I’ve just added a new guide to the Online Resources Hub — it walks you through how to identify composers and musical periods from a written score. If you’re preparing for ABRSM theory exams, this will help you recognise style, texture, harmony, and period markers much more confidently. It’s designed as a clear, step-by-step process you can use with any unseen score. You’ll find it in the Online Resources Hub now if you’d like to explore it. Benedict

If you’ve ever looked at a Grade 6 harmonisation question and thought, “Where do I even start?”, this new walkthrough is for you. In this calm, practical video, I take you through a real exam-style question from blank page to finished answer — showing how to think logically and musically at every step. 🎹 What you’ll learn: • How to find the key and map your cadences before adding any chords • The role of predominant chords (ii°, IV, I⁶⁴) in shaping good harmonic flow • How to use inversions to create smooth bass lines and avoid parallel fifths • A final checklist for clean, confident answers This is especially useful for those working towards Grade 5–7 theory exams, but it’s just as valuable if you want to hear harmony more clearly when you play. 💬 Once you’ve watched, try harmonising a short melody of your own and post it in the Theory Made Simple section — I’d love to give you some feedback!

The Circle of Fifths looks complicated at first, but it’s actually one of the most useful shortcuts in music. Here’s how to think about it: 1. Each step clockwise adds a sharp (G, D, A, E, etc.). 2. Each step counter-clockwise adds a flat (F, Bb, Eb, etc.). 3. Major and relative minor keys share the same “slice” (C major & A minor, G major & E minor, and so on). 👉 Why it matters: - It helps you know which chords “fit” together. - It makes transposing (changing key) way less scary. - It’s the secret to spotting patterns in almost any piece of music. What’s been your experience with the Circle of Fifths? - “I’ve used it before.” - “I’ve seen it but don’t get it.” - “What even is that??” Drop your answer below — I’ll make sure to share some examples that match where you’re at.

If you’ve seen the Circle of Fifths before but aren’t sure how it helps with chords, here’s the simple version: ✅ 1. Each key is a “family.”Every major key (like C major, G major, F major…) has 7 notes it likes to use. The chords built from those 7 notes are the ones that fit together naturally. ✅ 2. Neighbouring keys are cousins. Move one step clockwise → you add a sharp. Move one step counterclockwise → you add a flat. That means keys sitting next to each other share most of their notes — that’s why they sound related. (C major and G major, for example, share 6 out of 7 notes!) ✅ 3. The Circle helps you see these families. If you’re in the key of F major (one flat: B♭), your main chords come from that family: F, Gm, Am, Bb, C, Dm, and Edim. All of those “fit” because they use only notes from the F major scale. ✅ 4. Why this matters: - When you pick chords for a song, stay inside one key to sound stable. - When you borrow a chord from a neighbouring key, you get colour or surprise — but it still sounds musical because it’s close on the circle. - When you modulate (change key), the Circle shows the smoothest paths. If you’re thinking, “So when you say B♭, you mean the key of B♭ major, not a single note?” — exactly right. 👉 In short: - Keys = families of chords that share notes. - Neighbours = similar families that blend easily. - The Circle = your map for both. If you’d like, I can post a one-page cheat sheet showing the 7 chords that “fit” in each key. Would that be useful? 🎹