Four Part Vocal Harmony Rules

Four Part Vocal Harmony: THE RULES 

NO consecutive 5ths

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NO consecutive octaves

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NO hidden (or “exposed”) consecutives

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NO dissonant leaps (seventh, augmented or diminished intervals), choose small intervals. Leading note resolves to the tonic. The soprano line should have an interesting melody (should flow). The alto and tenor lines should not move about much at all. Double the root or fifth in root position chords. Double any note in first inversion chords. Double the fifth in second inversion chords. Double the third in diminished chords. Double the third with care in other chords. Never leave out a figured note. Never leave out the root or third. Never overlap parts. Stay in the accepted voice ranges and don’t  put  put more than one octave between the upper voices.

Consecutives are the no.1 bad guy! You must NEVER NEVER write  write consecutives consecutives.. Consecutive 5ths often sneak in when there are two root position (5-3) position (5-3) chords next to each other. Here are two root position chords – C major and A minor:

In the first chord, the tenor and bass parts are a perfect 5th apart. 5th apart. In the second chord, they are also a perfect fifth apart. When there are perfect 5ths in the  same two parts one after the other, we call them “consecutive 5ths”.

We need to find another way to write one of the chords, to get rid of the consecutives:

Now the perfect 5th in the second chord is between the alto and tenor parts – the 5ths are no longer consecutive, because they are in different parts. parts. You have to check for consecutive 5ths between each voice of the harmony. This means six six checks  checks between each chord: Soprano – Alto Soprano – Tenor Soprano – Bass Alto – Tenor Alto- Bass Tenor – Bass

Sometimes the consecutives are more difficult to see: here are consecutive 5ths between the alto and bass parts:

Common questions about Consecutive 5ths: Are compound  5ths  5ths (i.e. an octave and a 5th) wrong ? YES, they are also illegal. Are diminished 5ths wrong? No, but you should still avoid writing them if possible. Does it count if the same notes are repeated? No, consecutives are only bad when the voices move:

This is allowed, because the parts don’t change notes.

Consecutive octaves are just as bad as consecutive 5ths. Consecutive Consecutive octaves can sneak in just about anywhere, so always be on the lookout for them! Check for consecutive octaves between all six voice pairings, as above. above. Here are some illegal consecutive octaves: octaves:

Consecutive 5ths and octaves are considered to be bad because it sounds as though the music has been reduced to only three parts. Each of the four voice parts should have a strong, independent identity, and this effect is dramatically lessened by consecut consecutives. ives.

Also known as “concealed” or “exposed” consecutives, these are a little harder to spot, but must be avoided. Hidden consecutives happen when: The bass and soprano parts form a perfect a  perfect 5th or or octave  octave AND  AND The 5th/8ve is approached by similar motion AND motion AND The soprano part is approached by a leap leap (not  (not by step).

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The bass and soprano parts form a perfect a perfect 5th. 5th.

The 5th is approached by similar motion (both motion (both parts move upwards in the same direction, instead of one part going up and other part down (“contrary ( “contrary motion”) or staying the same (“oblique motion”).

The soprano part contains a leap leap (the  (the interval between the two notes is wider than a 2nd).

We can fix a hidden consecutive by just fixing one problem from problem from above. We can change around the notes, so that the 5th (or octave) disappears:

We can change the similar motion to oblique (or contrary) motion:

Or, we could make the soprano part move by step, instead of a leap.

“Voice leading” is about how each note connects to the next one, in one voice part. In all voices: Leaps of a seventh are NOT allowed. In major keys, diminished/augmented diminished/augmented melodic intervals are NOT recommended. Augmented 2nds and 4ths are NOT allowed. 6ths should be avoided. Leading notes in dominant chords ALWAYS resolve onto the tonic of a tonic chord. (Bach didn't always do this, though!) In a cadential 6-4, 6-4, the 4 resolves to 3 and the 6 resolves to 5. Always choose a semitone step if one is available.

