AP Theory vocab

cadential extension

a musical technique that prolongs or delays a cadence, lengthening a phrase beyond its expected4- or 8-bar structure. It adds material before or after the final tonic resolution to create tension, suspense, or emphasis, often repeating the cadential formula to reinforce the closure

coda

a concluding section that brings a musical piece to a, or finalizes its structure. It functions as a formal ending, often adding new material or resolving tension, and is used to wrap up the music.

codetta

a short musical passage that functions as a brief conclusion to a section, such as the end of a sonata exposition or a fugue subject. Unlike a full coda, it closes a specific subsection rather than the entire piece,

contour

overall shape of music

countermelody

a secondary melody that complements the main melody without overshadowing it. It is often used to add depth and complexity to a musical composition.

phrase elision

a compositional technique where one musical phrase overlaps or connects with another, creating a seamless transition.

fragment

a short musical idea or motif that can be developed or elaborated upon. It often serves as a building block in compositions.

introduction

an opening, preparatory segment that precedes the main thematic, lyrical, or structural body of a piece

turnaround

a chord progression occurring at the end of a musical phrase or section (often the last two bars of a 12-bar blues) that leads back to the beginning.

twelve-bar blues

a foundational 12-measure chord progression, commonly using I, IV, and V chords in a 4/4 time signature

augmentation

the lengthening of note values in a melody or theme, typically doubling their duration

conjunct

stepwise motion

disjunct

large leaps

phrase extension

a technique that makes a musical phrase longer than its expected or normative length (usually four or eight measures) by adding extra measures or beats. Extensions delay the final cadence, extend a melodic idea, or add a musical "tag" after a sentence is complete

fragmentation

a compositional technique where a longer musical idea—such as a theme or motif—is broken down into smaller, shorter segments

internal expansion

the process of lengthening a musical phrase or theme beyond its expected duration (often 4 or 8 bars) by repeating or extending material inside the phrase, usually between the initial basic idea and the final cadence

melodic inversion

a compositional technique where a melody is flipped "upside down," reversing the direction of its intervals

motivic transformation

the process of altering a short musical idea—or motive—through various techniques (like inversion, augmentation, or retrograde) to develop it throughout a composition

octave displacement

changing octave

retrograde

playing notes backward

rhythmic transformation

the alteration of a rhythmic motive or pattern while maintaining its recognizable character, often used to develop musical ideas. Key methods include augmentation (lengthening notes), diminution (shortening notes), retrograde (reversing), and syncopation,

truncation

cut the melody by removing part of it

motive (motif)

the smallest identifiable melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic fragment—often only one or two measures—that acts as a building block for a composition

period

a structural unit consisting of at least two related phrases—an antecedent (question) and a consequent (answer)—that create a cohesive musical thought

antecedent

the first half of a musical period, acting as an opening "question" that feels incomplete and creates suspense. It usually ends on a weak cadence—often a half cadence (on the dominant/V chord)—requiring a following "consequent phrase" to provide resolution and balance.

consequent

the second part of a two-part melodic unit (a period) that provides closure, resolution, and an "answer" to the preceding, unresolved "question" (the antecedent phrase). It typically ends on a strong, stable cadence—usually a perfect authentic cadence in the tonic key

contrasting period

a structural unit consisting of two distinct phrases—an antecedent and a consequent—where the second phrase starts with new, different melodic material rather than repeating the first

double period

a structural unit consisting of two distinct phrases—an antecedent and a consequent—where the second phrase starts with new, different melodic material rather than repeating the first

parallel period

a musical structure composed of two phrases—an antecedent and a consequent—where both phrases begin with the same or very similar melodic and harmonic material

phrase group

collection of three or more consecutive musical phrases that belong together—often through shared melodic material or close proximity—but do not form a structured period

refrain

a short, repeated phrase, line, or set of lines, usually appearing at the end of each verse in a song, though sometimes at the beginning or throughout

binary form

a musical structure consisting of two distinct, related sections—labeled A and B—often repeated

rounded binary

ABA’

simple binary

a musical structure consisting of two related, contrasting sections (A and B) that are usually repeated (AABB

ternary

ABA

stanza

a specific grouping of poetic lyrics, often set to the same repeating music in strophic compositions

strophic

same music, different text

theme

the primary, recognizable melodic or harmonic idea upon which a composition—or a specific section of it—is built. It acts as the main subject or "paragraph" of the musical narrative

thematic transformation

a recurring theme or motive is altered across a piece while maintaining its core identity

through-composed

different music for each theme

variation

a formal technique where musical material (a theme or melody) is repeated in an altered form while retaining recognizable elements of the original.

