Review AP Music Theory Unit 6 to understand how composers decorate harmonic progressions with nonchord tones, develop short musical ideas through motivic transformation, and generate musical momentum through melodic and harmonic sequences. These skills connect voice leading from earlier units to the expressive surface of real music.
Fiveable's AP Music Theory Unit 6 review covers 7 topics, with guided practice questions for the unit.
Use the topic guides, practice questions, and FRQ practice available for this unit to work through identification and writing tasks for every embellishing tone type.
Unit 6 asks you to look and listen beneath the surface of a chord progression and identify the decorative notes that give melodies their shape and expressiveness. It also asks you to recognize how composers take a short musical idea and develop it systematically across a phrase or section.
Unit 6 is about embellishing tones (nonchord tones that decorate a harmonic framework), motivic transformation (procedures that vary a short melodic or rhythmic idea), and sequences (repeated transpositions of a melodic or harmonic segment). You need to identify all of these by ear and in notation, and you need to write passing tones, neighbor tones, and suspensions in chorale style.
Passing tones, neighbor tones, suspensions, anticipations, escape tones, appoggiaturas, and pedal points all sit outside the prevailing chord. You classify each one by how it is approached, how it resolves, and whether it falls on or off the beat.
A motive is a short melodic or rhythmic cell. Composers vary it through fragmentation, literal repetition, sequential repetition, melodic inversion, retrograde, augmentation, and diminution. You need to name the procedure when you hear or see it.
A sequence repeats a segment immediately at a new pitch level, keeping the interval of transposition constant. Melodic sequences operate in a single line; harmonic sequences repeat a chord pattern. The two often occur together.
Nonharmonic tones enrich individual lines within a chord progression, while sequences and motivic procedures expand musical ideas across time. Both techniques operate on top of the harmonic framework you built in Units 4 and 5, and both require you to distinguish chord tones from non-chord tones in order to analyze or write music accurately.
Classify nonharmonic tones by approach, resolution, and metric placement. Passing tones move stepwise in one direction between chord tones; neighbor tones step away and return to the same chord tone. Both can be accented or unaccented.
Add unaccented eighth-note passing and neighbor tones to a chorale-style bass line. Best placements are against a stationary soprano, in parallel thirds or sixths with the soprano, or during a voice exchange.
Identify four additional nonharmonic tone types by their approach-and-resolution profiles. Anticipations arrive early; escape tones leap away after a step; appoggiaturas are approached by leap and resolved by step on a strong beat; pedal points sustain through changing harmonies.
Suspensions are labeled 4-3, 9-8, 7-6, or 2-3 and follow a prepare-hold-resolve-down pattern. Retardations resolve upward. You must identify and notate suspensions; you only need to identify retardations.
Identify motives and name the transformation procedure applied: fragmentation, literal repetition, sequential repetition, melodic inversion, retrograde, augmentation, or diminution. Some procedures change pitch, some change rhythm, and some change both.
A melodic sequence repeats a segment at a consistent interval of transposition. Identify the segment, the interval of transposition, and whether the sequence is diatonic or real.
A harmonic sequence repeats a chord group at a consistent interval of transposition. Common patterns include descending-fifths and third-based sequences. Identify the root motion pattern and whether the sequence stays in key.
This snapshot uses Fiveable practice activity to show where students tend to miss questions and which review moves are worth prioritizing first.
Across 150 multiple-choice practice attempts for this unit.
Practice activity included in this snapshot.
Passing tones and neighbor tones are the two most common nonharmonic tones. Both are approached and resolved by step, but they move in different directions. A passing tone fills the space between two different chord tones by moving stepwise in one direction. A neighbor tone leaves a chord tone by step and returns to the same chord tone. Rhythmic placement determines whether each is accented (on the beat) or unaccented (between beats), and that distinction is part of the label.
Given a short melody with Roman numeral analysis, can you circle every passing tone and neighbor tone and label each as accented or unaccented?
| Type | Approach | Resolution | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passing tone | Step from chord tone | Step to different chord tone | Same direction throughout |
| Neighbor tone | Step from chord tone | Step back to same chord tone | Reverses direction |
When writing a bass line in 18th-century chorale style, you can add unaccented eighth-note passing tones and neighbor tones to enliven a quarter-note framework. The key is choosing spots where the embellishment creates a good relationship with the soprano. Three reliable contexts are: the bass moves against a stationary soprano (two eighth notes in the bass against one quarter note above), the bass moves in parallel thirds or sixths with the soprano, or the bass and soprano engage in a voice exchange.
