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Voice Leading, what is it?


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Posted

I've read a couple of definitions, but the meaning stills unclear.

 

For what I've read: It is the smooth pass from one chord to the other, or how one chord goes to the next.

 

Is that accurate? Any examples to provide?

 

Thanks!

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The smooth transition between each note of one chord to the next. Ideally each "voice" or individual note of a chord progression should be a pleasing melody in itself. No large jumps. Stepwise movement between each individual note of each chord.

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I've read a couple of definitions, but the meaning stills unclear.


For what I've read: It is the smooth pass from one chord to the other, or how one chord goes to the next.


Is that accurate? Any examples to provide?


Thanks!

In case it's not clear from the sites polishpaul gave (I haven't read them all), it's the idea of treating each note in a chord as a separate "voice", as if a choir was singing it. (Obviously each person only has one voice!)

Then when the chord changes, each note should move the shortest distance possible to the nearest note in the next chord. (The bass is a common exception, especially if the chords are in root position.)

This can mean the note staying the same, and usually (at least if the chords are 7ths) a note needn't move more than a scale step up or down.

Voices shouldn't usually "cross" - eg, a voice that is 2nd from the top shouldn't swap with the 1st or 3rd voice. (As always with these kind of rules there are exceptions, but only in more advanced cases.) But two voices can "sing" the same note if necessary at any point - it to enable the voices to continue moving in a smooth way. (Of course this doesn't apply to piano, where there can only be one of any one note; on guitar it's possible to have the same note on two different strings, but is usually awkward, and in any case not necessary for the exercise.)

The important thing - at least in classical harmony - is to retain the important chord tones (root and 3rd, and 7th if present), and there are rules about which ones can and can't be doubled. This is less important in rock or jazz, although the classical rules still make for good sounds in any style.

 

On the guitar, we can treat each string as a separate voice, and use chord shapes that are close to each other - in the same position, or a fret or 2 higher or lower. (This can be done with any chord sequence, by using different inversions.) It's not always possible to keep each voice on its own string, and sometimes voices may cross strings. But to begin with it's good to try to follow voice lines through the chords by keeping the shapes on the same strings (eg top 4 strings, or middle 4 strings, or bass string and 3 higher strings).

 

Here's an example of a sequence in C:

 

 

 is the same: those neat half-step moves.  Normally the C# in the A7 should lead up to D on the Dm, but it's common in jazz for the 3rd of a chord to lead to the 7th of the next.
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In case it's not clear from the sites polishpaul gave (I haven't read them all), it's the idea of treating each note in a chord as a separate "voice", as if a choir was singing it.

 

 

I think that's the perfect way to to describe it!

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Disclaimer: I'm am typing these examples from my head and do not have an instrument handy. But I know they will cover the topic/concept. Since I hear this stuff in my head I'm confident they will sound pretty damn good too. This is basically how I look/see/hear/feel about everything "music".(even in my lead playing)

 

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I've always thought of "voice-leading" as "my-choice" or "my-direction" as to how I wanted to get from one chord to another, either with the melody included in the part or as a way to support the melody's/song feel. And I constantly look at this regardless of what tune I'm playing, or what style.

 

It can be used as a complete piece of intertwining lines, or it can be just a few chords out of a longer progression.

 

Let's look at a really basic concept of one chord and how it leads to the next, and then how we can lead it to the next chord our self.

 

A simple form of voice-leading can be found in a simple I-IV change, let's say G-C:

 

 

G C

E----------

B--3---5---

G--4---5---

D--5---5---

A----------

E----------

 

 

The voicings used there cover each full triad. Notice the the B string moves up a whole step, and the G string moves up a half step. That it at the heart of that change, that is how "G leads into C" when moving up.

 

Of course this particular example is based on only one set of inversions. Lets look at some others:

 

G C G C G

E--------|--------|---------|

B--0--1--|--3--5--|--8--8---|

G--0--0--|--4--5--|--7--9---|

D--0--2--|--5--5--|--9--10--|

A--------|--------|---------|

E--------|--------|---------|

 

 

What most guitarist "see" is these common three note chord fragments/triads. But the "truth" in what's happening in a I-IV change is the Root of the I chord does not change when moving to the IV chord, it becomes the 5th of the IV chord, but the M3 of the I chord moves a half step to the Root of the IV chord, and the 5 of the I chord moves to the M3 of the IV chord...THAT'S what's "leading" in the I to the IV.

 

What it boils down to is in a lot of cases (not all, but a ton of cases) to get from one chord to the next you'll find it's nothing more than notes moving a half step or a whole step or some notes not moving at all. The I-IV example is a perfect example because it contains all three of those possibilities.

 

Now here's the "my-choice" aspect...

 

Anytime there is a half step between the notes of voicings, use it because the half step is one of the best leading tones you can find. But also, anytime there is a whole step between the notes of two voicings, experiment with, or consider, filling it up with chromatic half-steps. Like so:

 

 

 

G C G C G C

E----------|-----------|-----------

B-0--0--1--|--3--4--5--|--8--8--8--

G-0--0--0--|--4--4--5--|--7--8--9--

D-0--1--2--|--5--5--5--|--9--9--10-

A----------|-----------|-----------

E----------|-----------|-----------

 

 

If you remember the only whole step in the triad intervals of G->C is the 5th of G moving a whole to the M3 of C.

