Year 8 Exam Materials

A. Ensemble band
‘Ensemble’ is a French word that translates directly to ‘together’ in English. So, a
‘music ensemble’ literally means ‘music together’. This should give you some clue as
to what a music ensemble is. Yep, you guessed it. A music ensemble is a group of
musicians playing a piece of music together. A music ensemble can be purely vocal
(singing with no musical accompaniment – better known as acapella), purely
instrumental, or a combination of both.
Any group of musicians playing or performing a piece of music, whether
instrumental, vocal, or both, can be considered an ensemble. However, if you want
to get into the theory behind music ensembles, there are many different types.
Generally speaking, music ensembles can be broken down into two main categories:
large ensembles and small ensembles. The types of large ensembles are as follows:
- Concert Band
A concert band is a band led by a conductor at a specific location. Many
instruments can be involved in a concert band, but the typical instruments you’d see
in this kind of ensemble include saxophones, trumpets, trombones, oboes, tubas,
clarinets, euphoniums, flutes, and percussion instruments like various types of
drums. Sometimes, a concert band will also include a keyboard, a cello, a harp, or a
bass, but these instruments are less commonly seen in concert bands than in other
types of ensembles.
- Jazz Band
The jazz band is a very popular form of large ensemble. Of course, a jazz band will
play jazz music, but apart from the type of music played, this large ensemble is
defined by its sections. The main section of a jazz band is the rhythm section, which
usually consists of a guitar, a piano, a tuba, and some percussion. Layered on top of
the rhythm section, you also have the melodic section, where you have your
trombones, trumpets, and various kinds of saxophones.
- Marching Band
A marching band is technically a variation of the concert band, but it sets itself apart
by the fact that a marching band ensemble plays on its feet and the group is usually
led by a drum major (you will usually see the drum major holding a baton).

B. Chord Symbol and the Value Chord

There are four components to a chord symbol:
1) the root of the triad,
2) the quality of the triad,
3) the presence of extensions beyond the triad,
4) the bass note.
triad quality chord symbol (for a chord with a root of C)
major C
minor Cmi, Cm, C-
diminished Co, Cdim, Cm(♭5), Cm(-5)
augmented C+, Caug

Formula :
1. Major = 1, 3, 5
2. Minor = 1, 3b, 5
3. Diminished = 1, 3b, 5b
4. Augmented = 1, 3, 5#
Example :
a) G Diminished :
G Scale = G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, i
Diminished = 1, 3b, 5b
Gdim = G, Bb, Db

b) A Augmented
A Scale = A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, i
Augmented (A+) = 1, 3, 5#
A+ = A, C#, F