Given a soprano line with Roman numeral analysis, can you write a bass line that adds at least two unaccented passing or neighbor tones in stylistically correct positions?
| Context | Bass motion | Soprano motion |
|---|---|---|
| Stationary soprano | Two eighth notes (one embellishing) | Held quarter note |
| Parallel motion | Eighth notes in thirds or sixths with soprano | Moves by step |
| Voice exchange | Bass takes soprano pitch; passing tone fills gap | Soprano takes bass pitch |
These four nonharmonic tone types each have a distinct approach-and-resolution profile. An anticipation arrives early on a weak beat, sounding a note that belongs to the next chord before that chord arrives. An escape tone (echappee) is approached by step and then leaps away to a chord tone in the opposite direction. An appoggiatura is approached by leap and resolved by step, and it typically falls on a strong beat, creating noticeable dissonance. A pedal point is a sustained or repeated pitch, usually in the bass, that is held through chord changes above it.
Can you distinguish an escape tone from a neighbor tone and an appoggiatura from a suspension by checking approach, resolution, and metric placement?
| Type | Approach | Resolution | Metric placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anticipation | Step or leap | Restated as chord tone | Weak beat |
| Escape tone | Step | Leap in opposite direction | Usually weak |
| Appoggiatura | Leap | Step | Strong beat |
| Pedal point | Sustained chord tone | Chord eventually returns | Any; often bass |
A suspension is a three-stage gesture: preparation (the note is a chord tone), dissonance (the note is held or retied into a new chord where it no longer belongs), and resolution (the note moves down by step to a chord tone). Suspensions are labeled with two numbers showing the interval above the bass before and after resolution, such as 4-3, 9-8, 7-6, and 2-3. A retardation follows the same preparation-dissonance pattern but resolves upward by step instead of downward. On the AP exam, you must identify and notate suspensions; you only need to identify retardations.
Given a four-part chorale passage, can you identify the suspension type by its label (4-3, 9-8, 7-6, 2-3) and write a 4-3 suspension in a Roman numeral realization?
| Label | Dissonance interval | Resolution interval | Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-3 | Fourth above bass | Third above bass | Upper voice |
| 9-8 | Ninth above bass | Octave above bass | Upper voice |
| 7-6 | Seventh above bass | Sixth above bass | Upper voice |
| 2-3 | Second above bass | Third above bass | Bass voice |
A motive is a short melodic or rhythmic idea, often just two to five notes, that serves as a building block for phrases. Composers develop motives by applying transformation procedures that change pitch, rhythm, or both while keeping the idea recognizable. You need to identify the original motive and name the specific procedure used to transform it, both by ear and in notation.
Given a melody excerpt, can you identify the original motive and label each subsequent statement as literal repetition, fragmentation, inversion, retrograde, augmentation, or diminution?
| Procedure | Pitch changed? | Rhythm changed? |
|---|---|---|
| Literal repetition | No | No |
| Melodic inversion | Yes (intervals flipped) | No |
| Retrograde | Yes (order reversed) | Yes (order reversed) |
| Augmentation | No | Yes (lengthened) |
| Diminution | No | Yes (shortened) |
A melodic sequence occurs when a short melodic segment is stated and then immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch level, with the interval of transposition staying constant across each repetition. For example, a segment that first moves up a third will continue to be transposed up a third with each new statement. Melodic sequences can be diatonic (adjusted to stay in key) or real (exact transposition that may introduce accidentals). Sequences often pair with a corresponding harmonic sequence in the bass or inner voices.
Given a melody, can you identify where the sequence begins, name the interval of transposition, and determine whether it is diatonic or real?
A harmonic sequence occurs when a group of chords is repeated immediately at a consistent interval of transposition. The root motion pattern stays the same across each repetition, such as always descending by fifth or always moving by thirds. Harmonic sequences are common in Baroque and Classical music and often generate a sense of directed motion through a key. They frequently appear alongside a melodic sequence in the soprano or another voice. You need to identify and apply harmonic sequences in both performed and notated music.
