The AP Music Theory exam is approaching, make sure that you are using all of Fiveable resources to prepare! And check out a brief explanation of the exam below.

AP Music Theory Cheat Sheet PDF & Review Chart

This review chart will help guide your studying for the AP Music Theory exam

AP Music Theory

Learn the fundamentals of music in unit 1 of the AP Music Theory course. Explore the basics of pitch, rhythm, and music notation; major scales, key signatures and scale degrees; and simple and compound time signatures. By learning these fundamental music skills, you will set yourself up for a successful year of music theory study! 

Unit 1 – Music Fundamentals I (Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements)

Cover minor scales, key signatures, and scale degrees; melodic, whole tone, and pentatonic scales; interval size, quality, and inversions; melodic features and transposition; and texture and rhythmic devices. You will advance your music fundamentals with these AP Music Theory Unit 2 resources!

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

Get a better understanding of unit 3 of AP Music Theory. This unit focuses on chords: triads and their qualities, diatonic chords and roman numerals notation, seventh chords, chord inversions, and figured bass. In this last part of music fundamentals, you will have all the tools in your music theory toolbox to ace the AP Music Theory exam! 

Unit 3 – Music Fundamentals III (Triads and Seventh Chords)

Explore unit 4 of AP Music Theory with these resources. Learn how the building blocks of music work together to form harmonic progressions, functional harmonies, and cadences. This unit also covers SATB voice leading rules with triads, seventh chords, and inversions. This is all you need to ace the part-writing portion of the AP Music Theory exam!

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

Check out these resources for unit 5 of AP Music Theory. We cover chord progressions, with examples and explanations, along with the process of harmony, and how to effectively voice lead (don't worry it's not that scary). These resources will make sure that you understand this unit!

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

Want to learn about harmonies? Well, discover all about them in unit 6 of AP Music Theory! These resources cover more details about harmonies and voice leading, while also diving into melodic devices and choices, and the importance of motive and embellishment.

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

Take a look at these resources to help you understand unit 7 of AP Music Theory with these resources. We continue to cover harmonies and voice leading with harmonic dictations, secondary chords, tonicization, tone chords and writing tone chords. These resources will help you understand AP Music Theory!

Unit 7 – Harmony and Voice Leading IV (Secondary Function)

Everything you need to know about unit 8 of AP Music Theory can be found using these resources. These resources cover modes and forms, along with phase relationships and their importance and common formal sections to make sure you understand unit 8 of AP Music Theory!

Unit 8 – Modes & Form

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn all about the AP Music Theory exam: MCQs with and without aural stimuli, and all the FRQs, including melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, figured bass, part-writing, harmonizing a melody, and sight singing. We review logistics, useful strategies, and helpful tips so you'll be attuned to all the little details on the exam!

Exam Skills

Exam Reviews

Want to know something from the tiniest details to the entire format? We've got you covered! In these comprehensive Q&A sessions, we'll be sure to clarify anything you're confused on or need help with. We'll cover the topics you need us to review so that you can feel confident and prepared to conquer the AP Music Theory exam! 

Q & A sessions

Study with these comprehensive reviews of the entire AP Music Theory course with helpful study guides and other useful resources are perfect from cramming, quick refreshers on the material, or detailed studying. You'll feel confident and prepared to ace the exam!

