Subject

🎶AP Music Theory

Study Guides by Unit

🎵Unit 1 – Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements

🎶Unit 2 – Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture

🎻Unit 3 – Triads and Seventh Chords

🎹Unit 4 – Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase

🎸Unit 5 – Chord Progressions and Predominant Function

🎺Unit 6 – Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices

🎤Unit 7 – Secondary Function

🎷Unit 8 – Modes and Form

Additional Resources

📚Study Tools

✏️Frequently Asked Questions

🧐Exam Skills

🗓️Previous Exam Prep

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🎶AP Music Theory

📌 Exam Date: May 12, 2023

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Study Guides by Unit

Unit 1 – Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements

Unit 1 Overview: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements

9 min read

1.1

Pitch and Pitch Notation

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

1.2

Rhythmic Values

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

1.3

Half Steps and Whole Steps

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

1.4

Major Scales and Scale Degrees

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

1.5

Major Keys and Key Signatures

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

Unit 2 – Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture

Unit 2 Overview: Music Fundamentals II (Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture)

12 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

2.1

Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

2.2

Relative Keys: Determining Relative Minor Key and Notating Key Signatures

4 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

2.3

Key Relationships: Parallel, Closely Related, and Distantly Related Keys

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

2.4

Other Scales: Chromatic, Whole-Tone, and Pentatonic

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

2.5

Interval Size and Quality

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

Unit 3 – Triads and Seventh Chords

Unit 3 Overview: Music Fundamentals III (Triads and Seventh Chords)

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

3.1

Triad and Chord Qualities (M, m, d, A)

7 min read

3.2

Diatonic Chords and Roman Numerals

7 min read

3.3

Chord Inversions and Figures: Introduction to Figured Bass

6 min read

3.4

Seventh Chords

6 min read

3.5

Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures

6 min read

Unit 4 – Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase

Unit 4 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading I (Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase)

8 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

4.1

Harmony and Voice Leading I

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

4.2

SATB Voice Leading

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

4.3

Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences

6 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

4.4

Voice Leading with Seventh Chords

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

4.5

Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions

7 min read

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written by Mickey Hansen

Unit 5 – Chord Progressions and Predominant Function

Unit 5 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading II (Chord Progressions and Predominant Function)

9 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

5.1

Adding Predominant Function IV (iv) and ii (ii0) to a Melodic Phrase

7 min read

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written by Cesar Torruella

5.2

The vi (VI) Chord

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

5.3

Predominant Seventh Chords

7 min read

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written by Cesar Torruella

5.4

The iii (III) Chord

7 min read

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written by Cesar Torruella

5.5

Cadences and Predominant Function

7 min read

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written by Cesar Torruella

Unit 6 – Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices

Unit 6 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading III (Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices)

11 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

6.1

Embellishing Tones: Identifying Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

6.2

Embellishing Tones: Writing Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

6.3

Embellishing Tones: Identifying Anticipations, Escape Tones, Appoggiaturas, and Pedal Points

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

6.4

Embellishing Tones: Identifying and Writing Suspensions; Identifying Retardations

7 min read

6.5

Motive and Motivic Transformation

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

Unit 7 – Secondary Function

Unit 7 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading IV (Secondary Function)

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

7.1

Tonicization through Secondary Dominant Chords

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

7.2

Part Writing of Secondary Dominant Chords

6 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

7.3

Tonicization through Secondary Leading Tone Chords

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

7.4

Part Writing of Secondary Leading Tone Chords

6 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

Unit 8 – Modes and Form

Unit 8 Overview: Modes and Form

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

8.1

Modes

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

8.2

Phrase Relationships

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

8.3

Common Formal Sections

7 min read

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written by Sumi Vora

Additional Resources

Study Tools

2024 AP Music Theory Exam Guide

9 min read

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written by A Q

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AP Music Theory Hard? Is AP Music Theory Worth Taking?

4 min read

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