Given a Roman numeral progression, can you identify the repeating chord segment, name the interval of transposition, and label the sequence as diatonic or real?
| Sequence type | Root motion | Common context |
|---|---|---|
| Descending fifths | Down a fifth each chord | Circle-of-fifths progressions |
| Ascending thirds | Up a third each chord | Baroque and Classical inner sections |
| Descending thirds | Down a third each chord | Varied harmonic color |
| Ascending seconds | Up a step each chord | Sequential intensification |
Try AP-style multiple-choice questions and written prompts after you review the notes.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| nonchord tone | A pitch that does not belong to the underlying chord, used to decorate a harmonic framework. Classified by approach and resolution: passing tone, neighbor tone, suspension, appoggiatura, escape tone, anticipation, or pedal point. |
| Suspension | A chord tone held over into a new chord as a dissonance, then resolved downward by step. Labeled by interval above the bass before and after resolution: 4-3, 9-8, 7-6, or 2-3. |
| Preparation | The consonant statement of a note before it becomes a suspension. The note must appear as a chord tone in the preceding harmony, often tied across the barline. |
| Resolution | The movement of a dissonant nonharmonic tone to a consonant chord tone. Suspensions resolve downward by step; retardations resolve upward by step. |
| Escape Tone | A nonharmonic tone approached by step from a chord tone and resolved by leap in the opposite direction to a chord tone. The leap away distinguishes it from a neighbor tone. |
| anticipation | A nonharmonic tone that sounds a note from the upcoming chord early, typically on a weak beat, before the new chord arrives. |
| Voice Exchange | A technique in which the soprano and bass swap chord tones across a beat, often with a passing tone in the bass filling the stepwise gap between the exchanged pitches. |
| Diminution | A motivic transformation procedure in which the rhythmic values of a motive are shortened proportionally, causing the idea to move more quickly than the original. |
| diatonic sequence | A sequence in which the repeating segment is transposed within the key, so chord quality or interval size may adjust slightly to avoid accidentals. |
| Ornamentation | Decorative embellishments added to a melody, including trills, turns, and nonharmonic tones, that add expressive detail without changing the underlying harmonic structure. |
| Dissonant | A combination of tones that creates tension because one or more pitches fall outside the prevailing chord. Nonharmonic tones are dissonant by definition and require resolution to a consonant chord tone. |
Both are approached by step, but a neighbor tone returns by step to the same chord tone while an escape tone leaps away in the opposite direction. Check the resolution: step back means neighbor tone, leap away means escape tone.
Suspension labels describe intervals above the bass, not above the root. In an inverted chord, the bass note changes, so the numbers change too. Always measure from the actual bass pitch, not the chord root.
In 18th-century chorale style, passing and neighbor tones in the bass should be unaccented, falling on the weak eighth-note subdivision. Placing them on the beat creates an accented nonharmonic tone, which is a different classification and often a voice-leading error in this style.
A sequence requires immediate transposition at a consistent interval. If the segment is repeated at the same pitch, it is literal repetition, not a sequence. The transposition must be present and consistent across at least two statements.
Both are prepared on a consonance and held into a dissonance, but a suspension resolves downward by step and a retardation resolves upward by step. The direction of resolution is the only distinguishing feature.
The AP Music Theory exam asks you to identify nonharmonic tones in both performed and notated music. In listening tasks, you hear a melody and must recognize the approach-and-resolution pattern of a specific tone. In notation tasks, you are given a score with Roman numeral analysis and must label the nonchord tones or write them into a realization. Knowing the exact approach, resolution, and metric placement for each type is essential for both formats.
Free-response tasks in AP Music Theory often ask you to realize a figured bass or Roman numeral progression in four-part chorale style. Unit 6 skills apply directly: you may need to notate a suspension indicated by Arabic numerals such as 4-3, or add unaccented passing and neighbor tones to a bass line. Errors in preparation, dissonance placement, or resolution direction are penalized, so the three-stage suspension model must be automatic.
Melodic analysis tasks ask you to describe how a composer develops musical material. Recognizing a melodic or harmonic sequence requires you to identify the repeating segment and name the interval of transposition. Motivic transformation tasks ask you to name the specific procedure applied to a motive. Both skills appear in multiple-choice listening questions and in written analysis tasks where you describe compositional techniques in a score excerpt.
