<p>theeboy3 - heh, thank you! :D</p>
<p>G0DZILLA - well, to be honest, AP Theory doesn’t ask for that much in terms of musical technicality. However, if you can’t at least read treble clef fluently, the class will be a lot of work just because of all of the excerpts and parts you have to read, analyze, and write. Here’s a “brief” list of some things that really help to enter AP Theory with:</p>
<p>-Treble clef fluency; most things are written in treble clef
-Bass clef knowledge; I went into the class only knowing that bass clef was two notes below treble clef in how things were written (what looks like a treble clef D in bass clef is an F), but you’ll do enough reading that you’ll become fluent in bass clef by the AP exam
-How to construct major/minor/diminished triads and all 7th chords; this is crucial in partwriting
-Knowing your major, natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales; you probably won’t be explicitly tested on these, but it helps with melodic dictation, harmonic dictation, partwriting, sightsinging, and score analysis to know scales
-A general ear for music; being able to hear chord changes, being able to distinguish between different instruments (even in pop and rock music), etc.</p>
<p>You will most likely cover all of these things in your theory class (besides how to read treble and bass clef), but it will help a LOT if you already know them. The brunt of AP Theory is learning how to write four-part Baroque-style chorales (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voice) in the style of J. S. Bach. You are not expected to have prior knowledge of the style, and you will learn a set of arbitrary rules to follow in making these compositions. There are a lot of rules and quirks, but they become, quite literally, automatic as you practice more and more. Then on the AP exam, a great deal of your work will be applying your knowledge of four-part chorales to legitimate pieces of music, from operas to symphonies to wind quintets to pop music, and answering questions based on audible music or provided scores.</p>
<p>There are other parts of the free response that necessitate more specialized practice, but your class will cover all of these. Perhaps in the near future I will write up an extensive guide to preparing for AP Theory.</p>
<p>I would like to add that a lot of this can just be picked up by actively listening to music. I came into the class with excellent melodic and harmonic dictation abilities because I’ve been transcribing and arranging music since 7th grade. Even when I’m not, I always listen to music for chord changes and whatnot, trying to find the actual musicality of whatever’s on. We did a Roman numeral analysis of “Party in the USA” one day in my class, for example. What’s good about this is that EVERYTHING else will fall into place. You’ll be great at dictations, but you’ll have a good knowledge of chord progressions for the partwriting, you’ll understand how good basslines move, you’ll kill the aural multiple choice, and you’ll even have the knowledge in your brain needed to do the sightsinging without hassle.</p>