Voice Leading - Soprano In the soprano part, you should try to write a reasonably tuneful melody, but you should avoid leaps of more than a perfect 5th. Follow these guidelines: The best intervals to use are 2nds and 3rds. 4ths and 5ths are OK, but should only be used in an emergency. Repeated notes can be used, but the more you use the more boring your melody will be, so only use them if you are stuck.

Here is the beginning of a soprano line written by J.S. Bach:

Which intervals has Bach used here, and how many times? Unison (2) Second (7) Third (1) Fourth (1) Fifth (1) Sixth (1) Seventh (0) Augmented/diminished Augmented/d iminished (0) As you can see, a good soprano line is made up mostly of intervals of a 2nd.

In the alto and tenor parts, you are padding out the chords: Always choose the nearest note that note that you can, without breaking any other rules (e.g. of consecutives or illegal intervals etc.) If possible, repeat the previous note. Otherwise, choose the next nearest note. Leaps of 4ths and 5ths are ok, but use them sparingly.

Here’s some more Bach, with a typical alto line. Let’s see which intervals are u sed here:

Unison (7) Second (4) Third (2) Fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, dim/aug (0) In the alto and tenor parts, the most common interval to use is the unison (the same note!) Someti mes you don’t have much choice about which note to write next. Here are some Sometimes cases:

Leading notes ALWAYS resolve onto the tonic when possible. In a cadential 6-4, 6-4, the 4 resolves to 3 and the 6 resolves to 5. Always choose a semitone step if one is available.

The bass line should be reasonably melodic, without too much repetition of adjacent notes. The bass usually moves either by step, or by leaps of perfect 4ths and 5ths, or by leaps of 3rds. Octave leaps may be used in moderation. The bass should not leap by a 7th, an augmented or a diminished interval. The final note in the bass line of a piece must always be the tonic.

All four-note chords need to double one note from the triad. But which one? Generally the 3rd is the least satisfactory note to double, but there are some exceptions.

You may double the Root:   

In any 5-3 chord In any 6-3 chord EXCEPT diminished chords (ii° or vii°) Never in Never  in 6-4 chords

You may double the Third: In any 6-3 chord EXCEPT if it is the leading note (which means chord Vb) Never in 6-4 chords Never in Never  in a 5-3 chord UNLESS: it is a minor third and it’s your only choice it is a major  major third third AND the piece is in a minor key, AND it’s part of a V -VI progression.

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You may double the Fifth:   

In any 5-3 chord In any 6-3 chord EXCEPT diminished chords (ii° and vii°)  Always in  Always  in 6-4 chords

Here’s a Rule of Thumb which is easy to remember: Root position – 1 or 5 First Inversion – anything goes Second inversion – 5 Watch out for:  

diminished chords (ii° and vii°) – ONLY double the third chord VI in minor keys CAN double the third

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Vb – CAN’T double the third

Sometimes it’s ok to leave out the fifth fifth of  of the triad. “5-3”, you must  include Never leave out a note that is figured  is  figured . So, if you see “5 include the third and the fifth. But if the chord is blank, it means you can leave out the fifth. If you see “6“6-3”, you must include the fifth (it’s the “3” “3 ” of the 66-3), but if you see just “6”, then you can leave out the fifth. You can never leave out the fifth of a 6-4 chord. Never leave out the third or the root.

Don’t let your voice parts overlap. The soprano line l ine must always be higher than all the rest, the alto must always be higher than the tenor. Be careful not to write parts which cross over like these two:

In the first example, the alto part C is lower than the tenor E. In the second example, the tenor C is higher than the alto B in the next chord. It’s ok to let the bass and tenor parts share share a  a note from time to time.

When you write for four voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass), you should keep to the normal range that those voices can sing:

These ranges are not absolutely fixed, but stay within wi thin them to stay safe! Never have an interval wider than an octave between the tenor and alto, or alto and soprano parts. It’s ok to have more than an octave between the tenor and bass parts