common tone

a pitch shared between two consecutive chords, acting as a connecting link to create smooth harmonic transitions

cross relation (false relation)

chromatic alteration in a different voice

overlapping voices

when a voice in a chord moves to a note higher (or lower) than the previous note of an adjacent, higher (or lower) voice

objectionable parallels

parallel perfect fifths or perfect octaves (including unisons and 12ths) that occur between two voices moving in the same direction, typically forbidden in traditional four-part counterpoint

voice exchange

a contrapuntal technique where two voices swap melodic notes or pitche

consonance

intervals or chords that sound stable, restful, and harmonious, providing a sense of resolution

dissonance

combinations of notes that sound harsh, unstable, or tense, creating a sense of conflict that creates a desire for resolution

flatted fifth

tritone

lead sheet

a simplified form of musical notation that provides the essential elements of a song—melody, harmony, and lyrics—on a single page, acting as a "blueprint" for performers

picardy third

a harmonic device where a composition in a minor key ends with a final chord that is major, rather than minor

resolution

dissonance to consonance

compound interval

any interval greater than an octave

tritone

d5/A4

antiphonal

a performance technique where two or more spatially separated groups of singers or instrumentalists alternate, trading musical phrases or echoing each other

arco

“with the bow”

pizzicato

pluck strings with fingers

rubato

a musical performance technique involving subtle, temporary fluctuations in tempo—speeding up and slowing down—for expressive, emotional effect

tremolo

a musical effect characterized by a rapid, trembling, or quivering sound, produced by the quick repetition of a single note, the alternation between two notes, or rapid fluctuations in volume

agogic accent

making note longer to emphasize

dynamic accent

louder

metrical accent

the natural, hierarchical stresses placed on specific beats within a musical measure based on its time signature

asymmetrical meter

beats unequal in length

cross rhythm

2 groups playing 2 different rhythms continuous

duplet

a rhythmic tuplet in music theory that instructs a performer to play two notes in the time normally allotted to three notes of the same value

hemiola

2 against 3

irregular meter

time signatures that cannot be divided evenly into typical groupings of two or three

polyrhythm

two conflicting rhythms that go back to normal

pulse

the underlying, steady series of beats—either audible or implied—that forms the foundation of rhythm and tempo

PAC

tonic needs to be in soprano

phrygian half

minor iv6 → V

common tone modulation

the underlying, steady series of beats—either audible or implied—that forms the foundation of rhythm and tempo

phrase modulation

changes key immediately between phrases without using transition chords or pivot notes

neighboring chored

a harmonic embellishment where one or more voices move by step from a stable chord (chord tones) to an adjacent chord (using non-chord tones) and then return to the original chords

secondary leading tone chord

a diminished triad or seventh chord that temporarily tonicizes a chord other than the tonic, acting as the leading tone to that target chord

tonicization

the musical process of making a non-tonic chord temporarily sound like the "home" chord (tonic) by preceding it with its own dominant or leading-tone chord

arpeggiating 64

arpeggiation of the triad in the bass, bass note leaps between different notes of the same chord, I→I 64 → I

cadential 6/4

embellishment of dominant, may also be written as V6/4-5/3, I 6/4 → V → I

pedal 6/4

I → IV 6/4 → I

passing 6/4

harmonizes the second note of a three-note ascending or descending scale fragment in the bass, I 6 → V 6/4 → I

double neighbore

a four-note melodic ornament in music theory where a primary chord tone moves by step to an upper neighbor, skips to a lower neighbor (or vice versa), and returns to the initial chord tone

cambiata

neighboring tone goes 3 down then 1 up

preparation

the consonant note or chord that immediately precedes a dissonance (such as a suspension), creating a smooth transition

retardation

suspension resolves up

rearticulated suspension

suspended note—the dissonant note held over from the previous chord—is struck again (re-played) on the accented beat rather than simply being tied over

suspension chain

a sequential series of suspensions where the resolution of one suspension acts as the preparation for the next