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🎵 AP Music Theory Cheatsheets
Download the one-page AP Music Theory cheatsheet PDF or browse AI-generated visual study aids with key formulas, concepts, and definitions for your exam review.
official one-pagers
Text cheatsheets made by Fiveable, in print-ready PDF.
the entire AP Music Theory course on one page
Compiled by students and teachers, then reviewed and updated every year.
1 page · PDF · updated every year
one page per unit
Same format, one unit at a time, aligned to the 2026-2027 course.
Unit 1
Unit 2
Music Fundamentals II - Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture
Unit 3
Unit 4
Harmony and Voice Leading I - Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase
Unit 5
Harmony and Voice Leading II - Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
Unit 6
Harmony and Voice Leading III - Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices
Unit 7
Unit 8
Printable PDF · from the Fiveable shop
AP Music Theory Cheatsheet Bundle
9 pages · Subject + 8 unit cheatsheets · PDF
visual cheatsheets
AI-generated one-pagers for a single topic. Make your own, or browse what other students have made.
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visual cheatsheet gallery
Unit 1 - Unit 1 Overview: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements
generated on 5/9/2026
Unit 1 - 1.1 Pitch and Pitch Notation
generated on 8/29/2026
Unit 1 - 1.2 Rhythmic Values
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.3 Half Steps and Whole Steps
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.4 Major Scales and Scale Degrees
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.5 Major Keys and Key Signatures
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.6 Simple and Compound Beat Division
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.7 Meter and Time Signature
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.8 Rhythmic Patterns
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.9 Tempo
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 1 - 1.10 Dynamics and Articulation
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.1 Minor Scales: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.2 Relative Keys: Determining Relative Minor Key and Notating Key Signatures
customgenerated on 4/29/2026
Unit 2 - 2.3 Key Relationships: Parallel, Closely Related, and Distantly Related Keys
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.4 Other Scales: Chromatic, Whole-Tone, and Pentatonic
customgenerated on 4/29/2026
Unit 2 - 2.5 Interval Size and Quality
generated on 9/16/2026
Unit 2 - 2.6 Interval Inversion and Compound Intervals
generated on 4/30/2026
Unit 2 - 2.6 Interval Inversion and Compound Intervals
customgenerated on 4/29/2026
Unit 2 - 2.6 Interval Inversion and Compound Intervals
customgenerated on 4/29/2026
Unit 2 - 2.7 Transposing Instruments
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.8 Timbre
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.10 Melodic Transposition
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.11 Texture and Texture Types
generated on 4/30/2026
Unit 2 - 2.11 Texture and Texture Types
customgenerated on 4/29/2026
Unit 2 - 2.12 Texture Devices
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 2 - 2.13 Rhythmic Devices
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 3 - 3.1 Triad and Chord Qualities (M, m, d, A)
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 3 - 3.2 Diatonic Chords and Roman Numerals
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 3 - 3.3 Chord Inversions and Figures: Introduction to Figured Bass
generated on 4/29/2026
Unit 3 - 3.4 Seventh Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 3 - 3.5 Seventh Chord Inversions and Figures
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 4 - 4.1 Harmony and Voice Leading I
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 4 - 4.2 SATB Voice Leading
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 4 - 4.3 Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 4 - 4.4 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 4 - 4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions
customgenerated on 5/10/2026
Unit 4 - 4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions
generated on 5/10/2026
Unit 5 - Unit 5 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading II (Chord Progressions and Predominant Function)
generated on 5/10/2026
Unit 5 - 5.1 Adding Predominant Function IV (iv) and ii (ii0) to a Melodic Phrase
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 5 - 5.2 The vi (VI) Chord
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 5 - 5.3 Predominant Seventh Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 5 - 5.4 The iii (III) Chord
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 5 - 5.5 Cadences and Predominant Function
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 5 - 5.6 Cadential 6/4 Chords
customgenerated on 5/8/2026
Unit 5 - 5.7 Additional 6/4 chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 6 - 6.1 Embellishing Tones: Identifying Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 6 - 6.2 Embellishing Tones: Writing Passing Tones and Neighbor Tones
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 6 - 6.4 Embellishing Tones: Identifying and Writing Suspensions; Identifying Retardations
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 6 - 6.5 Motive and Motivic Transformation
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 6 - 6.7 Harmonic Sequences
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 7 - Unit 7 Overview: Harmony and Voice Leading IV (Secondary Function)
generated on 4/4/2026
Unit 7 - 7.1 Tonicization through Secondary Dominant Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 7 - 7.2 Part Writing of Secondary Dominant Chords
generated on 5/27/2026
Unit 7 - 7.3 Tonicization through Secondary Leading Tone Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 7 - 7.4 Part Writing of Secondary Leading Tone Chords
generated on 9/23/2026
Unit 8 - 8.1 Modes
generated on 9/20/2026
Unit 8 - 8.2 Phrase Relationships
generated on 4/22/2026
Unit 8 - 8.3 Common Formal Sections
generated on 9/23/2026
AP Music Theory Exam - FRQs 3-4 – Harmonic Dictation
generated on 9/23/2026
AP Music Theory Exam - FRQs 1-2 – Melodic Dictation
generated on 9/23/2026
AP Music Theory Exam - Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ)
generated on 9/23/2026
Exam Skills - AP Music Theory Free Response Help - FRQ/LEQ
generated on 5/17/2026
Study Tools - 2024 AP Music Theory Exam Guide
generated on 5/10/2026
Study Tools - 2024 AP Music Theory Exam Guide
customgenerated on 5/9/2026
about the AP Music Theory cheatsheets
A cheatsheet condenses a whole course into the facts you actually need on exam day. The AP Music Theory cheatsheets on this page summarize the key formulas, concepts, and definitions from each unit so you can review the entire course at a glance.
They work best as a final review: skim the one-page summary, spot the units you want to strengthen, then go deeper with the AP Music Theory study guides. The visual cheatsheets in the gallery are organized by unit, and you can generate your own for any topic you want a quick refresher on.
what's covered in AP Music Theory
- Unit 1 – Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements
- Unit 2 – Minor Scales and Key Signatures, Melody, Timbre, and Texture
- Unit 3 – Triads and Seventh Chords
- Unit 4 – Chord Function, Cadence, and Phrase
- Unit 5 – Chord Progressions and Predominant Function
- Unit 6 – Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices
- Unit 7 – Secondary Function
- Unit 8 – Modes and Form
- AP Music Theory Exam
- Course Skills
- Big Ideas