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Unit 1 · Music Fundamentals I Flashcards Cheat Sheet Essentials Visual Review MC Practice FRQ Practice

AP Music Theory Unit 1 Visual Review

A topic-by-topic visual walkthrough of Unit 1: pitch notation, rhythmic values, half and whole steps, major scales and keys, meter, and expressive markings.

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UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.1 Pitch and pitch notation Notes live on the five lines and four spaces of a staff, fixed by a clef. THE TREBLE STAFF EGBDF Lines, bottom to top: E G B D F ("Every Good Boy Does Fine") Spaces, bottom to top: F A C E (they spell "FACE") READING PITCH The clef anchors the letter names. Treble (G clef) for higher voices; bass (F clef) for lower ones. Ledger lines extend the staff for notes above or below it. Middle C sits on a ledger line between the two staves. KEY IDEA The clef fixes the letter names; lines and spaces do the rest. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.2 Rhythmic values Each note value lasts half as long as the one before it. whole4 beats half2 beats quarter1 beat eighth½ beat sixteenth¼ beat RESTS AND DOTS Every note value has a matching rest (silence). A dot adds half the note's value: a dotted half = 3 beats. KEY IDEA Note values halve at each step; a dot adds half again. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.3 Half steps and whole steps The smallest distance on the keyboard is a half step; two of them make a whole step. CDEFGABC whole step half step READING THE KEYBOARD Half step: the very next key, white or black. Whole step: skip one key between them. The only natural half steps are E to F and B to C (no black key between). KEY IDEA Half step = adjacent key; whole step = two half steps. E to F and B to C are the natural half steps. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.4 Major scales and scale degrees Every major scale follows one step pattern, and each degree has a name and a role. THE MAJOR STEP PATTERN · W W H W W W H CDEFGABC WWHWWWH C major uses only white keys, so its pattern is the clearest to see. SCALE DEGREE NAMES 1 Tonic2 Supertonic3 Mediant4 Subdominant 5 Dominant6 Submediant7 Leading tone The tonic (1) is home; the leading tone (7) is a half step below it and pulls strongly back to 1. KEY IDEA W W H W W W H builds any major scale; degree 1 is home, degree 7 leads back to it. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.5 Major keys and key signatures The circle of fifths orders every key by how many sharps or flats it carries. CGDAEB F♯D♭A♭E♭B♭F sharps → ← flats ORDER OF ACCIDENTALS Sharps: F C G D A E B Flats: B E A D G C F (the reverse) Clockwise adds a sharp; counterclockwise adds a flat. NAMING A KEY FAST Sharp keys: the tonic is a half step above the last sharp. Flat keys: the tonic is the second-to-last flat. KEY IDEA The circle of fifths lays out every key; sharps and flats always appear in a fixed order. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.6 Simple and compound beat division The difference is simple: does the beat split into two or into three? SIMPLE · BEAT ÷ 2 1 beat two eighths The beat is a plain note (like a quarter). Count "1 and 2 and". Time signatures: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4. COMPOUND · BEAT ÷ 3 dotted beat three eighths The beat is a dotted note. Count "1 la li 2 la li". Time signatures: 6/8, 9/8, 12/8. KEY IDEA Simple meter divides the beat into two; compound divides it into three. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.7 Meter and time signatures The two stacked numbers tell you how many beats per measure and which note is the beat. 44 top number = beats per measure bottom number = the beat's note value 4/4: four quarter-note beats per bar COMMON METERS 2/4 duple · strong-weak 3/4 triple · a waltz feel 4/4 quadruple · "common time" 6/8 compound duple · two dotted beats A bottom "4" means the quarter note gets the beat; an "8" means the eighth note does. KEY IDEA Top number counts the beats; bottom number names the beat's note value. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.8 Rhythmic patterns Beams, ties, dots, and syncopation shape how a rhythm is grouped and felt. HOW NOTES GROUP Beaming connects eighths and shorter notes so each beat is easy to see. A tie joins two notes into one longer sound across a beat or bar line. A dot lengthens a note by half its value. Clear beaming keeps every beat readable. SYNCOPATION the tie pushes the accent off the beat Syncopation stresses a weak beat or an offbeat, often with a tie or rest, giving the music its "pushed" feel. KEY IDEA Beaming shows the beat; ties, dots, and syncopation stretch and shift it. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.9 Tempo Tempo is the speed of the beat, named with Italian terms and measured in beats per minute. LargoAdagioAndanteModeratoAllegroPresto ~50~70~92~112~130~180 slower ← beats per minute (BPM) → faster CHANGING SPEED accelerando gradually speeds up · ritardando gradually slows down a tempo returns to the original speed · fermata holds a note beyond its value KEY IDEA Italian terms name the tempo; BPM measures it; accel. and rit. change it. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1 UNIT 1 · TOPIC 1.10 Dynamics and articulation Dynamics control how loud; articulation controls how each note is attacked and released. DYNAMICS · SOFT TO LOUD pppmpmffff p = piano (soft), f = forte (loud); m = mezzo (medium). crescendo grows louder; decrescendo grows softer. ARTICULATION staccato (dot): short, detached accent (>): emphasize the attack slur: play smoothly (legato) fermata: hold the note longer KEY IDEA Dynamics set the volume; articulation marks shape each note's attack and length. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 1
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How to use the visual review

Spend 30 seconds per slide before clicking next. Look at the diagram, then ask yourself: "Could I draw this from memory and explain it?"

Use the fullscreen button () on desktop for the best experience. Use arrow keys to navigate. Tap "Show all slides" to jump around.

This is great for review the night before the exam — fast, visual, and covers everything you need to remember about Unit 1's fundamentals.