Review AP Music Theory Unit 4 to build the core skills of tonal harmony: soprano-bass counterpoint, SATB voice leading, harmonic function, cadence identification, and seventh chord part-writing. These skills appear across every major task type on the AP Music Theory exam.
Use the topic guides, key terms, and practice questions available for all five topics to work through each voice leading rule systematically.
Unit 4 is the first full harmony unit in AP Music Theory. It builds directly on the triads and seventh chords from Unit 3 and introduces the procedural rules that govern how those chords connect in tonal music from approximately 1650 to 1900.
Every chord connection must follow conventions for motion type (contrary, similar, oblique, parallel), spacing (adjacent upper voices within an octave), doubling (prefer the root, never double the leading tone), and tendency tone resolution (leading tone up by step, chordal seventh down by step).
Chords in tonal music serve tonic (T), dominant (D), or predominant (PD) functions. Cadences are the harmonic formulas that end phrases: the perfect authentic cadence (V-I, both root position, scale degree 1 in soprano) is the strongest; half, imperfect authentic, deceptive, and plagal cadences provide varying degrees of closure.
Chordal sevenths must be approached by common tone or step and resolved down by step. In root-position V7, the fifth may be omitted and the root doubled. Inverted seventh chords (6/5, 4/3, 4/2) create stepwise bass motion and must be spelled completely with no doubled tendency tones.
The voice leading conventions in Unit 4 are not arbitrary. They reflect the stylistic norms of common-practice tonal music, where each voice maintains independence, dissonances resolve predictably, and harmonic progressions move with direction toward cadences. Understanding the reason behind each rule helps you apply it correctly in analysis, error detection, and writing tasks.
Write a bass line under a given soprano using the four motion types, avoid parallel fifths and octaves, and end phrases with appropriate cadences including a final PAC.
Add alto and tenor voices to complete four-voice SATB textures, following rules for chord spelling, doubling, spacing, and motion to avoid errors like voice crossing and direct octaves.
Identify tonic, dominant, and predominant function in chord progressions and recognize cadence types (PAC, IAC, HC, deceptive, plagal) in both notated and performed music.
Apply approach and resolution rules for chordal sevenths in SATB writing, including omitting the fifth in root-position V7 and resolving the seventh down by step.
Realize inverted seventh chords (6/5, 4/3, 4/2) with complete spelling, no doubled tendency tones, and smooth stepwise bass motion, including leading-tone seventh chord substitutions.
This snapshot uses Fiveable practice activity to show where students tend to miss questions and which review moves are worth prioritizing first.
Across 194 multiple-choice practice attempts for this unit.
Practice activity included in this snapshot.
Across 18 scored free-response attempts for this unit.
Review Voice Leading with Seventh Chords with attention to how the concept appears in AP-style source and evidence questions.
Review Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions with attention to how the concept appears in AP-style source and evidence questions.
Review SATB Voice Leading with attention to how the concept appears in AP-style source and evidence questions.
Review Soprano-Bass Counterpoint with attention to how the concept appears in AP-style source and evidence questions.
Soprano-bass counterpoint focuses on the outer two voices of a four-voice texture. Given a soprano line, you write a bass line that implies a strong harmonic progression and ends with a perfect authentic cadence. The four motion types govern how the two voices relate at each chord change.
| Motion type | Direction of voices | Common use / note |
|---|---|---|
| Contrary | Opposite directions | Preferred for outer-voice independence |
| Similar | Same direction, different interval | Avoid to perfect fifth or octave unless upper voice steps |
| Parallel | Same direction, same interval | Parallel fifths and octaves are prohibited |
| Oblique | One voice stationary | Useful when a common tone is shared between chords |
SATB writing adds the alto and tenor inner voices to the soprano and bass. Every chord must be spelled correctly, spaced within the rules, and doubled according to convention. The same motion-type rules from Topic 4.1 apply, plus additional spacing and doubling requirements.
| Error type | What it is | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel fifths | Two voices move to a perfect fifth by the same interval | Change one voice's motion direction or interval |
| Parallel octaves | Two voices move to an octave by the same interval | Use contrary or oblique motion instead |
| Voice crossing | A lower voice moves above an adjacent upper voice | Keep voices in their proper range order |
| Doubled leading tone | The seventh scale degree appears in two voices | Double the root or fifth instead |
| Spacing error | Adjacent upper voices more than an octave apart | Redistribute inner voices to close the gap |
Every chord in tonal music serves one of three functions: tonic (T), dominant (D), or predominant (PD). Progressions move logically from T to PD to D and back to T. Cadences are the harmonic formulas at phrase endings that create varying degrees of closure.