 

So in each of those options of G->C the D moves to Eb, then to the E, resolving the C chord.

 

That chord in between is an augmented chord, but the name doesn't really matter in voice-leading, all you're trying to accomplish is a strong line that leads from one voice/chord to the next voice/chord...

 

hence the name "voice-leading".

 

 

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Let's look at more ways to get yourself to voice-lead something. Take this progression:

 

||: Bm7 | Am7 | Gmaj7 :||

 

Let's look at it strictly linearly:

 

 

Bm7 Am7 Gmaj7

E-----------------

B---7----5-----3--

G---7----5-----4--

D---7----5-----4--

A-----------------

E---7----5-----3--

 

 

Setting your chords out linearly is a great to get started in voice-leading as it shows you an exact movement of notes from chord to chord...but what you want to pay attention to is all the whole steps used going from Bm7 to Am7, and whole steps and half steps used going from Am7 to Gmaj7.

 

In voice-leading, the half step is a very strong movement or statement and carries a lot of weight...understanding this I always thought was Rule #1 in voice-leading.

 

Because a lot of chord movements contain whole steps in a certain direction, you can exploit that "direction" by using the whole step as two half steps...in other words...use that note in between the whole step.

 

Here are a couple of examples of doing this for the Bm7-Am7-Gmaj7 example:

 

 

 

Moving the D string chromatically (give each chord two beats)

 

Bm7 Bm6 Am7 Am6 Gmaj7

E-----------|----------|-----

B---7----7--|--5----5--|--3--

G---7----7--|--5----5--|--4--

D---7----6--|--5----4--|--4--

A-----------|----------|-----

E---7----7--|--5----5--|--3--

 

Moving the B string chromatically (give each chords two beats)

 

Bm7 Bm7b5 Am7 Am7b5

E------------|--------------|--------

B--7---6-----|--5-----4-----|---------

G--7---7-----|--5-----5-----|---------

D--7---7-----|--5-----5-----|---------

A------------|--------------|----------

E--7---7-----|--5-----5-----|---------

 

Now let's look at a more Full-bodies voice-lead alternating both ideas (each chord get one beat each)

 

Bm7 Bm7 Bm6 Bm6b5 Am7 Am7 Am6 Am6b5 Gmaj7

E------------------------|------------------------|----

B--7-----7----7-----6----|--5----5----5----4------|--3--

G--7-----7----7-----7----|--5----5----5----5------|--4--

D--7-----7----6-----6----|--5----5----4----4------|--4--

A------------------------|------------------------|----

E--7-----7----7-----7----|--5----5----5----5------|--3--

 

 

In this case the chord names really don't matter as the Bm6b5 could be called Bdim7 or the Am6b5 could be called Adim7 if you wanted. To us though it's really just Bm7->Am7->Gmaj7 since we are talking voice-leading. If you got hung up on the chord names you'd have to learn a GAZILLION chord concepts instead of just looking at it a couple of way to move from where you to where you are going. It does not have to be any more complicated than that...

 

if you do want to know all the chords my suggestion is, come up with your voice-leading idea first THEN go back and learn the names.

 

Let's look at some more examples...

 

-----------------------------------------------

 

Here's the bridge to Tiny Dancer by Elton John (Again, I'm making up these voice movements with no instrument available but I'm sure you'll see how one chord is voiced into the next chord):

 

 

 

Ab Bb Gm Cm Ab Bb Bm G

E---------------------------------------

B----4---6----8---8---9---11--12--12------

G----5---7----7---8---8---9---11--12-----

D----6---8----8---10--10--12--12--12----------

A-----------------------------------------

E----------------------------------

 

Or,

 

Ab Bb Gm Cm Ab Bb Bm G

E---------------------------------------

B----4---3----3---4---4---6---7---8-------

G----5---3----3---5---5---7---7---7-------

D----6---3----5---5---6---8---9---9---------

A-----------------------------------------

E----------------------------------

 

 

See how in each example most of the chords are moving in one direction? The BIG thing to take out of this is by voicing things like so you'll realize the next chord is only a note or two different from the previous chord (except Ab and Bb which is exactly a whole step from each other triad wise).

 

Understanding chords this way makes it MUCH easier to figure out tunes, come up with you own direction, etc... because the notes in the next chord usually aren't very far from where you are at now.

 

Voicings, voicings! Not only do they make a difference sound wise but they are a GREAT tool to for understand WHY something sounds the way it does as you can see what REALLY changes.

 

Now challenge yourself to create a more full-bodied voice-lead...anywhere there is a whole step between the chord voicings, try a half step movement between the whole steps. Will it work every time, maybe not but it will work most of the time. Why? Because you are moving in one direction! The half step movements in almost 99% of the time will strengthen that direction...because they are moving in the same direction TO THE NEXT CHORD.

 

 

There's more...

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--------------------------------------------

 

Take the common ii-V-I progressions that can fly by on jazz tunes, some thing like:

 

| Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 | Cm7 F7 | Bmaj7 | Bbm etc...

