Ap Music Theory Terms

Front 1

Simple Meter

Back 1

When the top number is not divisible by 3, or when the top number is 3; the beat is divided into 2s.

Front 2

Simple Duple

Back 2

Simple meter with 2 beats per measure

Front 3

Simple Triple

Back 3

Simple meter with 3 beats per measure

Front 4

Simple Quadruple

Back 4

Simple meter with 4 beats per measure

Front 5

Compound Meter

Back 5

Top number is divisible by 3 (except when top number is 3); the beat is divided into 3s.

Front 6

Compound Duple

Back 6

Compound meter, with 2 beats per measure

Front 7

Compound Triple

Back 7

Compound meter, with 3 beats per measure

Front 8

Compound Quadruple

Back 8

Compound meter, with 3 beats per measure

Front 9

How do you determine the number of beats per measure in compound time?

Back 9

It is the top number of the meter/time signature divided by 3.

Front 10

Enharmonic

Back 10

Different spelling of the same sounding pitch (e.g. A# and Bb)

Front 11

Parallel Major/Minor

Back 11

Major and Minor scales that share the same tonic

Front 12

Relative Major/Minor

Back 12

Major and Minor scales that have the same key signature

Front 13

Scalar Variance

Back 13

The use of natural, harmonic, and melodic minor in the same composition

Front 14

Tonic

Back 14

The first scale degree (Do)

Front 15

Supertonic

Back 15

The second scale degree (Re)

Front 16

Mediant

Back 16

The third scale degree (Mi)

Front 17

Subdominant

Back 17

The fourth scale degree (Fa)

Front 18

Dominant

Back 18

The fifth scale degree (So)

Front 19

Submediant

Back 19

The sixth scale degree (La)

Front 20

Subtonic

Back 20

The diminished seventh scale degree in a minor scale (Te)

Front 21

Leading Tone

Back 21

The seventh scale degree (Ti)

Front 22

Diatonic notes/intervals

Back 22

Notes/intervals that are in the key signature

Front 23

Chromatic notes/intervals

Back 23

Notes/intervals that aren't in the key signature

Front 24

doubly diminished

Back 24

When a pitch is lowered two (2) whole-steps

Front 25

doubly augmented

Back 25

When a pitch is raised two (2) whole-steps

Front 26

Major triad

Back 26

M3 followed by a m3;

M3 from root, plus P5 from root

Front 27

Minor triad

Back 27

m3 followed by a M3;

m3 from root, plus P5 from root

Front 28

Diminished triad

Back 28

m3 followed by a m3;

m3 from root, plus d5 from root

Front 29

Augmented triad

Back 29

M3 followed by a M3;

M3 from root, plus A5 from root

Front 30

Root Position Triad

Back 30

When the ROOT of the chord is in the bass;
5/3 or just _________

Front 31

First Inversion Triad

Back 31

When the THIRD of the chord is in the bass
6/3 or just 6

Front 32

Second Inversion Triad

Back 32

When the FIFTH of the chord is in the bass
6/4

Front 33

Major Seventh

Back 33

M3 followed by a m3, followed by M3;

M3 from root, P5 from root, & M7 from root

Front 34

Dominant Seventh Chord

Back 34

M3 followed by a m3, followed by m3;

M3 from root, P5 from root, & m7 from root

Front 35

Minor Seventh Chord

Back 35

m3 followed by a M3, followed by m3;

m3 from root, P5 from root, & m7 from root

Front 36

Half-diminished Seventh Chord

Back 36

m3 followed by a m3, followed by m3;

m3 from root, d5 from root, & m7 from root

Front 37

Fully-diminished Seventh Chord

Back 37

m3 followed by a m3, followed by d3;

m3 from root, d5 from root, & d7 from root

Front 38

Root Position Seventh Chord

Back 38

Seventh chord with the ROOT in the bass
V7

Front 39

First Inversion Seventh Chord

Back 39

Seventh chord with the THIRD in the bass
V6/5

Front 40

Second Inversion Seventh Chord

Back 40

Seventh chord with the FIFTH in the bass
V^4/3

Front 41

Third Inversion Seventh Chord

Back 41

Seventh chord with the SEVENTH in the bass
V^4/2

Front 42

Quality (of a chord)

Back 42

Whether the chord is Major, Minor, Dominant (in the case of 7ths), Diminished, or augmented

Front 43

Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC)

Back 43

Three Conditions must be met:
1) The final to chords must be V or V^7 to I or i
2) Both chords must be in ROOT position
3) The I or i chord must have the soprano doubling the root

Front 44

Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC)

Back 44

1) The last two chords must be V/V^7 or vii°/vii°^7 and I or i
2) The chords can be of any inversion
3) The soprano in the I or i chord does not necessarily have to be doubling the root

Front 45

Plagal Cadence (PC or "Amen")

Back 45

IV/iv -> I/i

Front 46

Deceptive Cadence (DC or interrupted)

Back 46

V -> VI/vi

Front 47

Half Cadence (HC)

Back 47

Ends on V(7) or v(7)

Front 48

Contrary motion (Part-writing)

Back 48

Two voices moving in the opposite direction as the bass

Front 49

Oblique motion (Part-writing)

Back 49

One voices staying on the same note and the other voice moving

Front 50

Similar motion (Part-writing)

Back 50

Two voices moving in the same direction but not in the same intervals

Front 51

Parallel motion (Part-writing)

Back 51

Two voices moving in the same direction AND IN THE SAME INTERVALS

Front 52

Resolution Rules (Part-writing)

Back 52

1) Leading tone always resolves up by step

2) Seventh of a chord always resolves down by step

Front 53

Period

Back 53

antecedent-consequence relationship between 2 phrases; the first phrase ends with a weaker cadence (HC or IAC) than the second phrase (IAC or PAC)

Front 54

Parallel period

Back 54

When the two phrases begin identically, or the second is a variation of the first.

a, a or a, a'

Front 55

Contrasting period

Back 55

When the two phrases are different from each other.

a, b

Front 56

Repeated parallel period

Back 56

Two phrases that are repeated exactly

a, a', a, a'

Front 57

Double Period

Back 57

A group of four phrases where the strongest harmonic conclusion appears only at the end of the fourth phrase.

