Music Theory AP Review Flashcards

Grade 12 · Music · Flashcards

Essential terms for the AP Music Theory exam covering harmony, voice leading, form, modulation, and aural skills.

Flashcards

Roman Numeral Analysis

System labeling chords by scale degree and quality; I=tonic major, ii=supertonic minor, vii°=leading-tone diminished.

Secondary Dominant (V/x)

Dominant 7th chord that temporarily tonicizes a non-tonic chord; V/V is the most common.

Authentic Cadence

V→I cadence; 'perfect' when both chords are in root position and soprano lands on scale degree 1.

Plagal Cadence

IV→I cadence; known as the 'Amen cadence' in hymn and choral music.

Deceptive Cadence

V→vi cadence; the expected tonic resolution is 'deceived' by moving to the submediant instead.

Half Cadence

Any cadence ending on V (dominant); creates a feeling of incompleteness or a question.

First Inversion

Chord voicing with the third in the bass; figured bass symbol 6/3 (abbreviated 6).

Second Inversion (6/4)

Chord voicing with the fifth in the bass; creates instability and typically resolves to root position V.

Pivot Chord Modulation

Modulation using a chord diatonically common to both keys as the pivot point for the key change.

Leading Tone

Scale degree 7; one half step below tonic; must resolve upward to tonic in outer voices in tonal music.

Parallel Octaves

Voice-leading error: two voices move by the same interval of an octave simultaneously, collapsing voice independence.

Movable Do Solfège

Sight-singing system where 'do' always represents the tonic of the current key (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do).

Augmented Second

The interval of 3 half steps between ♭6 and ♮7 in the harmonic minor scale; avoided in smooth SATB voice leading.

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