AP Music Theory Terms

Bass Line Types - basso continuo, walking bass, alberti bass, bass pedal point, figured bass

Basso continuo - used commonly in baroque music. It is an accompanying part that includes the bassline and harmonies. It is typically played on both or either a keyboard instrument or a low stringed instrument

Basso continuo instruments - keyboard, viola da gamba, low stringed instrument

Walking bass - common in jazz. A bass line that is stepping up and down continuously throughout the piece.

Alberti bass - common in keyboard music. A line which alternates between the root, fifth, and third of the chord in a 1-5-3-5 pattern.

Bass pedal point - a drone which is used to help fill in the sound

Drone - a long, held note which usually has a melody playing over the top of it

Figured bass - a bass line where only figures (or numbers) are given and the bass is expected to improvise over the top

Imitation - comes from the fugue form. It is a repetition of prior melodic material in a different voice. Usually, the melodic material is displaced by a certain interval. The original voice then plays in counterpoint to the original material.

Fugue - a type of music which is highly developmental and uses previous material in counterpoint with new material.

Rhythm - time felt as a succession of events, rather than as a single span.

Metrical rhythm - breaking the time up into a series of strong and weak beats based on the time signature of the piece.

Free rhythm - singing or playing improvisatorily

Polyrhythm - several rhythms are placed on top of each other which creates a shifting downbeat.

Hemiola - when a duple rhythm is placed on top of a triple rhythm

Duple meter - where beats are divided into two

Triple meter - where beats are divided into three

Compound meter - when you add meters together to create weird meters (7/8, 5/8, 2/8 + 3/8)