What rules of part-writing make tonal harmony sound correct, and how do you connect chords so each voice moves smoothly?
Write idiomatic tonal harmony with secure voice leading, including chord spacing and doubling, smooth part movement, correct treatment of the leading note and sevenths, and avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves
A focused answer to the H2 Music composing outcome on tonal harmony. Spacing and doubling, smooth voice leading, resolving the leading note and chordal sevenths, the rule against parallel fifths and octaves, and connecting chords cleanly in four parts.
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What this dot point is asking
SEAB wants you to write idiomatic tonal harmony in which each voice moves smoothly and independently, the chords are correctly spaced and doubled, tendency tones resolve properly, and forbidden parallels are avoided. The central insight is that harmony in this idiom is not just a stack of correct chords but a set of well-connected melodic lines: good voice leading is what makes a progression sound stylistically right. Your task is to know the rules and, crucially, why each exists.
The answer
The musical concept: four voices, smoothly connected
Tonal harmony is conventionally written in four parts, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, each a singable line. The guiding principle is the smallest good motion:
- Keep common tones. If a note is shared between two consecutive chords, hold it in the same voice.
- Move other voices by step wherever possible, rather than by leap.
- Prefer contrary or oblique motion between the outer voices (soprano and bass), which keeps the parts independent and the texture clear.
The technique: spacing and doubling
- Spacing: keep no more than an octave between adjacent upper voices (soprano to alto, alto to tenor). The gap between tenor and bass may be larger. This keeps the chord sonorous and balanced.
- Doubling: in a root-position triad, double the root by preference. Never double the leading note, because both copies would want to rise to the tonic, forcing parallels or an incomplete chord. Usually do not double a chordal seventh either.
The technique: tendency tones and forbidden parallels
- The leading note rises by step to the tonic, especially in an outer voice; it is a strong tendency tone.
- A chordal seventh falls by step to its note of resolution (in V7 to I, the seventh falls to the third of I).
- No parallel (consecutive) perfect fifths or octaves between any pair of voices: they fuse two lines into one and destroy independence. Avoid hidden (exposed) octaves and fifths reached by similar motion into the outer parts.
Named repertoire
J. S. Bach's chorales are the model of correct, expressive four-part writing; Classical homophony applies the same principles in a freer, accompanied texture.
Examples in context
Example 1. J. S. Bach, four-part chorales. Each chorale is a masterclass in voice leading: every voice is a singable line, common tones are held, the leading note resolves up, sevenths fall, and parallels are avoided, all while harmonising a given melody with rich, functional progressions. They are the standard exercise material for this dot point.
Example 2. Mozart, homophonic textures. In Classical accompanied homophony the same voice-leading principles operate beneath a melody, for instance in chordal accompaniments where inner parts move smoothly by step and the bass supports clear functional progressions, showing the rules at work outside strict four-part chorale style.
Try this
Q1. State why parallel fifths and octaves are forbidden in four-part writing. [2 marks]
- Cue. They momentarily fuse two voices into a single line moving in parallel, destroying the independence of the parts that the texture depends on.
Q2. Explain how the leading note and a chordal seventh should resolve. [2 marks]
- Cue. The leading note rises by step to the tonic (especially in an outer voice); a chordal seventh falls by step to its note of resolution.
Q3. Describe how to connect two chords that share a common tone. [3 marks]
- Cue. Hold the common tone in the same voice, move the remaining upper voices to the nearest chord tones of the next chord by step, and prefer contrary or oblique motion against the bass to keep the parts independent and avoid parallels.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Original8 marksA candidate harmonises the progression I to V to vi in C major in four parts but writes consecutive perfect fifths between the bass and tenor when moving from I to V, leaves the leading note in the soprano unresolved at the interrupted cadence, and doubles the leading note in the V chord. Identify each fault and explain how to correct it while keeping good voice leading.Show worked answer →
Identify the faults. First, consecutive (parallel) perfect fifths between bass and tenor across I to V; parallel perfect fifths and octaves between any two voices are forbidden in this idiom because they weaken voice independence. Second, an unresolved leading note in an outer voice; at V to vi the leading note (B in C major) should rise by step to the tonic (C). Third, a doubled leading note in V; the leading note should not be doubled because both copies would want to resolve up, creating parallels or an incomplete chord.
Correct them. Re-voice V so the fifth motion is broken (for example move the tenor by contrary or oblique motion against the bass). Resolve the leading note up to C in the chord of vi. Double a different note of V (commonly the root or fifth) instead of the leading note; at an interrupted cadence V to vi the vi chord typically doubles its third to complete the triad with good spacing.
Markers reward correct identification of the parallel fifths, the unresolved and doubled leading note, and concrete corrections that preserve smooth voice leading. The strongest answers note that the leading note in an inner voice may sometimes fall to the fifth of vi to avoid a worse problem, but in an outer voice it should rise.
Original12 marksExplain the principles of good voice leading in four-part tonal harmony, and how they guide the choice of doubling and the connection of chords. Refer to specific rules and to music you have studied.Show worked answer →
State the aim. Voice leading is the art of moving each of the (usually four) voices smoothly and independently while spelling correct chords. The governing principle is the smallest good motion: keep common tones, move other voices by step where possible, and prefer contrary or oblique motion between the outer parts.
Give the rules. Spacing: no more than an octave between adjacent upper voices (soprano-alto, alto-tenor); the tenor-bass gap may be wider. Doubling: in root-position triads double the root; never double the leading note or, usually, the seventh. Tendency tones: the leading note rises to the tonic; a chordal seventh falls by step to its resolution. Forbidden parallels: no consecutive perfect fifths or octaves between any pair of voices. Motion: avoid hidden (exposed) octaves and fifths into outer voices reached by similar motion.
Use examples. Bach chorales as the model of correct, expressive four-part writing; Classical homophony for the same principles in a freer texture.
Evaluate. Markers reward a clear set of rules tied to the underlying aim of smooth, independent parts, the doubling and resolution conventions, and a real model. The strongest answers explain why a rule exists (parallels destroy independence; doubling the leading note over-stresses a tendency tone), not merely that it exists.
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