Big Reviews: Finals & Exam Prep

AP Cram Sessions 2021

First Unit

1.1: Pitch and Pitch Notation

Reading Notes on a Staff

Measures

1.2: Rhythmic Values 

1.3: Half Steps and Whole Steps 

1.4: Major Scales and Scale Degrees 

1.5: Major Keys and Key SIgnatures 

1.6: Simple and Compound Beat Division 

1.7: Time Signatures 

1.8: Rhythmic Patterns 

1.9: Tempo 

1.10: Dynamics  and Articulation

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

Reading Musical Notes

Musical Staffs

Reading in Treble Clef

Reading in Bass Clef

Drawing the Clefs 

Ledger Lines

Alto and Tenor Clefs

Accidentals

Introduction to Intervals and Melodies

Pitch and Pitch Notation

Dynamics

Articulation

Dynamics and Articulation

Counting in Music

Quarter Notes

Subdividing Beats

Longer Notes

Dots and Ties

More on Writing Music 

Rhythmic Values

Half Steps and Whole Steps

Intervals

Naming Intervals

Singing and Recognizing Intervals

Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Major Scales

Major Scale Degrees

The Circle of Fifths 

Major Scales and Scale Degrees

Keys and Key Signatures

History Behind the Circle of Fifths

Notating and Singing Melodies in Major Keys

Major Keys and Key Signatures

Simple and Compound Meters 

Rhythm vs. Beat Division

Examples 

Simple and Compound Beat Division

Time Signatures

Duple, Triple, and Quadruple Meters

Commonly Used Time Signatures 

Strong Beats and Weak Beats

Anomalies in the Meter

Meter and Time Signature

Notating Rhythm

Rhythmic Styles Throughout History

Rhythmic Patterns

Changes in Tempo

Tempo

2.1: Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic

2.2: Relative Keys: Determining Relative Minor Key and Notating Key Signatures

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

2.4: Other Scales: Chromatic, Whole-Tone, and Pentatonic

Chromatic Scales

Whole Tone Scales

Pentatonic Scales


2.5: Interval Size and Quality

2.6: Interval Inversion and Compound Intervals

2.7: Transposing Instruments


2.8: Timbre

2.9: Melodic Features

2.10: Melodic Transposition

2.11: Texture and Texture Types


Counterpoint

2.12: Texture Devices 

2.13: Rhythmic Devices 

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

Three Types of Minors

When do we use the different minors?

Minor Scale Degrees

Practice with Minor Scales 

Sight-Singing in Minor

Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic

Melodic Transposition in Motivic Analysis 

Melodic Transposition

General Counterpoint Rules 

Contrapuntal Species

Other Musical Textures

Texture and Texture Types

Texture in the Bass Line 

Polyphonic Textural Device

Other Textural Devices 

Texture Devices

Syncopation and Polyrhythms

Hemiolas

Accents

Meter Types

Asymmetrical and Irregular Meters 

Rhythmic Devices

Major and Minor Modes

Parallel and Relative Keys

Minor Key Signatures

The Circle of FIfths for Minor Keys

Relative Keys: Determining Relative Minor Key and Notating Key Signatures

Parallel Keys

Closely Related Keys

Distantly Related Keys

Introduction to Modulation

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

Chromatic Scales 

Whole Tone-Scale

Pentatonic Scales 

Other Scales: Chromatic, Whole-Tone, and Pentatonic

Interval Inversion 


Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Interval Size and Quality

Interval Inversions

Compound Intervals 

Interval Inversion and Compound Intervals

Transposing Instruments

Describing Timbre 

Timbre

Motivic Analysis 

Melodic Features

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

3.2 Diatonic Chords and Roman Numerals

Major Diatonic Triads

Minor Diatonic Triads

3.3: Chord Inversions and Figures 

Figured Bass

3.4: Seventh Chords 

Seventh Chord Qualities 

Diatonic Seventh Chords 



3.5: Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures

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

Triads

Looking Ahead: Seventh Chords

Identifying Triads and Seventh Chords by Ear

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

Diatonic Chords in Major Keys 

Diatonic Chords in Minor Key

Introduction to Chord Progressions and Harmonies 

Diatonic Chords and Roman Numerals

How does Figured Bass Work? 

Basso Continuo 

Lead Sheet Symbols

Chord Inversions and Figures: Introduction to Figured Bass

Diatonic Seventh Chords

Building a Seventh Chord in Major

Diatonic Seventh Chords in Minor

Using Seventh Chords in Chord Progressions 

Seventh Chords


Using Figured Bass to Write Seventh Chords

Identifying Seventh Chords by Ear

Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures

4.1: Harmony and Voice Leading I

Types of Motion

18th Century Voice Leading Rules 

4.2: SATB Voice Leading

Doubling Rules 

4.3: Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences

Cadences

4.4: Voice Leading with Seventh Chords

4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions

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

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AP Music Theory Cheat Sheet PDF & Review Chart

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