AP Music Theory flashcards
3 decks · 218 cards · built into Willys · free samples below
Written against: College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (eight units). Updated 2026-10-10.
What's in it
Every deck follows the course outline, with tags you can study or suspend topic by topic. Open a deck to study its free sample right here.
Learn · 2 decks · 158 cards
Concepts, mechanisms and the questions a course or exam asks about them.
Practice · 1 deck · 60 questions
Multiple-choice practice questions, one best answer each, with the reasoning.
Study guide
Topics covered
The decks follow the order of the course outline. Numbers are cards per topic.
- Rhythm and Meter 12
- Tempo Dynamics and Expression 12
- Scales and Keys 12
- Intervals and Transposition 17
- Melody and Texture 8
- Motive and Sequence 9
- Modes 11
- Phrase and Form 14
- Dictation and Aural Skills 10
- Diatonic Triads and Roman Numerals 11
- Inversions and Figured Bass 14
- Seventh Chords 12
- Voice Leading 17
- Harmonic Function 11
- Cadences 13
- Non-Chord Tones 14
- Secondary Dominants 10
- Modulation 11
A study plan
- 8 new cards a day covers everything in a month, leaving the last weeks for review.
- 5 new cards a day covers everything in two months, leaving the last weeks for review.
Willys schedules reviews for you (FSRS spaced repetition), so the daily number above is only for new cards; reviews of what you have learned come back on their own. Study a topic's cards right after you meet it in class, suspend topics you have not reached yet, and use the app's quiz mode in the final two weeks.
How to get these decks
- Install Willys on your iPhone, iPad or Mac — App Store. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.
- In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.
- Study. The exam comes in as its own collapsible folder, every card scheduled by FSRS spaced repetition. Nothing you already have is changed.
Every deck is built into Willys
All 3 AP Music Theory decks (218 cards), with FSRS spaced repetition, quizzes and mock tests, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. 14-day free trial, then $14.99 a year.
In Willys, tap Exam Library at the top of your Decks (or Browse Exam Library… under the + button), find the exam on its shelf or by search, tick it and tap Add.
About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Topic outline follows the College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (effective Fall 2026; fundamentals, aural skills, motive and form topics); no text copied.
- Facts checked against Open Music Theory (Gotham et al., CC BY-SA 4.0); reference only, no text copied.
- Topic outline follows the College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (effective Fall 2026), harmony and voice-leading units; no text copied.
- Topic outline follows the College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (effective Fall 2026); no text copied.
- Facts checked against Open Music Theory (Gotham et al., CC BY-SA 4.0); reference only, no text copied. Every interval, key signature and chord spelling was verified by script.
These are independent study notes written for Willys. They are not official exam material, may contain mistakes, and are no substitute for your course, your teacher or the exam owner's own publications. Found an error? Tell us — corrections ship as a new version of the deck.
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