| Cadence type | Chord progression | Conclusive or inconclusive |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect authentic (PAC) | V-I, root position, scale degree 1 in soprano | Conclusive |
| Imperfect authentic (IAC) | V-I, inversion or non-root soprano | Conclusive (weaker) |
| Half cadence (HC) | Any chord to V | Inconclusive |
| Deceptive cadence | V to vi | Inconclusive |
| Plagal cadence | IV to I | Conclusive (softer) |
Seventh chords add a dissonant fourth note above the triad. The chordal seventh requires careful approach and resolution in SATB writing. The dominant seventh chord (V7) is the most common seventh chord in tonal music and has specific part-writing conventions.
Inverted seventh chords (6/5, 4/3, 4/2) allow the bass to move by step through a progression, creating smooth linear motion. Every inverted seventh chord must be spelled completely, tendency tones must not be doubled, and the chordal seventh still resolves down by step.
| Inversion | Figured bass | Chord tone in bass | Key voice leading note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Root position | 7 | Root | Fifth may be omitted; double the root |
| First inversion | 6/5 | Third | Spell completely; no doubled tendency tones |
| Second inversion | 4/3 | Fifth | Spell completely; smooth voice leading in and out |
| Third inversion | 4/2 | Seventh | Seventh is in bass; upper voices resolve tendency tones |
Try AP-style multiple-choice questions and written prompts after you review the notes.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Parallel fifths | Two voices moving in the same direction to a perfect fifth by the same interval. Prohibited in 18th-century voice leading because it reduces voice independence. |
| Parallel Octaves | Two voices moving in the same direction to an octave by the same interval. Prohibited for the same reason as parallel fifths. |
| Contrary motion | Two voices moving in opposite directions. The preferred motion type between soprano and bass for maintaining voice independence. |
| Doubling | Assigning the same chord tone to more than one voice. The root is the preferred doubling choice; the leading tone and chordal seventh must never be doubled. |
| Tendency Tones | Scale degrees with strong directional pull: the leading tone resolves up by step to the tonic, and the chordal seventh resolves down by step. |
| Chordal Seventh | The note a seventh above the chord root. Must be approached by common tone or step and resolved down by step in 18th-century voice leading. |
| Perfect Authentic Cadence | V to I with both chords in root position and scale degree 1 in the soprano. The strongest and most conclusive cadence type. |
| Imperfect Authentic Cadence | A V-I progression where either chord is inverted or the soprano does not end on scale degree 1. Conclusive but weaker than a PAC. |
| Half Cadence | A phrase ending on V. Inconclusive; creates a sense of pause that requires continuation. |
| Deceptive cadence | V resolving to vi instead of I. The leading tone still resolves up, but the bass moves to scale degree 6, creating an unexpected outcome. |
| Roman numeral analysis | A system for labeling chords by their scale degree root and quality, with Arabic numerals added to show inversion. Used to represent harmonic progressions in tonal music. |
| Leading-tone Seventh Chords | vii°7 (fully diminished) and viiø7 (half-diminished) seventh chords built on scale degree 7. They function as dominant substitutes or prolong the tonic with stepwise voice leading. |
| Unresolved Seventh | A voice leading error in which the chordal seventh does not move down by step to the next chord, leaving the dissonance unresolved. |
| Spacing | The vertical arrangement of voices in SATB writing. Adjacent upper voices (soprano-alto, alto-tenor) must stay within an octave; the bass may exceed an octave below the tenor. |
| Direct Fifths and Direct Octaves | Similar motion in the outer voices to a perfect fifth or octave. Avoided unless the soprano moves by step into the interval. |
In V or V7 chords, the seventh scale degree (leading tone) must appear in only one voice. Doubling it forces one copy to resolve incorrectly, usually creating parallel octaves when both copies resolve up to scale degree 1.
The chordal seventh must move down by step to the next chord. A common error is leaping away from the seventh or holding it as a common tone without eventually resolving it downward.
Unlike root-position V7, inverted seventh chords (6/5, 4/3, 4/2) must include all four chord tones. Omitting the fifth or any other tone in an inversion is a spelling error.
A perfect authentic cadence requires V-I with both chords in root position AND scale degree 1 in the soprano. If the soprano has scale degree 3 or 5, or either chord is inverted, the cadence is imperfect authentic, not perfect.
