AP® Music Theory Prep Course

Self-paced prep for the AP® Music Theory exam: 62 lessons, a quiz after every lesson, 45 interactive labs, and a full practice exam and a final exam, each with a written part and its scoring guide.

$19paid once
Get the course for $19Preview the syllabus free

Or every AP® course for $29 a month, with every AP® study guide too.

Already bought it? Open your course

  • 62lessons
  • 62quizzes, one after every lesson
  • 45interactive labs
  • 2full exams with written parts

What's in the AP® Music Theory course

10 chapters. Each lesson ends with a short quiz, and the course ends with a full practice exam and a final exam, each with a written part and its scoring guide.

Course OverviewFree preview
  1. FreeSyllabus
Chapter 1: Pitch, Rhythm, and Meter6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 6 labs
  1. Lesson1.1 Pitch and the Staff: Treble, Bass, Alto, and Tenor Clefs
  2. Lab1.1 Interactive Lab: Reading Four Clefs
  3. Lesson1.2 Accidentals and Enharmonic Equivalents: Sharps, Flats, and Naturals
  4. Lab1.2 Interactive Lab: Spelling the Keyboard
  5. Lesson1.3 Simple Rhythm: Note Values, Rests, Ties, and Dots
  6. Lab1.3 Interactive Lab: Filling the Measure
  7. Lesson1.4 Meter and Time Signatures: Simple and Compound, Duple, Triple, and Quadruple
  8. Lab1.4 Interactive Lab: Feel the Meter
  9. Lesson1.5 Major Scales and Key Signatures: The Circle of Fifths
  10. Lab1.5 Interactive Lab: Key Signature Workshop
  11. Lesson1.6 Intervals: Quality and Size of Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
  12. Lab1.6 Interactive Lab: Interval Ear Training
Chapter 2: Expressive Elements and Rhythmic Dictation5 lessons, 5 quizzes, 2 labs
  1. Lesson2.1 Tempo and Dynamics: Italian Terms and Their Meanings
  2. Lesson2.2 Articulation: Staccato, Legato, Accent, and Slur Markings
  3. Lesson2.3 Syncopation and Rhythmic Devices: Triplets, Duplets, Hemiola, and Tuplets
  4. Lab2.3 Interactive Lab: Off the Beat: Syncopation, Ties, Triplets and Hemiola
  5. Lesson2.4 Rhythmic Dictation: Writing Down Rhythms You Hear
  6. Lab2.4 Interactive Lab: Rhythmic Dictation
  7. Lesson2.5 Reading Scores: Instruments, Transposition, and Score Layout
Chapter 3: Minor Scales, Melody, Timbre, and Texture6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 5 labs
  1. Lesson3.1 Minor Scales and Key Signatures: Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic Minor
  2. Lab3.1 Interactive Lab: Minor Scales
  3. Lesson3.2 Scale Degree Names and Solfege in Major and Minor
  4. Lesson3.3 Melody: Contour, Range, Conjunct and Disjunct Motion, and Phrase Shape
  5. Lab3.3 Interactive Lab: Shape, Motion, Landmarks: Hearing Melodies
  6. Lesson3.4 Timbre: Instruments, Voices, and Ensembles
  7. Lab3.4 Interactive Lab: Who Is Playing? Instruments, Voices and Ensembles on Paper
  8. Lesson3.5 Texture: Monophonic, Homophonic, Polyphonic, and Heterophonic
  9. Lab3.5 Interactive Lab: Name the Texture
  10. Lesson3.6 Melodic Dictation I: Notating Short Melodies in Major and Minor
  11. Lab3.6 Interactive Lab: Melodic Dictation Practice
Chapter 4: Triads and Seventh Chords6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 5 labs
  1. Lesson4.1 Triad Qualities: Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented
  2. Lab4.1 Interactive Lab: Hearing Triad Qualities
  3. Lesson4.2 Triad Inversions: Root Position, First Inversion, and Second Inversion
  4. Lab4.2 Interactive Lab: Triad Inversion Workshop
  5. Lesson4.3 Diatonic Triads in Major and Minor Keys: Roman Numerals
  6. Lab4.3 Interactive Lab: Roman Numeral Chord Builder
  7. Lesson4.4 Seventh Chords: Dominant, Major, Minor, Half-Diminished, and Fully Diminished
  8. Lab4.4 Interactive Lab: Seventh Chord Ear Training
  9. Lesson4.5 Seventh Chord Inversions and Figured Bass: 7, 6/5, 4/3, and 4/2
  10. Lab4.5 Interactive Lab: Figured Bass Decoder
  11. Lesson4.6 Chord Spelling and Analysis: Chord Symbols and Lead-Sheet Notation
Chapter 5: Harmony I: Chord Function, Cadences, and Phrases6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 5 labs
  1. Lesson5.1 Tonal Function: Tonic, Predominant, and Dominant
  2. Lesson5.2 Cadences: Authentic, Half, Plagal, and Deceptive
  3. Lab5.2 Interactive Lab: Cadence Ear Lab
  4. Lesson5.3 Phrase Structure: Antecedent-Consequent Phrases and Periods
  5. Lab5.3 Interactive Lab: Period Ear Lab
  6. Lesson5.4 Voice Leading Basics: Four-Part Writing Rules and Spacing
  7. Lab5.4 Interactive Lab: Four-Part Error Check
  8. Lesson5.5 Part Writing I and V: Writing Tonic and Dominant Chords in Four Voices
  9. Lab5.5 Interactive Lab: Building Tonic and Dominant in Four Voices
  10. Lesson5.6 Harmonic Dictation I: Notating Bass Lines and Roman Numerals by Ear
  11. Lab5.6 Interactive Lab: Hearing Bass Lines and Numerals
