Going back to the start
Repeat marks
Repeat marks are two dots beside a double barline. Play the music between them again.
Quick check
Two bars have repeat marks around them. What do you do?
Da capo and fine
Da capo (D.C.) means repeat from the beginning. Fine means the end. Al fine means to the end (the place marked fine).
Quick check
The music says D.C. al fine. Where do you stop?
The terms asked most
Learn these by heart
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| staccato (stacc.) | short and detached |
| allegro | quick and lively |
| adagio | slow |
| crescendo (cresc.) | gradually getting louder |
| moderato | at a moderate speed |
These five come up most often in Grade 1 questions.
All 19 Grade 1 terms
Learn these by heart
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| a tempo | back to the speed before |
| accelerando (accel.) | gradually getting quicker |
| adagio | slow |
| allegretto | fairly quick, a little slower than allegro |
| allegro | quick and lively |
| andante | at a walking pace |
| cantabile | in a singing style |
| crescendo (cresc.) | gradually getting louder |
| da capo (D.C.) | repeat from the beginning |
| decrescendo (decresc.) | gradually getting quieter |
| diminuendo (dim.) | gradually getting quieter |
| dolce | sweetly |
| fine | the end |
| al fine | to the end (the place marked fine) |
| legato | smoothly |
| moderato | at a moderate speed |
| rallentando (rall.) | gradually getting slower |
| ritardando (rit.) | gradually getting slower |
| staccato (stacc.) | short and detached |
Every word Grade 1 asks, in one place.
Remember
- Repeat marks: play the music between them again.
- D.C.: from the beginning. Fine: the end.
- D.C. al fine: back to the start, then stop at fine.
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