Compound Time Worksheet: 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 Practice (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Compound time is the family of time signatures with 6, 9 or 12 on top, such as 6/8 and 12/8. The beat is a dotted note, which splits naturally into three equal parts.

What the tasks cover#

Beat note and beats per bar. Name the note that gets one beat and how many beats are in the bar, or work backwards from a description to the signature.
Counting eighth notes. How many eighth notes fit in a bar or in one beat.
Reading a bar beat by beat. Count the notes played in a printed bar (rests do not count) and on how many beats a note starts.
Completing a bar. Add the one note that fills a bar of 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8.
Equal bars. Find the simple time signature with a bar of the same length, for example 3/4 for 6/8, and compare how many beats each has.

A quick reference#

Signature	Beats per bar	Beat note	Eighth notes per bar
6/8	2	dotted quarter	6
9/8	3	dotted quarter	9
12/8	4	dotted quarter	12

Difficulty levels#

Easy uses 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8 in the written questions, and 6/8 and 9/8 in printed bars. Medium adds 6/4 to the written questions and 12/8 to printed bars. Hard adds 9/4 and the sixteenth-note signatures 6/16, 9/16 and 12/16 to the written questions. Printed bars use the eighth-note signatures only.

Consonance and Dissonance Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises classifying harmonic intervals by how they behave in traditional (common-practice) harmony. Each question shows two notes sounded together; you name the interval and then decide its class.

The classification used here#

Perfect consonances: perfect unison, 5th and octave (and compounds).
Imperfect consonances: major and minor 3rds and 6ths.
Dissonances: 2nds, 7ths and 9ths, the tritone, and every augmented or diminished interval.
The perfect 4th is a convention choice. Against the bass it is treated as dissonant in the usual two-part counterpoint rules, so that is the default. If your course lists the 4th as a perfect consonance, choose that, or choose “left out” to avoid it entirely.

In “Consonant or dissonant” mode, both kinds of consonance are grouped together.

Dotted Notes Worksheet: How Long Is a Dotted Note? (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A dot after a note makes it half as long again. This worksheet turns that rule into four kinds of question.

Question types#

How many beats? Give the length of a dotted note in beats. In 4/4 a dotted quarter note is 1 1/2 beats; in 6/8, where the beat is a dotted quarter, it is exactly one beat.
What does the dot add? Say which note value the dot adds (a dotted half note is a half note plus a quarter note), or how many smaller notes the dotted note equals (a dotted quarter note equals three eighth notes).
Add them up. A short row of values, some dotted and some not, to total in beats. The row is printed on a single-line staff.
Complete the bar. A bar that contains a dotted value is missing its last note. Find it.

Reading fractions of a beat#

In simple time the beat is a quarter note, so an eighth note is 1/2 beat and a dotted eighth is 3/4 beat. In compound time the beat is a dotted quarter note, so an eighth note is 1/3 of a beat and a quarter note is 2/3.

Enharmonic Keys Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises enharmonic keys: pairs of keys that use the same pitches but different note names. There are only six such pairs among the standard fifteen key signatures, three major and three minor. In each pair the number of sharps in one key and the number of flats in the other add up to twelve.

The pairs#

Sharp key	Flat key
B major (5 sharps)	C-flat major (7 flats)
F-sharp major (6 sharps)	G-flat major (6 flats)
C-sharp major (7 sharps)	D-flat major (5 flats)

The same applies to the minor keys: G-sharp minor and A-flat minor, D-sharp minor and E-flat minor, A-sharp minor and B-flat minor.

Enharmonic Notes Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

In equal temperament, the same key on a piano can have more than one name. C♯ and D♭ are one key; so are F♯ and G♭. Each question gives a note with an accidental and asks you to rename it using a different letter, writing the octave number as well.

How the levels differ#

Easy: the black-key notes inside the staff, C♯/D♭, D♯/E♭, F♯/G♭, G♯/A♭ and A♯/B♭.
Medium: adds the white-key spellings E♯, F♭, B♯ and C♭, and allows up to two ledger lines. Here the octave number can change: B♯3 is C4.
Hard: adds double sharps and double flats, up to three ledger lines.

How to work it out#

Step to the neighbouring letter and adjust the accidental. A sharp raises a note by a semitone, so C♯ equals D♭ because D is a whole tone above C and the flat lowers D by a semitone. If the spelling you find has the right letter but the wrong sound, change the accidental until the semitone count matches.

