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Recommended Reading
As a teacher who positively enjoys teaching theory I have to say 'no, of course not!'
I teach many students who come to me because they 'have' to pass grade 5 theory before they can take grade 6 practical on their chosen instrument. Some of them have been working laboriously through a series of graded books, filling in page after page of rather dull questions while others have attempted past papers with no prior study and as a result are very confused.
My approach is to ensure that my students understand the basic principles of each topic and are then able to apply them to each question. This means that you can not only avoid hours of tedious memorisation but that you will always remember what you have learnt and you will be able to apply the concepts to the music you are actually playing. After all, we learn theory in order to help us with playing!
I have found that there are a few basic ideas you need to understand which you can then expand quickly and I often find myself saying to a student 'here is everything you will ever need to know about....' and 10 minutes later they can then complete a grade 5 question on that topic.
Now I can't possibly address every topic you'll need to know in a brief article like this but I can give you an overview of the most important areas you will need to cover and you can then refer to theory books or internet sites for more details.
1. The difference between simple and compound time and how to group notes together in each.
2. Learn and understand the circle of fifths (probably the most important thing to understand as it is the basis of the answer for the majority of theory questions eg scales, chords, intervals, general questions)
3. Harmonic/melodic minor scales
4. Intervals
5. Chords and inversions.
6. Transposition
7. Composition
Choose a topic to research and start by looking for information on your chosen subject to give you a basic understanding of the ideas. You may find that you can grasp everything easily by yourself but if not, find an experienced and qualified teacher who will be able to help you out with the more complex details. Theory is a subject which is often more fun to learn in a group so if you have some friends who are also working towards their grade 5 exam you might want to organise some small classes with a local teacher.
Good luck and remember, grade 5 theory is both interesting and fun!