When outer voices move by similar motion to a perfect fifth or octave, the soprano must move by step. Moving the soprano by leap to a perfect interval with the bass is a direct fifth or octave error.
The AP Music Theory exam includes tasks where you complete an SATB progression from a given soprano, bass, Roman numerals, or figured bass, and tasks where you identify specific voice leading errors in a provided passage. Unit 4 rules (doubling, spacing, parallel motion, tendency tone resolution) are the direct content for both task types.
The exam tests your ability to notate the soprano and bass lines of a performed harmonic progression and then provide Roman numeral analysis. Unit 4 trains you to hear cadence types, identify chord inversions from bass motion, and connect what you hear to functional harmonic labels.
In score analysis tasks, you label chords with Roman numerals (including inversion symbols), identify harmonic function (T, PD, D), and name cadence types at phrase endings. Unit 4 provides the vocabulary and procedural knowledge needed to distinguish a PAC from an IAC, a half cadence from a deceptive cadence, and to explain why a specific chord progression is or is not stylistically correct.
Open the individual guides for Unit 4 when you want a closer review of one topic.
browse guidesPractice free-response reasoning and compare your answer with scoring guidance.
practice FRQsWatch past review streams filtered to Unit 4 when you want a video walkthrough.
open videosUse unit cheatsheets for a quick visual review after you work through the notes.
open cheatsheetsEstimate your broader AP score goal after you review the course and exam format.
open calculatorAP Music Theory Unit 4 covers 5 topics built around voice leading and harmonic function: 4.1 Soprano-Bass Counterpoint, 4.2 SATB Voice Leading, 4.3 Harmonic Progression, Functional Harmony, and Cadences, 4.4 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords, and 4.5 Voice Leading with Seventh Chords in Inversions. Together they explain how chords move and function in tonal music from roughly 1650 to 1900. See the full unit at /ap-music-theory/unit-4.
The AP Music Theory Unit 4 progress check tests voice leading and harmonic progression skills through both MCQ and FRQ parts. The MCQ section asks you to identify cadence types, analyze chord function (tonic, dominant, predominant), and spot voice leading errors in SATB writing. The FRQ section typically asks you to complete or correct a short SATB passage, resolve seventh chords properly, and label harmonic progressions. Every topic from 4.1 through 4.5 is fair game, so make sure you're solid on soprano-bass counterpoint, functional harmony, and seventh chords in inversions before you sit down for it. Practice questions matched to each topic are at /ap-music-theory/unit-4.
AP Music Theory Unit 4 FRQs focus on voice leading tasks: writing or completing SATB passages, resolving seventh chords correctly, and labeling cadences within a harmonic progression. To practice, work through short four-part writing exercises that target each topic, then check your work against the standard voice leading rules (no parallel fifths or octaves, proper chord resolution). Start with Topics 4.2 and 4.3 since SATB voice leading and cadence identification show up most often in free-response questions. Once those feel solid, move to seventh chords (Topics 4.4 and 4.5), which add the extra step of resolving the chordal seventh down by step. Find topic-matched practice at /ap-music-theory/unit-4.
The best place to find AP Music Theory Unit 4 practice questions, including multiple-choice and FRQ-style tasks, is /ap-music-theory/unit-4. That page organizes practice by topic so you can target voice leading, harmonic progression, cadence identification, and seventh chords separately before taking a full unit practice test. For MCQ prep, look for questions that ask you to identify errors in SATB writing or choose the correct chord resolution. For a practice test feel, work through all five topics in one sitting and time yourself on the four-part writing tasks.
Studying AP Music Theory Unit 4 well means building your voice leading skills in layers, starting with the rules before adding complexity. Here's a concrete plan: 1. **Start with soprano-bass counterpoint (Topic 4.1).** Get comfortable writing two-voice frameworks before adding inner voices. 2. **Learn SATB voice leading rules (Topic 4.2).** Drill the big errors to avoid: parallel fifths, parallel octaves, and voice crossing. 3. **Study harmonic progression and cadences (Topic 4.3).** Know how tonic, dominant, and predominant chords function, and be able to identify authentic, half, plagal, and deceptive cadences by ear and on paper. 4. **Add seventh chords (Topics 4.4 and 4.5).** Practice resolving the chordal seventh down by step in root position and all inversions. Review one topic at a time, write short four-part examples for each, and check them against voice leading rules. Consistent short practice sessions beat cramming every time. All five topics are at /ap-music-theory/unit-4.