Grand Staff Notes Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How do you name notes on a grand staff?#

The grand staff is two staves, treble above and bass below, joined by a brace and a bar line. Piano, organ, harp and other keyboard music use it. On this worksheet, C4 and every note above it sit on the treble staff, and every note below C4 sits on the bass staff. Check the staff first: a note in the upper staff is always C4 or higher, and a note in the lower staff is always B3 or lower.

Interval Identification Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How do you find the number of an interval?#

Count the letter names from the lower note up to the higher note, counting both ends. Ignore sharps and flats for this step. C up to E spans C, D, E, so it is a 3rd, whatever accidentals either note carries.

Two notes with the same letter, such as C and C-sharp, count as a unison. The sharp changes the quality later, not the number.

Interval Inversion Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises interval inversion: turn an interval upside down and say what you get. Knowing inversions makes interval recognition faster, because a 6th is just an upside-down 3rd, and it explains why thirds and sixths behave alike in harmony.

The rule#

An inversion is made by moving the lower note up an octave or the upper note down an octave. Then:

Number: original + inversion = 9 (3rd and 6th, 2nd and 7th, 4th and 5th).
Quality: major and minor swap, augmented and diminished swap, perfect stays perfect.

Question types#

Notes on a staff: two stacked notes are shown; you invert them, name the new interval and can write the new pair.
Notes given as letter names: the same task from text, a good test of whether you can picture the interval without a staff.
Interval names only: “A major 3rd is inverted: what is it?”, plus number-only and quality-only variants.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: natural notes with major, minor and perfect intervals; letter-name questions tell you the original interval.
Medium: sharps and flats are allowed and you must identify the original interval yourself.
Hard: augmented and diminished intervals are included.

The answer key shows the inverted notes on a staff and the arithmetic behind each answer.

Interval Writing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet trains the writing side of intervals: you are given a note and an interval name, and you write the second note. It is the skill needed for building scales, chords and transposing, and it is the reverse of reading an interval.

The method#

Letter first. Count the number of the interval in letter names, up or down, starting with the given note as 1. A 6th above E is the letter C.
Then the accidental. Work out how many semitones the interval needs (major 6th = 9, minor 6th = 8, and so on) and add the sharp or flat to the new note that makes the distance correct.
Check by naming the interval you wrote.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: the given note is a natural note; the intervals are major or perfect (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, octave).
Medium: the given note may have a sharp or flat; minor intervals are included.
Hard: augmented and diminished intervals are added, and answers may need a double sharp or double flat.

You can show the given note on a staff, or give it as a letter name and write both notes yourself on an empty staff. The answer key shows the two notes together on a staff and explains the letter count.

Key Signature Flashcards (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What is a key signature?#

A key signature is the group of sharps or flats written at the start of each staff, just after the clef. It tells you which notes are raised or lowered throughout the piece, so you don’t need to write an accidental beside every note. There are fifteen key signatures: C major (with A minor) has none, seven have sharps and seven have flats. Each signature belongs to one major key and one relative minor.

Key Signature Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How do I find the major key from sharps?#

Count the sharps, then find the last sharp in the signature. The major key is a semitone (a half step) above that last sharp. For example, a signature with F-sharp and C-sharp has two sharps. The last one is C-sharp, and a semitone above it is D, so the key is D major.

This rule works because the last sharp is the leading note of the major key. If there are no sharps or flats at all, the key is C major, and its relative minor is A minor.

Key Signature Writing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet is the writing counterpart of key signature reading: you are given a key name and an empty staff, and you draw the key signature. Writing it correctly shows that you know both how many accidentals the key has and where each one goes.

The method#

Count the accidentals. Work from the circle of fifths: sharp keys are C, G, D, A, E, B, F-sharp, C-sharp (0 to 7 sharps); flat keys are C, F, B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, G-flat, C-flat (0 to 7 flats). For a minor key, count from its relative major.
Write them in order. Sharps: F C G D A E B. Flats: B E A D G C F.
Check the placement for the clef. The accidentals zig-zag within the staff and are never placed on ledger lines.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: up to three sharps or flats.
Medium: up to five.
Hard: all fifteen signatures.

If a level has fewer distinct keys than the number of questions you ask for, the sheet adds keys from neighbouring levels, and then other clefs, so that nothing repeats.

Ledger Lines Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What are ledger line notes?#

Ledger line notes are notes that go too high or too low to fit on the five staff lines. A ledger line is a short extra line drawn through or just beside a notehead to extend the staff, so the note can be placed on it. Notes sitting on ledger lines or in the spaces just outside the staff are the ones you have to read by counting.

