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Unit 2 · Music Fundamentals II Flashcards Cheat Sheet Essentials Visual Review MC Practice FRQ Practice

AP Music Theory Unit 2 Visual Review

A topic-by-topic visual walkthrough of Unit 2: minor scales and keys, other scales, intervals, transposition, timbre, melody, and texture.

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UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.1 Minor scales: three forms Natural, harmonic, and melodic minor share a key but treat degrees 6 and 7 differently. A MINOR, DEGREE BY DEGREE Natural: A B C D E F G A Harmonic: A B C D E F G♯ A Melodic ↑: A B C D E F♯ G♯ A Harmonic raises degree 7 to make a strong leading tone back to the tonic. Melodic descending reverts to natural minor. WHY THREE FORMS? Natural minor comes straight from the key signature, but its degree 7 is a whole step below the tonic, so it pulls home weakly. Harmonic minor fixes the harmony; melodic minor smooths the awkward leap it creates when a melody ascends. Same key signature, different accidentals. KEY IDEA Harmonic minor raises 7; melodic minor raises 6 and 7 going up, then reverts coming down. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.2 Relative keys A major key and its relative minor share the exact same key signature. FINDING THE RELATIVE MINOR Count down three half steps (a minor 3rd) from the major tonic, or go to scale degree 6. C major → A minor G major → E minor Both have no sharps and no flats. To reverse: relative major is up a minor 3rd. RELATIVE VS PARALLEL Relative: same key signature, different tonic (C major and A minor). Parallel: same tonic, different key signature (C major and C minor). Don't mix them up: relative keys share the signature; parallel keys share the tonic. KEY IDEA The relative minor is a minor 3rd below the major and shares its key signature. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.3 Key relationships Keys are "close" or "distant" based on how many accidentals separate them. PARALLEL Same tonic, opposite mode. C major and C minor. A common way to shift color mid-piece. CLOSELY RELATED Differ by at most one accidental. Neighbors on the circle of fifths, plus relatives. Easiest keys to modulate to. DISTANTLY RELATED Differ by many accidentals. Far apart on the circle of fifths. A striking, dramatic change of color. KEY IDEA Fewer shared accidentals means a more distant key relationship. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.4 Other scales Beyond major and minor, three scales are built on their own step patterns. CHROMATIC All 12 pitches, each a half step apart. H H H H H H ... Every key on the piano, white and black. WHOLE-TONE Six pitches, all a whole step apart. W W W W W W Dreamy, unsettled sound; no clear tonic (Debussy). PENTATONIC Five pitches, no half steps. C D E G A Common in folk music worldwide; the black keys. KEY IDEA Chromatic = all half steps; whole-tone = all whole steps; pentatonic = five notes, no half steps. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.5 Interval size and quality An interval has a size (how many letter names) and a quality (its exact number of half steps). M3 P5 C to E spans 3 letters = a 3rd C to G spans 5 letters = a 5th Count both end notes to get the size. QUALITIES Perfect (P): unisons, 4ths, 5ths, octaves Major / minor (M, m): 2nds, 3rds, 6ths, 7ths Augmented (A): one half step wider Diminished (d): one half step narrower Lowering a M interval by a half step makes it minor; a P interval becomes diminished. KEY IDEA Size counts letter names; quality (P, M, m, A, d) counts the exact half steps. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.6 Inversion and compound intervals Flip an interval or stretch it past an octave, and simple rules predict the result. INVERSION: THE RULE OF 9 Move the bottom note up an octave. The two sizes always add up to nine. 3rd ↔ 6th (3 + 6 = 9) 2nd ↔ 7th (2 + 7 = 9) Quality flips too: M↔m, A↔d, P stays P. COMPOUND INTERVALS An interval larger than an octave. Add 7 to the simple size to name it: a 3rd + an octave = a 10th The quality stays the same: a major 3rd becomes a major 10th. KEY IDEA Inverted sizes sum to 9 (quality flips); compound intervals are a simple interval plus an octave. