Enter for your Popular Music Theory exam in four quick steps

The next deadline is 1 May

Popular Music Theory Grade 4

At Popular Music Theory Grade 4, you'll learn how to notate different rhythmic values, time signatures and how to indicate dynamics and articulation in a piece. You'll also work on scores with up to four instruments.

Key Skills at Grade 4

What you'll learn at Grade 4:

  • Intricate music notation, time signatures and note values
  • Intricate elements of popular music harmony
  • Instrumental components and notation
  • How to analyse, identify and modify music notation, harmony, stylistic traits and
  • instrumental characteristics within a multi-instrumental score
  • How to interpret a score to make appropriate harmony choices for improvised music and
  • interpret improvisational directions

What You're Marked On

Your Popular Music Theory Grade 4 exam lasts 120 minutes and is split into four key sections.

Music Notation

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of music notation:

  • Understanding rhythm: halving and doubling rhythmic values, 6/8 and 12/8, half notes and triplets
  • Understanding pitch: 8va and 8vb symbols, ledger lines
  • Understanding dynamics and articulation
  • Re-writing scores with a new time signature
  • Understanding and recognising trills

Popular Music Harmony

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of popular music harmony:

  • Identifying intervals: major 6th and 7th
  • Understanding scales: Pentatonic and variants
  • Applying scale knowledge: Blues Scale
  • Adding accidentals to scales
  • Writing and understanding scales

Band Knowledge

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of band knowledge:

  • Identification of drum kit parts
  • Identification of guitar and bass guitar parts
  • Identification of keys: acoustic and electronic piano keyboards
  • Understanding vocal pitch ranges
  • Different techniques used across instrumental disciplines

Band Analysis

At Grade 4 you will cover the following aspects of band analysis:

  • Understanding scores with up to four different instruments
  • Recognising keys
  • Recognising chord symbols, including roman numerals
  • Instrumental features and techniques across all disciplines
  • Understanding tempo markings
  • Recognising note values and duration

Timing

Your Grade 4 exam lasts 120 minutes. Candidates are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes before their exam starts.

Get Started Today!

You can start working towards your Grade 4 exam now! Simply buy or Debut – Grade 5 Guidebook and corresponding Grade 4 Workbook book below and start preparing alongside your music teacher.

If you don't have a music teacher that can help you with music theory, you can quickly find the perfect teacher nearest to you with our handy find a music teacher map.



Books for Popular Music Theory Grade 4

  • Guidebook Debut - Grade 5 Book Cover Guidebook Grade 4 - Grade 5

    Rockschool's Guidebooks are the ideal introduction to music theory for musicians, composers, students and teachers.

  • Workbook Grade 4 Book Cover Workbook Grade 4

    The Rockschool Grade 4 Theory Workbook is the ideal preparation for your Grade 4 theory exam.

  • Workbook Grade 5 Book Cover Workbook Grade 5

    The Rockschool Grade 5 Theory Workbook is the ideal preparation for your Grade 5 theory exam.

  • Workbook Grade 6 Book Cover Workbook Grade 6

    The Rockschool Grade 6 Theory Workbook is the ideal preparation for your Grade 6 theory exam.