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Unit 6 · Harmony & Voice Leading III Flashcards Cheat Sheet Essentials Visual Review MC Practice FRQ Practice

AP Music Theory Unit 6 Visual Review

A topic-by-topic visual walkthrough of Unit 6: embellishing (non-chord) tones, motives and motivic transformation, and melodic and harmonic sequences.

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UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.1 Passing and neighbor tones Embellishing (non-chord) tones add motion between the notes of a chord. PASSING TONE chord tone PT chord tone Steps in one direction, filling the gap between two chord tones. NEIGHBOR TONE chord tone NT same tone Steps away and returns to the same chord tone. KEY IDEA A passing tone steps between two chord tones; a neighbor tone steps away and comes back. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.2 Writing passing and neighbor tones To add these tones yourself, follow a few simple rules about approach and resolution. THE RULES Approach the tone by step from a chord tone. Resolve it by step: continue for a passing tone, turn back for a neighbor tone. Place it on a weak beat (unaccented). The underlying chord does not change. Step in, step out: that is the whole idea. VARIATIONS Double PT/NT: two voices decorate in parallel 3rds or 6ths. Chromatic PT: a half-step passing tone between two whole-step chord tones. Watch for parallel 5ths or octaves that the added tones might accidentally create. KEY IDEA Approach and leave these tones by step on a weak beat, without changing the underlying chord. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.3 Anticipations, escape tones, appoggiaturas These embellishing tones differ in how they are approached and how they leave. APPROACH AND LEAVE Appoggiatura: leap in (accented), step out. Escape tone: step in, leap out (opposite way). Anticipation: arrives early on the next chord tone, before the chord changes. The appoggiatura is the most expressive: it lands on a strong beat, then resolves. Ask: stepped or leaped, in and out? PEDAL POINT one sustained bass note under changing chords A pedal point holds one pitch (usually the tonic or dominant) while harmonies shift above it, building tension. KEY IDEA Identify these tones by how they are approached and left; a pedal point holds one pitch under shifting chords. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.4 Suspensions and retardations A held note clashes with a new chord, then resolves by step, creating and releasing tension. THREE STEPS OF A SUSPENSION 1. prepare 2. suspend 3. resolve down Prepared as a chord tone, held (suspended) into the next chord, then resolved down by step. Common types: 4-3, 7-6, and 9-8. SUSPENSION VS RETARDATION A suspension resolves down by step. A retardation resolves up by step. Both delay a note that "should" have already moved with the chord. The suspension lands on a strong beat, which is what makes the clash so expressive. KEY IDEA Prepare, suspend, resolve: suspensions resolve down by step, retardations up by step. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.5 Motive and motivic transformation A motive is a short, memorable idea that composers develop by transforming it. THE MOTIVE, THEN INVERTED original motive inverted (flipped upside down) WAYS TO TRANSFORM IT Inversion: flip the contour upside down. Retrograde: play it backwards. Augmentation: longer note values. Diminution: shorter note values. Fragmentation: develop just part of it. One small idea can generate a whole piece. KEY IDEA A motive is a short idea; inversion, retrograde, augmentation, and diminution develop it. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.6 Melodic sequence A sequence repeats a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch level. THE SAME SHAPE, STEPPING DOWN unit lower lower still Each repetition (a "leg") is transposed by the same interval. TWO FLAVORS Diatonic: stays within the key, so qualities may vary. Chromatic: keeps every interval exact, adding accidentals. Sequences build momentum and extend a phrase. KEY IDEA A melodic sequence repeats a pattern at a new pitch level, either diatonically or chromatically. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6 UNIT 6 · TOPIC 6.7 Harmonic sequence When a chord pattern repeats at shifting pitch levels, the harmony itself forms a sequence. THE DESCENDING FIFTHS SEQUENCE IIVvii°iiiviiiV each root falls a fifth (or rises a fourth), a two-chord pattern repeating down the scale WHY COMPOSERS USE THEM A harmonic sequence drives the music forward with a predictable, satisfying pattern. The descending-fifths sequence is the most common, cycling through the diatonic chords to V. Others include ascending 5-6 and descending parallel 6/3 chords. KEY IDEA A harmonic sequence repeats a chord pattern at shifting levels; descending fifths is the classic. The Review Hub · AP Music Theory · Unit 6
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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 6's fundamentals.