I've just taken my Grade 7 piano and got a Merit (which I am so proud of, being an adult student).
Since Grade 8 is certainly going to take - at least - 2 years' work, I've decided to take Grade 6 theory next year.
My last theory exam goes back to 2009 and some of the knowledge I'd acquired about chords, harmony, etc. has vanished ...
I count on the help of a friend of mine - a competent teacher - who is guiding me through the various questions in Grade 6 and yet, I always view it as a daunting task (and have tried to tackle it three times already in the past 4 years).
My first attempt was at Question 4 in the 2009 paper and I was astonished at the depth of the questions involved.
I came across the terms 'pedan notes' and 'changining notes' and I had no idea what they meant at all!
I've got study material which I bought when I first staretd preparing this exam but I find it almost all very confusing and either too deep or incomplete, in that it does not seem to lead you smoothly through the various steps required to grasp harmony. As has already been said many times, the leap from Grade 5 is infinite and there seems to be no material to bridge the gap.
Any advice?

Anna Butterworth's Harmony in Practice book is fabulous and takes you through step by step, and in depth. There is an answer book too, which helps, and it covers the material for grades 6-8 (but all mixed up, not separated into grades). I have found it invaluable, as have others on here.

There is also the Big 6 workbook available, which explains the material in a more gradual way than the Music Theory in Practice book, building up as you go along. It has an answer section at the back.

For questions 4 and 5 I think that experience gives you a big advantage.
Some if the questions involve applying knowledge of harmony and chords from the previous questions but a lot of it is about being familiar with a score and how different instruments work.
The two thing you mention (pedal notes and changing notes) are among the things you need to be able to pick out when looking at music. The AB 'blue' theory book has sections which cover this sort of thing.

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Anna Butterworth's Harmony in Practice book is fabulous and takes you through step by step, and in depth. There is an answer book too, which helps, and it covers the material for grades 6-8 (but all mixed up, not separated into grades). I have found it invaluable, as have others on here.
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I have that book - and the answers - but every time I've tried to read it and get information I've got lost ... it may be because it is not divided into grades, as you say, and you're faced with a stumbling block of information, much of which you don't actually need in the short term but later. on

[quote name='Juan Carlos' date='Jun 29 2012, 06:07 PM' post='1157002']
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Anna Butterworth's Harmony in Practice book is fabulous and takes you through step by step, and in depth. There is an answer book too, which helps, and it covers the material for grades 6-8 (but all mixed up, not separated into grades). I have found it invaluable, as have others on here.
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I have that book - and the answers - but every time I've tried to read it and get information I've got lost ... it may be because it is not divided into grades, as you say, and you're faced with a stumbling block of information, much of which you don't actually need in the short term but later. on
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I know what you mean; I'm just working my way through, cover to cover. It is consolidating my grade 6/7 knowledge and then adding to it for grade 8....

I think it is progressive though?
Look at the syllabus to see what harmonic vocabulary you need for the grade and only go that far with each topic if you want.
Some people (me included) do need a teacher to help them to understand.