AP Music Theory

Tonic

scale degree 1, do

Supertonic

scale degree 2, re

Mediant

scale degree 3, mi

Subdominant

scale degree 4, fa

Dominant

scale degree 5, sol

Submediant

scale degree 6, la

Leading Tone

scale degree 7, ti

Order of Sharps

F C G D A E B

Order of Flats

B E A D G C F

C major

no sharps or flats

G major

1 sharp

D major

2 sharps

A major

3 sharps

E major

4 sharps

C♭/B major

7 flats/5 sharps

G♭/F♯ major

6 flats/6 sharps

D♭/C♯ major

5 flats/7 sharps

A♭ major

4 flats

E♭ major

3 flats

B♭ major

2 flats

F major

1 flat

C minor

E♭ relative major, 3 flats

G minor

B♭ relative major, 2 flats

D minor

F relative major, 1 flat

A minor

C relative major, no sharps or flats

E minor

G relative major, 1 sharp

C♭/B minor

D relative major, 2 sharps

G♭/F♯ minor

A relative major, 3 sharps

D♭/C♯ minor

E relative major, 4 sharps

A♭ minor

C♭ relative major, 7 flats

E♭ minor

G♭ relative major, 6 flats

B♭ minor

D♭ relative major, 5 flats

F minor

A♭ relative major, 4 flats

Simple Duple

2/2, 2/4

Simple Triple

3/4, 3/8

Simple Quadruple

4/4

Compound Duple

6/8, 6/4

Compound Triple

9/8

Compound Quadruple

12/8

Grave

very slow, solemn (25-45 bpm)

Largo

slow and broad (40-60)

Larghetto

slow, but faster than largo

Lento

slow (45-60 bpm)

Adagio

slow, with expression (66-76)

Andante

walking pace (76-108 bpm)

Andantino

slightly faster than andante

Moderato

moderately (108-120 bpm)

Allegretto

moderately fast (112-120 bpm)

Allegro

fast (120-156 bpm)

Vivace

lively (156-176)

Presto

exceptionally fast (168-200)

Prestissimo

as fast as possible

Accelerando (accel.)

gradually faster

Ritardando (rit.)

gradually slower

Ritenuto (riten.)

immediately slower

Rubato

flexible tempo using slight variations of speed to enhance musical expression

Terraced Dynamics

describes the sharp, abrupt dynamic contrasts found in the music of the Baroque era

Subito

suddenly

Legato (tenuto)

smooth and connected

Slur

connected without rearticulating

Staccato

detached

Accent

stronger attack

Marcato

heavily accented, clear separation before next note

Natural Minor

major scale with flat 3rd, 6th, and 7th scale degrees

Harmonic Minor

natural minor scale with raised 7th scale degree

Melodic Minor

natural minor scale with raised 6th and 7th scale degrees ascending, natural minor scale descending

Relative Keys

major and a minor scale with the same key signature

Parallel Keys

major and a minor scale with the same tonic

Closely Related Keys

keys that differ by no more than one accidental

Distantly Related Keys

key signatures that differ by more than one accidental

Chromatic Scale

scale of half steps (sharps when ascending, flats when descending)

Whole-Tone Scale

all whole steps

Major Pentatonic Scale

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th of a major scale

Minor Pentatonic Scale

1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th of a natural minor scale

Interval

distance between two pitches

Harmonic Intervals

distance between simultaneous pitches

Melodic Intervals

distance between successive pitches

Interval Size

number of lines/spaces/letter names between two pitches

Interval Quality

perfect, major, minor, augmented, diminished

Perfect Interval

unison, 4th, 5th, or octave

Major Interval

2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths

Diminished Interval

minor or perfect interval lowered by a half step

Minor Interval

2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths lowered by a half step

Augmented Interval

major or perfect interval raised by a half step

Inverted Interval

reversal of the two notes of an interval

Simple Interval

octave or less

Transposing Instrument

sounds at a different pitch than the written note

Timbre

distinctive "coloristc" quality of a sound

Range

total span of pitches than a instrument or voice can produce

Register

specific portion of range (lower register/upper register)

Tessitura

range in which a voice or instrument is most comfortable and produces its most characteristic timbre

Melodic Contour

shape of a melody (ascending, descending, conjunct, disjunct)

Conjunct Motion

stepwise

Disjunct Motion

leaps

Syllabic

one note per syllable

Melismatic

many notes per syllable

Melodic Transposition

melody or melodic segment is moved to a new pitch level, while keeping its intervallic and rhythmic content

Texture

how musical components combine simultaneously to form an overall sound

Monophony

one melodic line (unaccompanied)

Homophony

one melodic voice is prominent over the accompanying lines or voices