Unit 1: Music Fundamentals I
AP Music Theory: 52 practice questions with detailed explanations.
Unit Study Guide
Executive Summary
Reading music means mastering pitch on the staff, the major scale system, and rhythm and meter. Everything later — chords, voice leading, analysis — builds on this vocabulary.
Pitch notation
The staff has five lines; the treble clef fixes G on the second line, the bass clef fixes F on the fourth. Ledger lines extend above and below. Sharps raise a pitch a half step, flats lower it, naturals cancel. Enharmonic spellings (C# = Db) sound the same but are written differently. The grand staff joins treble and bass for keyboard music.
Major scales
A major scale follows W-W-H-W-W-W-H. C major has no accidentals; G major adds F#, F major adds Bb. Sharps accumulate in the order FCGDAEB; flats in BEADGCF. Scale degrees have names: tonic (1), supertonic (2), mediant (3), subdominant (4), dominant (5), submediant (6), leading tone (7).
Rhythm and meter
The top number of a time signature counts beats; the bottom names the beat note. In 4/4, a whole note = 4 beats, half = 2, quarter = 1, eighth = 1/2. Dots add half the note's value. Simple meters split beats in two; compound meters (6/8) in three. Ties join same-pitch notes; slurs mark smooth phrasing.
Expressive elements
Tempo (allegro fast, adagio slow), dynamics (piano soft, forte loud, crescendo louder), and articulation shape a performance.
Exam traps
A whole step is TWO half steps. The bottom number names the beat note, not the count. Accidentals last through the measure.