Chapter 6: Harmony II: Chord Progressions and Predominant Function6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 3 labs
  1. Lesson6.1 Common Progressions: The Circle of Fifths and Typical Patterns
  2. Lab6.1 Interactive Lab: Hearing Common Progressions
  3. Lesson6.2 Predominant Chords: ii, ii6, IV, and Their Resolutions
  4. Lesson6.3 The Cadential 6/4 and Other Second-Inversion Chords
  5. Lesson6.4 Voice Leading of Seventh Chords: V7, ii7, and Their Resolutions
  6. Lesson6.5 Realizing Figured Bass: Writing Four-Part Harmony from a Bass Line
  7. Lab6.5 Interactive Lab: Realize a Figured Bass
  8. Lesson6.6 Realizing Roman Numerals: Writing Four-Part Harmony from Chord Symbols
  9. Lab6.6 Interactive Lab: Find and Fix the Error
Chapter 7: Harmony III: Embellishments, Motives, and Melodic Devices6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 4 labs
  1. Lesson7.1 Non-Chord Tones I: Passing Tones, Neighbor Tones, and Appoggiaturas
  2. Lab7.1 Interactive Lab: Hear and Name Non-Chord Tones
  3. Lesson7.2 Non-Chord Tones II: Suspensions, Anticipations, Pedal Points, and Retardations
  4. Lesson7.3 Motive and Development: Repetition, Variation, Sequence, and Fragmentation
  5. Lab7.3 Interactive Lab: Trace the Motive
  6. Lesson7.4 Harmonizing a Melody: Choosing Chords and Cadences
  7. Lab7.4 Interactive Lab: Harmonize a Melody Phrase by Phrase
  8. Lesson7.5 Composing a Bass Line: Writing a Bass Line with Roman Numerals and Figures
  9. Lesson7.6 Melodic Dictation II: Notating Longer Melodies with Embellishments
  10. Lab7.6 Interactive Lab: Longer Melodies: Minor and Chromatic
Chapter 8: Harmony IV: Secondary Function and Modulation6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 3 labs
  1. Lesson8.1 Secondary Dominants: V/V and V7/V
  2. Lab8.1 Interactive Lab: Hearing V/V and V7/V
  3. Lesson8.2 Secondary Dominants of Other Chords: V/ii, V/iii, V/IV, V/vi
  4. Lesson8.3 Secondary Leading-Tone Chords: vii°/V and vii°7/V
  5. Lesson8.4 Modulation: Pivot Chords and Closely Related Keys
  6. Lab8.4 Interactive Lab: Hearing and Finding Pivot Chords
  7. Lesson8.5 Tonicization versus Modulation: Telling Them Apart in Scores
  8. Lesson8.6 Harmonic Dictation II: Chromatic Chords in Four-Part Dictation
  9. Lab8.6 Interactive Lab: Hearing Chromatic Chords
Chapter 9: Modes and Form6 lessons, 6 quizzes, 3 labs
  1. Lesson9.1 The Modes: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, and Aeolian
  2. Lab9.1 Interactive Lab: Hearing the Modes
  3. Lesson9.2 Pentatonic, Whole-Tone, Blues, and Chromatic Scales
  4. Lesson9.3 Binary and Ternary Form: Rounded Binary, Simple Binary, and ABA
  5. Lab9.3 Interactive Lab: Name the Form
  6. Lesson9.4 Larger Forms: Rondo, Theme and Variations, and Sonata Form
  7. Lesson9.5 Strophic, Through-Composed, and Other Song Forms
  8. Lesson9.6 Analyzing a Whole Excerpt: Form, Harmony, Texture, and Melody Together
  9. Lab9.6 Interactive Lab: Analyze a Score and Its Sound
Chapter 10: Sight-Singing4 lessons, 4 quizzes, 4 labs
  1. Lesson10.1 Sight-Singing Basics: Solfege, Steady Beat, and Tonic Orientation
  2. Lab10.1 Interactive Lab: Sight-Singing Basics: Three Scale Patterns
  3. Lesson10.2 Sight-Singing in Major Keys: Stepwise Motion, Skips, and Arpeggios
  4. Lab10.2 Interactive Lab: Sight-Singing in Major Keys
  5. Lesson10.3 Sight-Singing in Minor Keys and Compound Meter
  6. Lab10.3 Interactive Lab: Sight-Singing in Minor and Compound Meter
  7. Lesson10.4 Sight-Singing Strategy: Preparing, Performing, and Recovering from Mistakes
  8. Lab10.4 Interactive Lab: Sight-Singing Under Exam Timing
Chapter 11: Strategy for AP Music Theory2 lessons, 2 quizzes, 5 labs
  1. Lesson11.1 Multiple-Choice Strategy: Score Excerpts, Aural Questions, and Elimination
  2. Lab11.1 Interactive Lab: Section I Practice: Drill and Aural Set
  3. Lesson11.2 Free-Response Strategy: The Written Questions and Their Rubrics
  4. Lab11.2 Interactive Lab: Self-Scoring the Written Questions
  5. Exam11.3 Full Practice Under Exam Conditions: Pacing the Written and Sight-Singing Sections
  6. Lab11.3 Interactive Lab: Full Practice: Timed Drill and Sight-Singing
  7. Exam11.4 Listening Room for the Final Practice Exam
  8. Lab11.4 Interactive Lab: Listening Room: Final Practice Exam
  9. Exam11.5 Listening Room for the Final Exam
  10. Lab11.5 Interactive Lab: Listening Room: Final Exam
Chapter 12: Final Practice Exam and Final Exam8 parts
  1. ExamFinal Practice Exam - Instructions
  2. ExamFinal Practice Exam
  3. ExamFinal Practice Exam - Written Part
  4. ExamFinal Practice Exam - Written Part Scoring Guide
  5. ExamFinal Exam - Instructions
  6. ExamFinal Exam
  7. ExamFinal Exam - Written Part
  8. ExamFinal Exam - Written Part Scoring Guide
Get the course for $19Preview the syllabus free