Front 58

Introduction/prefix

Back 58

Material added at the beginning of a phrase

Front 59

Cadential Expansions

Back 59

Expansions at the end of phrases

Front 60

Internal Expansion

Back 60

Lengthening a phrase anywhere besides the beginning or the end

Front 61

Elision

Back 61

When the end of one phrase and the beginning of another share a note or notes

Front 62

Melodic motive/motif

Back 62

A short group of notes that is repeated throughout a melody to establish it's identity.

Front 63

Literal repetition (of melody)

Back 63

When a voice imitates the melody sung by another voice previously

Front 64

Melodic sequence

Back 64

Repeating the original motive/motif starting on a different pitch, usually by moving the initial pitch up or down a step

Front 65

Melodic Inversion

Back 65

Imitation of the melody preformed upside-down, intervallically speaking.

Front 66

Retrograde Melodic Inversion

Back 66

When the melody is played backwards exactly

Front 67

Rhythmic displacement

Back 67

When the melody is repeated, but on a different beat of the measure

Front 68

Melodic Augmentation

Back 68

Where the notes of a melody are lengthened, but the pitches remain the same

Front 69

Diminuation

Back 69

Where the notes of a melody are shortened, but the pitches remain the same

Front 70

Melodic Expansion

Back 70

When new material is added to the end of a phrase

Front 71

Modulation

Back 71

Moving to a different tonal center in a composition

Front 72

Ornamentation/embellishment

Back 72

Adding non-chord tones to a melody

Front 73

Accented Passing Tone

Back 73

A passing tone that occurs on the beat

Front 74

Chromatic Passing Tone

Back 74

A passing tone containing a chromatic pitch

Front 75

Neighbor Tones

Back 75

A tone that decorates the line by moving one diatonic step up/down and then returning to the original pitch

Front 76

Chromatic Neighbor Tones

Back 76

A tone that decorates the line by moving one chromatic step up/down and then returning to the original pitch

Front 77

Incomplete Neighbor Tone/ cambiata

Back 77

A non-harmonic tone approached by a skip/leap in one direction and resolved by stepwise motion in the opposite direction (It occurs in a weak rhythmic position)

Front 78

Appoggiatura

Back 78

A non-chord tone that leaves the preparation by leap and resolves by step in the opposite direction (occurs in a strong rhythmic position)

Front 79

Neighboring group/ Changing tone

Back 79

Two consecutive non-chord tones. The first moves up by a step from a chord tone, skips down to another chord tone, and then resolves to the original chord tone

Front 80

Escape tone

Back 80

Leaves a chord tone by step and then resolves by leap

Front 81

Suspension

Back 81

When a note from a preparation chord is held over into the next, then resolved DOWNWARDS

1. Preparation, 2. Suspension, 3. Resolution

Front 82

Retardation

Back 82

A suspension that resolves UPWARDS

1. Preparation, 2. Suspension, 3. Resolution

Front 83

Anticipation

Back 83

A tone that resolves to the next chord by step before the next chord occurs

Front 84

Song form

Back 84

aaba

Front 85

Binary

Back 85

AB

Front 86

Sectional Binary

Back 86

When in an AB form, the A ends in an authentic cadence

Front 87

Continuous Binary

Back 87

When in AB form, the A ends with any cadence besides an authentic cadence

Front 88

Strophic Form

Back 88

When the same music is used for each verse or stanza (AAAA)

Front 89

Through-composed form

Back 89

When new music is written for each new stanza (ABCD)

Front 90

Ternary Form

Back 90

Three parts, generally with a recapitulation (ABA); A, B, & A are each repeated independently.

Front 91

Rounded binary form

Back 91

ABA, but in the recapitulation only part of A is played; BA is repeated as a group.

Front 92

Theme and Variation form

Back 92

One section (Theme) that is repeated possibly indefinitely, (AaA°a° etc

Front 93

Passacaglia/chaconne

Back 93

A repeating bass theme (or bass ostinato) over which the musical structure is written

Front 94

Texture

Back 94

What is going on in the music at any given time

Front 95

Counterpoint

Back 95

When 2+ lines that are distinct from each are played together, creating a harmony

Front 96

Monophonic (Monophony)

Back 96

A single melodic line with no harmony or accompaniment

Front 97

Homophonic (homophony)

Back 97

One clearly melodic line, with other lines filling in chords and/or accompaniment

Front 98

Chordal Homophony

Back 98

When every voice has the same rhythm, but not necessarily the melody

Front 99

Melody with accompaniment

Back 99

A single melodic line with an accompaniment

Front 100

Ostinato

Back 100

A short melodic/rhythmic/harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout a phrase/section/melody

Front 101

Alberti bass

Back 101

An arppegiated chord in the bass that generally goes 1-5-3-5

Front 102

Polyphonic (polyphony/contrapuntal)

Back 102

When 2+ melodies are occurring at the same time

Front 103

Timbre

Back 103

Tone quality; How sound is produced and what whatever is producing it is made of