#AP Music Theory: Tonal Harmony - Your Ultimate Review 🎶

Hey there, future music maestro! Let's get you feeling awesome about your AP Music Theory exam. This guide is designed to be your best friend for a last-minute review, focusing on what really matters. Let's dive in!

#Tonal Music: The Foundation of Harmony

#What is Tonality? 🔗

• Tonal music centers around a tonic, a central pitch that acts as the focal point. Think of it as the 'home base' of the music. 🏡
• All other pitches and chords relate to this tonic, creating a sense of direction and resolution.
• For example, both B♭ major and B♭ minor have B♭ as their tonic, but the other notes create different scales and moods.

#A Quick History Lesson 🔗

• Ancient Greece: Early forms of tonal music based on modes.
• Medieval Period: Development of church modes, the basis for Western tonal music.
• Renaissance: Increased use of chromaticism, transition to major/minor keys.
• Baroque Period: Tonal counterpoint and complex tonal structures emerged.
• Classical Period: Composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven refined tonal structures.
• Romantic Period: Loosening of tonal structures, more chromaticism and dissonance.
• 20th Century: Shift away from tonality in some Western classical music, but tonality remains central in genres like folk and jazz.

#Harmonic Progressions: The Flow of Music

#What are Harmonic Progressions? 🔗

• Harmonic progressions are predictable sequences of diatonic chords that give structure to music.
• They create a sense of direction and help music reach a harmonic goal (usually the tonic).
• Harmonic rhythm is the pace at which harmonies change. Faster changes make a piece feel faster, even if the tempo stays the same. 💨

#Tonic, Dominant, and Predominant Functions 🔗

• Tonic (I/i): The 'home' chord, the goal of most progressions.
• Dominant (V/vii°): Chords that lead strongly to the tonic, creating a feeling of resolution. 💡
  • The V chord is a stronger dominant than the vii° because of overtones and shared pitches with the I chord.
  • In both major and minor keys, dominant chords are always V and vii°.
• Predominant (IV/ii): Chords that usually come before dominant chords, setting them up. Think of them as 'pre-dominant'.

• Tendency Tones: Scale degrees 7 and 2 want to resolve to the tonic (scale degree 1). Scale degree 7 is the leading tone, having an even stronger pull to the tonic.

#Basic Progressions 🔗

• The most basic progression is tonic-dominant-tonic, such as I-V-I or i-V-i.
• Many progressions are variations of tonic-predominant-dominant-tonic.
• Retrogression is movement in the opposite direction (e.g., tonic to dominant). ⏪

#Cadences: Ending with Style 🔗

#What is a Cadence? 🔗

• A cadence is the harmonic progression at the end of a musical phrase. It's like the punctuation mark of music. 🎵

#Types of Cadences 🔗

• Half Cadence (HC): Ends on a V chord, feeling unresolved like a question. ❓

  

• Deceptive Cadence (DC): V chord moves to a non-tonic chord (often vi or IV), creating a surprise. 😲

  

• Plagal Cadence (PC): IV/iv moves to I/i, a strong resolution, often called the "amen" cadence. 🙏

  

• Authentic Cadence (AC): V/vii° moves to I/i. Comes in two forms:

  • Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC): Both V and I are in root position, and the soprano ends on scale degree 1. This is the strongest cadence. 💪

    

  • Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC): Either the V or I chord is inverted, or the soprano ends on a non-tonic note. It is weaker than PAC.

    

#Conclusive vs. Inconclusive Cadences 🔗

• Conclusive Cadences: Strong and final, often used at the end of a piece or section (PAC and PC).
• Inconclusive Cadences: Weaker and less final, often followed by more music (HC, DC, and IAC).

#Special Cadences 🔗

• Picardy Third: A V-I cadence in a minor key where the tonic chord is major. It's like a sudden ray of sunshine in a minor piece! ☀️

  

  Image via Wikimedia Commons

#

• Prioritize: Focus on understanding harmonic functions (tonic, dominant, predominant) and cadences. These are fundamental and frequently tested. 🎯
• Common Question Types: Expect questions that ask you to:
  • Identify the function of chords in a given progression.
  • Analyze cadences and their types.
  • Complete or compose short progressions.
  • Recognize common harmonic patterns in musical excerpts.
• Time Management: Practice identifying key features quickly. Don't get bogged down on a single question.
• Common Pitfalls: Watch out for:
  • Misidentifying inversions.
  • Confusing IAC and PAC.
  • Incorrectly labeling the function of chords in minor keys.

#

Practice Question

#Practice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In a harmonic progression, which chord typically precedes the dominant? (A) Tonic (B) Predominant (C) Subdominant (D) Supertonic

2. Which cadence ends on a dominant chord, creating a sense of incompleteness? (A) Perfect Authentic Cadence (B) Plagal Cadence (C) Half Cadence (D) Deceptive Cadence

3. In the key of C minor, what is the Roman numeral analysis for a Picardy third cadence? (A) V-i (B) v-I (C) V-I (D) v-i

Free Response Question

Analyze the following four-part harmony excerpt in G major. Identify the chords using Roman numeral analysis, label the cadences, and describe the harmonic function of each chord.

[Insert a short musical excerpt in G major with a few phrases, including I, IV, V, and vi chords, ending with PAC]

Scoring Breakdown

• Chord Analysis (10 points):
  • 1 point for each correct Roman numeral (including inversions).
  • Deduct 0.5 points for each incorrect Roman numeral.
• Cadence Identification (5 points):
  • 2 points for identifying the final cadence (PAC).
  • 1 point each for identifying other cadences (e.g., HC).
• Harmonic Function (5 points):
  • 1 point for correctly describing the function of each chord (Tonic, Predominant, or Dominant).
  • Deduct 0.5 points for each incorrect description.

Short Answer Question

Explain the difference between a Perfect Authentic Cadence (PAC) and an Imperfect Authentic Cadence (IAC). Give an example of each.

Answer to Polly's Question:

The four possible harmonic progressions that follow the tonic-dominant-tonic convention are:

1. I-V-I (Major key)
2. i-V-i (Minor key)
3. I-V-i (Major key leading to minor)
4. i-V-I (Minor key leading to major)

Remember, you've got this! Take a deep breath, review these concepts, and go rock that exam! 🚀