AP Music Theory — Form, Aural Skills and Terms flashcards
10 of 79 cards free to study here · 9 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
Meter and rhythm, expressive terms, scales and modes, intervals and transposing instruments, texture, motive and sequence, periods and sentences, and practical strategies for dictation and sight-singing.
Learn deck · part of AP Music Theory · written against: College Board AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (eight units). Updated 2026-10-10.
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How is 3/8 classified, and how is it often felt at a quick tempo?Simple triple, with the eighth note as the beat. At fast tempos the three eighths are often felt as one beat per measure.Rhythm and Meter
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What is the classification and beat unit of 6/4?Compound duple: two beats per measure, each a dotted half note divided into three quarters.Rhythm and Meter
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Which three tempo markings does the AP course class as very slow, and how do they differ in character?Largo (very slow and broad), Larghetto (very slow, a little less so than Largo) and Grave (very slow and solemn).Tempo Dynamics and Expression
Watch out: Lento counts as slow, with Adagio, not as very slow. -
What are the names of scale degrees 2, 3 and 6?Supertonic (2), mediant (3) and submediant (6).Scales and Keys
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What is the inversion of a minor sixth?A major third — the sizes add to nine and the quality flips from minor to major.Intervals and Transposition
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What is the difference between conjunct and disjunct melodic motion?Conjunct motion moves mostly by step; disjunct motion moves mostly by leap.Melody and Texture
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What is a motive?The smallest recognizable musical idea — a short rhythmic and melodic cell repeated and developed through a piece.Motive and Sequence
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Compared with natural minor, what is the characteristic note of Dorian mode?A raised sixth degree — Dorian is natural minor with a major sixth above the tonic (D to D on the white keys).Modes
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What defines a phrase in tonal music?A musical unit, often four measures, that ends with a cadence — the cadence marks the phrase's end.Phrase and Form
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What should you establish before writing anything in a melodic dictation?The tonic and mode, the meter and beat unit, and the starting note's scale degree.Dictation and Aural Skills
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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.
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