Use this list to confirm you can handle every major skill in Unit 6 before the exam.
For each type, state how it is approached, how it resolves, and whether it is accented or unaccented: passing tone, neighbor tone, anticipation, escape tone, appoggiatura, suspension, and pedal point.
Given a soprano line and Roman numeral analysis, add unaccented eighth-note embellishments in the bass at stationary-soprano spots, parallel-thirds or sixths spots, and voice-exchange spots.
Recognize 4-3, 9-8, 7-6, and 2-3 suspensions in score and by ear. Write a suspension when a figured bass or Roman numeral progression indicates one with Arabic numerals.
Given a motive and a transformed version, identify the procedure: fragmentation, literal repetition, sequential repetition, melodic inversion, retrograde, augmentation, or diminution.
Locate the repeating segment, name the interval of transposition, and determine whether the sequence is diatonic or real. Note when a melodic and harmonic sequence occur simultaneously.
Review the approach-and-resolution profile for all seven nonharmonic tone types. Make a reference chart with columns for approach, resolution, and metric placement. Then practice labeling nonharmonic tones in short score excerpts, checking your labels against the chord tones in the Roman numeral analysis.
Take a given soprano line with Roman numeral analysis and write a bass line that includes at least two unaccented passing or neighbor tones. Focus on the three reliable contexts: stationary soprano, parallel thirds or sixths, and voice exchange. Check that your embellishments fall on weak subdivisions.
Drill the four suspension labels (4-3, 9-8, 7-6, 2-3) by writing each one in a short four-part passage. Practice identifying suspensions by ear in chorale recordings. Review how figured bass numerals signal a suspension and practice realizing a 4-3 suspension from a Roman numeral progression.
Find a short motive in a score excerpt and trace how it is transformed across the phrase. Practice naming each procedure: fragmentation, inversion, retrograde, augmentation, and diminution. Use the comparison table to check whether the pitch, rhythm, or both have changed.
In a score excerpt, locate the repeating segment in the melody and in the chord progression. Name the interval of transposition for each and determine whether it is diatonic or real. Practice spotting when a melodic sequence and harmonic sequence occur at the same time in the same passage.
Unit 6 printables
Print the unit cheatsheets ($3) for Unit 6. Yours to keep, no subscription needed.
get printablesAP Music Theory Unit 6 covers 7 topics focused on embellishments, motives, and melodic devices. Topics include identifying and writing passing tones and neighbor tones (6.1-6.2), anticipations, escape tones, appoggiaturas, and pedal points (6.3), suspensions and retardations (6.4), motive and motivic transformation (6.5), melodic sequence (6.6), and harmonic sequence (6.7). See AP Music Theory Unit 6 for matched practice on all seven topics.
The AP Music Theory Unit 6 progress check tests your ability to identify and write embellishing tones, analyze motives, and recognize melodic and harmonic sequences. The MCQ portion asks you to identify nonharmonic tones like passing tones, neighbor tones, suspensions, and appoggiaturas in score excerpts. The FRQ portion typically asks you to write or label those same embellishments in a given progression, and may include motivic transformation or sequence analysis. Practice the exact skills this progress check targets at AP Music Theory Unit 6.
AP Music Theory Unit 6 FRQs most often ask you to write embellishing tones into a given voice-leading framework or identify specific nonharmonic tones in a score. To practice, work through writing suspensions, passing tones, and neighbor tones by hand, then check that your resolutions follow proper voice leading rules. For motives and melodic devices questions, practice labeling transformations and sequences in short musical examples. Find practice sets for all these question types at AP Music Theory Unit 6.
Start AP Music Theory Unit 6 by getting comfortable with embellishing tones one type at a time: passing tones and neighbor tones first (6.1-6.2), then the trickier ones like appoggiaturas, escape tones, and pedal points (6.3), and finally suspensions (6.4). Once those feel solid, shift focus to motives and motivic transformation (6.5), which is where many students find the most interesting connections to real repertoire. Finish with melodic and harmonic sequences (6.6-6.7), since sequences show up constantly on the exam. For each topic, write out examples by hand rather than just reading about them. Recognizing melodic devices on paper is a different skill from hearing them, so practice both. Use AP Music Theory Unit 6 to check your understanding with targeted questions as you go.