SPACING GUIDELINES

No crossed voices
No overly spacious sonorities : adjacent voices, excluding bass, to be
withing an octave of each other.
VOICE RANGE
SOPRANO : C4 G5
ALTO : G3 D5
TENOR : C3 G4
BASS : E2 C4

Objectionable Parallels

DIRECT 5ths OR 8ves : Direct or hidden 5th or 8ve results when the outer
parts move in the SAME direction into a P5 or a P8 , with a LEAP in the
soprano part (with a leap or a step in the bass).
Objectionable Parallels : when two parts that are separated by a P5 or a
P8 , or by their octave equivalents, move to new pitch classes that are
separated by the same interval.
Contrary 5ths OR 8ves : You cannot correct objectionable parallel P5s
or P8s by moving one of the voices up or down an octave.
Unequal 5ths : when two parts a P5 apart move to a 05, or the reverse.

Root position part writing with Roots a 4th (5th) apart

4 Part writing

Common tone and stepwise : Keep in the SAME voice the tone that is
COMMON to both the chordsthe remaining two tones move UP a step for
root movement a P5 DOWN , or move DOWN a step for root movement a
P5 UP.

Similar motion by 2nd or 3rd :

All three upper parts move in the same

direction by UPTO a 3 . For root movement of a P5 down / P4 up --- the
upper parts move DOWN. For toot movement of a P5 up / P4 down --- the
upper parts move UP.
rd

Tertian leap, common tone, stepwise :

For changing between open &

closed structures. Common tone is kept to the same voice, but the voice
with the 3rd in the first chord will leap to the 3rd of the 2nd chord. The
remaining voice will move by step.

3 Part Writing
No hard & fast rules for voice movement , other than sticking to
conventions on parallels & spacing.

Root position part writing with Roots a 2nd (7th) apart

4 part writing :
Contrary to the bass: If the root is doubled in the first chord, then the
voice leading is like this --- If the bass moves UP by a step, the upper
voices move DOWN to the nearest chord tone, whereas if the bass moves
DOWN by a step, the upper voices move UP to the nearest chord tone.
Deceptive Progression : V-vi, or V-VI is known as Deceptive Progression.
In most cases, the leading tone moves parallel to the bass, resolving up to
tonic, whereas the other two voices come down, contrary to the bass, to
the next available chord tones. This results in a doubled 3 rd in the vi (or VI)
chord
Deceptive Progression (Var) : Only in a Major key, while going from Vvi, if the leading tone is in one of the inner voices, it can resolve down to
the 6th degree of the key, instead of the tonic as in above.
3 part writing:

Go from complete (complete triad) to incomplete (root x 2 + 3rd). Or

incomplete to complete.. Leading tone is to be resolved to tonic..

Root position part writing with Roots a 3rd (6th) apart

4 part writing :
Very easy: There are 2 common notes between the chords, so two voices
remain stationery, only 1 tone needs to move UP by STEP when the root
moves DOWN by a Third and DOWN by STEP when the root moves UP by a
Third.
3 part writing:

Very tricky : If the root moves UP by a 3rd, the second chord must be a
COMPLETE TRIAD, otherwise it will sound like the first chord in inversion.

Root position part writing with Repeated roots

4 Part writing

All members of a triad are usually present. The final I chord is sometimes
incomplete , consisting of a tripled root & a third.

The root is usually doubled. The 7th tone is never doubled as it is a strong
tendency tone.
3 Part Writing

The 5th of the triad is often omitted. The final I chord may only consist of a
tripled root.
An incomplete triad will usually have the root doubled.