AP Music Theory — Medium Difficulty Concepts

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Relative Keys

Back

Major and minor keys that share the same key signature (e.g., C Major and A minor). To find the relative minor, start on the tonic of the major key and go down a minor third (or up a major sixth).

Front

Parallel Keys

Back

Major and minor keys that share the same tonic (e.g., C Major and C minor). They have different key signatures; the parallel minor usually requires three flats added to the major signature.

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Interval Inversion

Back

Moving the lower note of an interval up an octave. The numerical size adds up to 9 (e.g., 3rd becomes 6th), and the quality usually flips: Perfect becomes Perfect, Major becomes Minor, Augmented becomes Diminished.

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Diatonic Intervals

Back

Intervals found naturally within a specific major or minor scale without using accidentals outside the key signature. For example, in C Major, F to A is a diatonic Major 3rd.

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Non-Chord Tones (General)

Back

Notes that sound simultaneously with a chord but are not members of that chord. They embellish the melody and create tension before resolving to a chord tone (e.g., passing tones, neighbor tones).