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.7 Transposing instruments Some instruments sound a different pitch than the one written on the page. WRITTEN VS SOUNDING When a B-flat clarinet reads a written C, the pitch you hear is actually B-flat. written C → sounds B♭ (B♭ instrument) written C → sounds F (F instrument) The instrument's name tells you the pitch it sounds when it reads a written C. COMMON TRANSPOSERS B♭: clarinet, trumpet, tenor sax E♭: alto sax, alto clarinet F: French horn, English horn To write for them, transpose the concert pitch the opposite direction. KEY IDEA A transposing instrument's name is the pitch it sounds when it reads a written C. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.8 Timbre Timbre is tone color: why a trumpet and a flute sound different on the very same pitch. WHAT SHAPES TONE COLOR The mix of overtones above the fundamental gives each instrument its character. How a note starts (the attack) and how it fades also color the sound. Playing technique changes timbre too: pizzicato, mute, breathy tone. Same pitch, same volume, different color. INSTRUMENT FAMILIES Strings: violin, viola, cello, bass Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon Brass: trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba Percussion: timpani, snare, marimba Voice: soprano, alto, tenor, bass Each family produces sound a different way. KEY IDEA Timbre is the tone color set by overtones, attack, and technique, not by pitch or volume. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.9 Melodic features A melody's shape, its steps and leaps, and its range describe how it moves. CONTOUR: THE MELODIC SHAPE the rise and fall of the line over time HOW MELODIES MOVE Conjunct: mostly by step (smooth) Disjunct: mostly by leap (angular) Range: the span from lowest to highest note Climax: the melody's highest, most intense point A cadence marks where a phrase comes to rest. These features help you describe any tune. KEY IDEA Describe a melody by its contour, its steps vs leaps (conjunct/disjunct), and its range. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.10 Melodic transposition Moving a melody to a new pitch level while keeping every interval the same. original up a 3rd → The same shape, shifted higher: every interval is preserved. The contour is identical; only the starting pitch changed. WHY TRANSPOSE? To fit a singer's range, or to write for a transposing instrument. Diatonic transposition stays within a key; chromatic keeps every interval exact. KEY IDEA Transposition shifts a melody to a new pitch level while keeping its shape and intervals. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.11 Texture types Texture describes how many musical lines sound at once, and how they relate. MONOPHONIC A single melodic line, with no harmony. One voice, or many in unison. Like plainchant. HOMOPHONIC A melody supported by chords beneath it. Most pop songs and hymns. POLYPHONIC Two or more independent melodies at once. A fugue or a round. KEY IDEA Monophonic = one line; homophonic = melody plus chords; polyphonic = independent lines together. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.12 Texture devices Composers weave lines together with imitation, countermelody, and shared pitches. IMITATION voice 1 states the idea voice 2 echoes it a moment later A canon or round is strict imitation, one voice following another exactly. "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" is a round. MORE DEVICES Countermelody: a second tune set against the main melody. Pedal point: one sustained pitch held while harmonies change above it. Doubling: two voices on the same line, often an octave apart. Each thickens or enriches the texture. KEY IDEA Imitation, countermelody, and pedal point are ways to layer independent lines. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2 UNIT 2 · TOPIC 2.13 Rhythmic devices Composers stretch, compress, and repeat rhythms to develop their ideas. STRETCH AND COMPRESS Augmentation: the same rhythm in longer note values (often doubled). Diminution: the same rhythm in shorter note values (often halved). Hemiola: a temporary shift that regroups the beats, like 3 feeling as 2. The pattern stays; only the speed or grouping changes. REPEAT AND DRIVE Ostinato: a short rhythm or pattern repeated persistently. Syncopation: accents pushed off the beat. Polyrhythm: two contrasting rhythms layered at once (such as 3 against 2). These give music energy and momentum. KEY IDEA Augmentation and diminution rescale a rhythm; ostinato and hemiola repeat or regroup it. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 2
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This is great for review the night before the exam — fast, visual, and covers everything you need to remember about Unit 2's fundamentals.