NBPTS EC Music cheat sheet

Music Content Knowledge (Early Childhood through Young Adulthood)

• Pitch notation: treble clef G4 sits on the second line from bottom; bass clef F3 sits on the fourth line from bottom; middle C (C4) is one ledger line below treble and one above bass.

• Major scale pattern in semitones: 2-2-1-2-2-2-1. Natural minor: 2-1-2-2-1-2-2. Harmonic minor raises scale degree 7 by one semitone; melodic minor raises 6 and 7 ascending, reverts to natural minor descending.

• Key signatures: order of sharps is F-C-G-D-A-E-B; order of flats is B-E-A-D-G-C-F. The last sharp is scale degree 7; the second-to-last flat names the major key.

• Interval quality decision rule: count diatonic letter names for the number, count semitones for the quality. Perfect intervals (unison, 4th, 5th, 8ve) invert to perfect; major inverts to minor; augmented inverts to diminished.

• Triad construction: stack two thirds. Major = M3 + m3; minor = m3 + M3; diminished = m3 + m3; augmented = M3 + M3. Seventh chords add a fourth third (e.g., dominant seventh = major triad + minor seventh).

• Roman numeral analysis: uppercase = major or augmented triad, lowercase = minor or diminished; figured bass 6 means first inversion, 6/4 second inversion, 7 root-position seventh, 6/5 first-inversion seventh.

• Common-practice harmonic function: tonic (I, vi, iii) → subdominant (IV, ii) → dominant (V, vii°) → tonic. Authentic cadence V–I; plagal IV–I; half cadence ends on V; deceptive V–vi.

• Meter classification: duple, triple, or quadruple by beat grouping; simple if the beat divides into 2, compound if into 3 (6/8, 9/8, 12/8). Time-signature numerator = beats per measure, denominator = beat value.

• Form labels: binary (AB), rounded binary (ABA'), ternary (ABA), strophic (repeated verse), through-composed, sonata (exposition–development–recapitulation), rondo (ABACA), theme and variations (A A1 A2...).

• Transposition rule: instruments in B-flat sound a major second below written pitch; F instruments (horn, English horn) sound a perfect fifth below; E-flat instruments sound a major sixth below (alto sax) or a minor third above (E-flat clarinet).