help with AP Music Theory

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hi, everyone, I'm a junior in high school, and I've been playing piano for 14 years, and studying theory for about 6. Recently this year I heard about the AP Music Theory test, and decided to prepare for that. My piano teacher is helping me prep for the test, and so far all parts of the practice tests have been a cinch... except for harmonic dictation (and to a much lesser extent, bass line composition, but that's not why I'm here).</p>

<p>Since you're allowed 3-4 times to hear the music, I have no problem getting the soprano and bass lines after the first or second plays. The problem is that no matter how hard I try I can't seem to pick out the quality/inversion/etc. of the chords in order to label the Roman numerals correctly. Granted, having the notes alone still gets me most of the points, but I would really appreciate it if anyone could give me some pointers on how to deal with 3 or 4 voices. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Once you have the soprano and bass, getting the inversions and Roman numerals should essentially be a process. It's kind of hard to explain, but I'm going to give it a shot: </p>

<p>From the outset,
1) Make sure you know the key!
2) Chances are, you're starting with a I and ending with a I
3) You will have a cadence at the end, so know your cadences so you can plug in the Roman numerals there with some ease </p>

<p>Figuring out the Roman numerals, etc:
1) The bass part is the most important. It will tell you the possibilities for the Roman numerals. For instance, if you have a scale degree 5 in the bass (5th note of the scale in the key you're in), you might have a I 6/4, a V, a III 6/3, or a VI 4/2. That in and of itself narrows down your options a lot. Depending on your soprano note, that narrows down your options even more. If you have a 5 in the bass, and a 3 in the soprano, then your possibilities are III 6/3, I 6/4, or VI 4/2. Then, depending on context, you should be able to figure out what chord you have. If you're only dealing with triads, rule out the VI 4/2 and then you're left with only two potential chords.
2) Regarding context, as far as Roman numerals go, usually they will be descending.
2a) You will have pre-dominant chords before dominants, and then dominants will precede tonics.
2b) Generally, the Roman numerals will descend. For example, you will start with I, then perhaps have VI, IV, V, I.
3) So in the example we had before, if the chord in question is in a pre-dominant position, you can rule out the I 6/4, then your only two possibilities are III6 or VI4/2. The VI4/2 is pretty uncommon, but depending on the context, it could be either. </p>

<p>Also, if you can figure out the quality before you deal with the Roman numeral and inversion, you can narrow your possibilities down a lot. </p>

<p>I know that explanation's probably really confusing, but I hope it helped at least a little bit.</p>

3

<p>Wow, that really helps, and looking back at my practice stuff it does make sense. Thanks for the help, hopefully I'll be able to have this down by the next week or so.</p>

4

<p>Awesome! Let me know if you have any other questions.</p>

5

<p>My ds is signed up to take AP music theory next fall and after reading this, I know this will be yet another class I will have no idea on how to help him! Good luck to you!</p>