How the course works

  1. Read a lesson

    62 lessons, chapter by chapter, at your own pace on your phone or laptop.

  2. Take its quiz

    A short quiz after every lesson shows what stuck before you move on.

  3. Practice in the labs

    45 interactive labs to work through ideas hands-on.

  4. Sit the practice exam, then the final

    Both have a written part. Check your answers against the scoring guide.

Will it count at your college?

The course gets you ready for the exam. The credit comes from your AP® score: scores run from 1 to 5, and each college decides which score earns credit and how much.

The AP® score each college asks for and the credit it gives, at 1,303 colleges. Or browse them all.

More AP® prep courses, $19 each

36 AP® courses, $19 each paid once, or all of them for $29 a month. See all our AP® prep, including printable guides for every exam.

Questions about the AP® Music Theory course

How much is the AP® Music Theory prep course?

$19, paid once, with no monthly bill. Or get every AP® course and every AP® study guide for $29 a month: see the plan.

What's in it?

10 chapters with 62 lessons, a quiz after every lesson, 45 interactive labs, and a full practice exam and a final exam, each with a written part and its scoring guide.

Can I look inside before I buy?

Yes. The syllabus is free to preview: open the free preview.

Does the course give me college credit?

No. It prepares you for the AP® Music Theory exam. Credit comes from your AP® score, and each college decides which score earns credit. Look up your college.

How do I study it?

Online, at your own pace, on a phone or a laptop. Sign in to transfercredit.org and open the course from your dashboard.

Is this course from the College Board?

No. TransferCredit.org made it. The College Board is not affiliated with it and does not endorse it.

AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this course. We source the AP® score range from the College Board.

Ready for the AP® Music Theory exam?

62 lessons, 45 labs and two full exams, for $19 once.

Get the course for $19