🎼 2023 AP Music Theory Study Plan
Welcome to this plethora of resources that cover everything! This toolkit is constantly being updated with more resources! AP Music Theory is a college-level course where you will develop an understanding of important topics in music theory like pitch, rhythm, form, and musical design.
🚨 All you need to know about the 2023 AP Music Theory Exam!
The AP Music Theory Exam
A breakdown of exam topics.
| Unit |
|---|
| Unit 1: Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements |
| Unit 2: Music Fundamentals II: Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture |
| Unit 3: Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords |
| Unit 4: Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase |
| Unit 5: Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function |
| Unit 6: Harmony and Voice Leading III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices |
| Unit 7: Harmony and Voice Leading IV: Secondary Function |
| Unit 8: Modes and Form |
Course Skills
By taking AP Music Theory, you will develop a variety of skills that will help you learn to think and act like a musician and composer.
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Analyze Performed Music | Apply musical terms, concepts, and relationships to performed music (aural). |
| 2. Analyze Notated Music | Apply musical terms, concepts, and relationships to notated music (written). |
| 3. Convert Between Performed and Notated Music | Apply conventions of musical notation and performance in converting music between aural and written forms. |
| 4. Complete Based on Cues | Complete music based on cues, following 18th-century stylistic norms. |
Study Guides for Every Unit
🎵 Unit 1 - Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements
- 1.0 Unit 1 Overview
- 1.1 Pitch and Pitch Notation
- 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 Meter and Time Signature
- 1.8 Rhythmic Patterns
- 1.9 Tempo
- 1.10 Dynamics and Articulation
🎶 Unit 2 - Music Fundamentals II: Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture
- 2.0 Unit 2 Overview
- 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
- 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
- 2.12 Texture Devices
- 2.13 Rhythmic Devices
🎻 Unit 3 - Music Fundamentals III: Triads and Seventh Chords
- 3.1 Triad and Chord Qualities (M, m, d, A)
- 3.2 Diatonic Chords and Roman Numerals
- 3.3 Chord Inversions and Figures: Introduction to Figured Bass
- 3.4 Seventh Chords
- 3.5 Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures
🎹 Unit 4 - Harmony and Voice Leading I: Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase
- 4.0 Unit 4 Overview
- 4.1 Soprano-Bass Counterpoint
- 4.2 SATB Voice Leading
- 4.3 Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences
- 4.4 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords
- 4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions
🗣 Unit 5 - Harmony and Voice Leading II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
- 5.0 Unit 5 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading II (Chord Progressions and Predominant Function)
- 5.1 Adding Predominant Function IV (iv) and ii (ii0) to a Melodic Phrase
- 5.2 The vi (VI) Chord
- 5.3 Predominant Seventh Chords
- 5.4 The iii (III) Chord
- 5.5 Cadences and Predominant Function
- 5.6 Cadential 6/4 Chords
- 5.7 Additional 6/4 chords
🎼 Unit 6 - Harmony and Voice Leading III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices
- 6.0 Unit 6 Overview
- 6.1 Embellishing Tones: Identifying Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones
- 6.2 Embellishing Tones: Writing Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones
- 6.3 Embellishing Tones: Identifying Anticipations, Escape Tones, Appoggiaturas, and Pedal Points
- 6.4 Embellishing Tones: Identifying and Writing Suspensions; Identifying Retardations
- 6.5 Motive and Motivic Transformation
- 6.6 Melodic Sequences
- 6.7 Harmonic Sequences
🎧 Unit 7 - Harmony and Voice Leading IV: Secondary Function
- 7.0 Unit 7 Overview
- 7.1 Tonicization through Secondary Dominant Chords
- 7.2 Part Writing of Secondary Dominant Chords
- 7.3 Tonicization through Secondary Leading Tone Chords
- 7.4 Part-Writing of Secondary Leading Tone Chords
🪗 Unit 8 - Modes and Form
- 8.0 Unit 8 Overview
- 8.1 Modes
- 8.2 Phrase Relationships
- 8.3 Common Formal Sections
AP Music Theory Lifesavers
- 📜 2023 AP Music Theory Exam Guide: Allllllll things AP Music Theory curated and formatted in a digestible manner to accurately prep you for that 5
- 📃 AP Music Theory Free Response Help - FRQ/LEQ: A sweet and simple breakdown of the free-response section, including examples, strategies, and expert advice.
- 📄 AP Music Theory Multiple Choice Help (MCQ): A complete breakdown of the multiple-choice section, including examples, practice problems, and expert advice
Quicklinks
- 🥴 Is AP Music Theory Hard? Is AP Music Theory Worth Taking?: A breakdown of the two most asked questions about AP Music Theory, including tips and advice from previous AP Music Theory students.
- 📚 Best AP Music Theory Textbooks and Prep Books: A breakdown of the best materials for you to succeed in AP Music Theory!
- 🏡 How Do I Self-Study AP Music Theory?: Thinking about self-studying or homeschooling AP Music Theory? We got you!
- ⁉️ How to Get a 5 in AP Music Theory: Know everything you need to get that 5!
- 😹 Perfect Memes for AP Music Theory: Got jokes? So do we! Learn and understand AP Music Theory through corny humor.
Check out our dozens of AP Music Theory Resources to help you earn that 5!
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