A one-page visual summary of Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices — every non-chord tone, motivic device, and sequence type you need to know for the exam, on a single screen.
What it covers: How melodies decorate harmony without changing it — the seven non-chord tone types, plus how composers develop a motive and build momentum with melodic and harmonic sequences.
Exam weight: AP Music Theory is weighted by section, not by unit (45% multiple choice, 45% free response, 10% sight-singing). Unit 6's non-chord tones appear constantly in both notated and aural analysis.
The big question: How do you tell a decorative, non-harmonic note from a genuine chord tone, and how do composers develop small ideas into larger passages?
Big Ideas covered: Pitch (BI 1), Music Design (BI 4).
Key topics at a glance
Passing Tone
Step in, step out, same direction — fills the gap between two chord tones a third apart.
Neighbor Tone
Step in, step back to the same note — decorates a single chord tone above or below.
Appoggiatura & Escape Tone
Appoggiatura: leap in, step out. Escape tone: step in, leap out — the reverse pattern.
Anticipation & Pedal Point
Anticipation arrives early, sounding the next chord's note ahead of time. Pedal point holds one note (often in the bass) while the harmony changes above it.
Suspension & Retardation
Three parts — prepare, suspend (dissonant), resolve. Suspensions resolve down by step; retardations resolve up by step.
Motive & Transformation
A short idea, transformed by transposition (new pitch level), inversion (flipped intervals), or augmentation/diminution (slower/faster).
Melodic & Harmonic Sequence
Melodic sequence: a pattern repeated at new pitch levels. Harmonic sequence: a progression repeated the same way, often by descending fifths.
The key terms you must know
Non-chord tone — any note that isn't part of the underlying harmony, identified by its approach and resolution.
Passing tone — step in, step out, same direction, filling a third.
Neighbor tone — step in, step back to the same chord tone.
Appoggiatura — leap in, step out; an accented dissonance.
Escape tone — step in, leap out; the reverse of an appoggiatura.
Anticipation — arrives early, sounding the next harmony's note ahead of time.
Pedal point — a sustained/repeated note held while the harmony above changes.
Suspension — prepare (consonant), suspend (dissonant), resolve down by step.
Retardation — like a suspension, but resolves up by step.
Motive — a short, recognizable musical idea developed throughout a piece.
Motivic transformation — transposition, inversion, augmentation, or diminution of a motive.
Melodic / harmonic sequence — a melodic pattern or chord progression repeated at successive pitch levels.
Key themes to remember
Approach and resolution are everything. Every non-chord tone type is defined by how it's entered and how it's left — memorize the pattern, not just the name.
Suspensions and retardations are twins. Same three-part structure (prepare–suspend–resolve); only the resolution direction differs.
A motive is the seed of a piece. Composers build large sections by transforming a small idea rather than inventing constantly new material.
Sequences create momentum. Repeating a pattern at new pitch levels builds a sense of direction, often toward a cadence.
Non-chord tones don't change the harmony. Strip them away and the underlying chord (and its Roman numeral) stays the same.
Common exam traps
Appoggiatura vs. escape tone. Both mix a step and a leap — check the order: leap-then-step is appoggiatura; step-then-leap is escape tone.
Suspension vs. retardation. Both hold a dissonant tone from the previous chord — the direction of resolution (down vs. up) is the only difference.
Don't mistake a non-chord tone for a real chord member. If a note doesn't fit the prevailing harmony and resolves by step (or arrives early/is sustained), it's likely non-harmonic.
Inversion flips intervals, not note letters. A motive that goes up a third then down a step inverts to down a third then up a step — check the actual interval direction.
Augmentation/diminution changes rhythm only. The pitch content and contour stay the same; only note durations change.
A harmonic sequence needs a repeating pattern, not just chord motion. Look for the same intervallic relationship recurring at least twice before calling it a sequence.