Middle C Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Middle C is the landmark that links the treble and bass clefs, and it is written differently in each clef. Each question shows a numbered row of notes; exactly one is middle C and you circle it.

How the levels differ#

Easy: four notes. The other notes are inside the staff, so in treble, bass and grand staff middle C is the only note on a ledger line. In alto clef it is on the middle line.
Medium: five notes, with up to two ledger lines for the other notes, so ledger notes compete with middle C.
Hard: six notes. The row always includes another C in a different octave, and sharps and flats appear, so you need to look at the exact position.

Notes never share the same line or space as middle C, so there is one correct answer.

Non-Chord Tone Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this exercise practises#

Each melody (quarter notes in 4/4, chord symbol above each bar) has exactly one note that is not in the chord. You name its type by looking at the beat it falls on and how the melody arrives at it and leaves it.

The six types#

Type	Beat	Approached	Left
Passing tone	weak	step	step, same direction
Neighbour tone	weak	step	step back to the same note
Appoggiatura	strong	leap	step, opposite direction
Escape tone	weak	step	leap, opposite direction
Suspension	strong	tied from the same pitch	step down
Anticipation	weak (last beat)	step	repeated as the next chord arrives

Beats 1 and 3 are treated as strong, beats 2 and 4 as weak. A neighbour tone is called upper or lower by its direction.

Note Drawing Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How do you draw music notes on the staff?#

Drawing a note and reading one use the same knowledge in opposite directions. When you read, you name the note from its position. When you draw, you find the position from the name. The rules below cover the points that make drawing accurate.

What does the number after the note name mean?#

The number is the octave number in scientific pitch notation. It tells you which octave the note belongs to, so C4 and C5 share a letter but sit at different heights on the staff. Middle C is C4, and the number changes at each C, so B3 is just below C4 and the number rises as you move up to the next C.

Note Value Math Worksheet: Adding Notes and Rests (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How do you count note values in beats?#

A beat is one unit of time that you choose. Every other note value is counted as a fraction or multiple of that beat. With a quarter-note beat, the values are:

Value	Beats
Whole note (semibreve)	4
Half note (minim)	2
Quarter note (crotchet)	1
Eighth note (quaver)	1/2
Sixteenth note (semiquaver)	1/4

Each value is half the one before it, so you can work out any value by halving or doubling.

Note Values Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What are the note values in order?#

The note values, from longest to shortest, are whole note (semibreve), half note (minim), quarter note (crotchet), eighth note (quaver) and sixteenth note (semiquaver). Each one is half the length of the one before it. Think of it as halving: a whole note is two halves, a half is two quarters, a quarter is two eighths, and an eighth is two sixteenths.

How many beats is each note worth in 4/4?#

In 4/4 time, the quarter note gets one beat. From that, the other values follow the halving pattern. A whole note lasts 4 beats, a half note 2 beats, a quarter note 1 beat, an eighth note half a beat and a sixteenth note a quarter of a beat. The beats task checks that you can turn this pattern into numbers. You need that skill before you can count bars or work with other time signatures.

Octave Identification Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

What this worksheet practises#

Knowing a note’s letter name is half the job; the other half is knowing which octave it is in. Scientific pitch notation adds a number: middle C is C4, and the number goes up by one at every C. This sheet shows a note and asks for its full name, or only the octave number.

The one rule#

The octave number changes at C, not at A. So the notes from middle C up to the B above it are all in octave 4: C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4. The next C is C5. Going down, the B just under middle C is B3.

Relative Keys Worksheet (Printable, with Answers)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This worksheet practises relative keys: pairs of one major and one minor key that share a key signature. Knowing them quickly lets you work out the key of a piece in either mode from the number of sharps or flats.

The rule#

Relative minor of a major key: three semitones (a minor 3rd) below the major tonic, or the 6th degree of the major scale. D major gives B minor.
Relative major of a minor key: three semitones above the minor tonic, or the 3rd degree of the natural minor scale. G minor gives B-flat major.

Question styles#

Keys named in words: “What is the relative minor of E major?” or “Which major key has the same key signature as B-flat minor?”
Key signature on the staff: the signature of one key is shown and named, and you name its relative key. This gives practice with treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs.

Difficulty levels#

Easy: keys with up to three sharps or flats.
Medium: up to five sharps or flats.
Hard: all fifteen key signatures.

You can ask for minor-from-major questions, major-from-minor, or both. If the level contains fewer distinct questions than the number you request, the sheet borrows from neighbouring levels so that no question repeats.