 

You can use smaller voices that state a "direction" with minimal notes changing, and basically stay in one area for all of it, like:

 

Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 Cm7 F7 Bbmaj7 Bbm

E--------------------------------------------

B----10---10---8------8----10---10-------9---

G----10---10---9------8----8----10-------10--

D----10---9----10-----10---10---8--------11--

A--------------------------------------------

E--------------------------------------------

 

Notice how this example starts downward then nicely moves upward.

 

Again, challenge yourself here to "fill in the gaps" where there are whole steps...and I deliberately placed the step and a half between the last chords on the D string...use a three half step move to get between Bbmaj7 and Bbm. "Lead" it up!

 

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Let's look at where you might fine a place for this in rock. Take this progression...

 

||: D | Gm | Eb | Eb7 :||

 

You can turn this into "voice-leading power chords" like so (it kind of makes a sappy progression sound more solid, progressive, and maybe even like a tight New Wave thing):

 

 

Just strum each chord as 8th notes, ala chug-chug-chug-chug-etc...based on the progression above.

 

D Gm Eb Eb7

E-----|-----|-----|-----|

B-----|-----|-----|-----|

G-----|-----|-----|-----|

D--7--|--8--|--8--|--8--|

A--5--|--5--|--6--|--4--|

E-----|-----|-----|-----|

 

See how you are not necessarily creating new chords for every chord but exploiting the direction...this is primarily full of NOTHING but half step movements except for the last two chords, so there's no reason worry about playing chromatic notes unless you want to play that Eb-D-Db line over the last two chord. But in this case, because it's "my-choice" (right?) I probably wouldn't add the chromatic because the rest of the rhythm is just a simple chug-chug-chug-chug-etc... So I probably would keep it simple and straight forward.

 

But...

 

check it out what happens when you repeat that progression back into the first D chord again, you get and absolute "half step up" on the A string and a "half step down" on the D string...each note resolves in the opposite direction!!!! Magic I tell ya :)

 

D Gm Eb Eb7 D

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

B-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

G-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

D--7--|--8--|--8--|--8--|--7--|

A--5--|--5--|--6--|--4--|--5--| etc...

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

 

For the sake of it, lets look at another option:

 

D Gm Eb Eb7 D

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

B-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

G-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

D--7--|--5--|--5--|--5--|--7--|

A--5--|--5--|--6--|--4--|--5--|

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

 

And another option:

 

D Gm Eb Eb7 D

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

B-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

G-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

D--7--|--5--|--5--|--5--|--4--|

A--5--|--5--|--6--|--4--|--5--|

E-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|

 

There are SO MANY ways to carve out even the simplest progression into nice moving, and resolving, lines, or "leadings" that the possibilities are endless.

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Posted

I'm glad people have taken the time to explain the concept. People who play keys get it intravenously but I couldn't come up with word one for guitarists with their chordtortions and non contiguous voice juggling.

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I'm glad people have taken the time to explain the concept. People who play keys get it intravenously but I couldn't come up with word one for guitarists with their chordtortions and non contiguous voice juggling.

That's because rock music is not much interested in voice-leading, or similar classical harmony principles. It's too busy with grooves and drones, riffs, bluesy wailing (voice and guitar), aggressive/surprising timbres and rhythmic devices. That's how we like it!

Voice-leading is for the classical salon and the jazz club... and the more polite forms of pop music... ;)

 

The average rock guitarist tends to be dumbfounded by the basic rule of classical harmony that bans parallel 5ths. "Whaddya mean?? I play power chords all the time, what's wrong with that??" :confused: (Answer: nothing, in rock music. In classical, everything.)

IOW, all human ears hear parallel 5ths the same way. It's just that classical ears don't like the sound, and rock ears do. (Jazz ears are on the fence, somewhat - they'll like them sometimes.)

 

(Of course, I should mention here the tale of the young Beethoven and his tutor. Ludwig Van had used parallel 5ths in an exercise; his tutor complained that they weren't allowed, whereupon Beethoven replied: "well, I allow them!" Rock on, Ludwig!)

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Great posts Mike and JonR! It's an easy lesson in person but tricky to explain. Well done.

 

..."smooth" voice leading is the closest note deal, but sometimes it's fun to explore other leaps. I've been using some oddball intervals lately and really digging the results. It's all good if it's intentional, IMO.

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That's because rock music is not much interested in voice-leading, or similar classical harmony principles. It's too busy with grooves and drones, riffs, bluesy wailing (voice and guitar), aggressive/surprising timbres and rhythmic devices. That's how we like it!

Voice-leading is for the classical salon and the jazz club... and the more polite forms of pop music...
;)

The average rock guitarist tends to be dumbfounded by the basic rule of classical harmony that bans parallel 5ths. "Whaddya mean?? I play power chords all the time, what's wrong with that??"
:confused:
(Answer: nothing, in rock music. In classical, everything.)

IOW, all human ears hear parallel 5ths the same way. It's just that classical ears don't like the sound, and rock ears do. (Jazz ears are on the fence, somewhat - they'll like them sometimes.)


(Of course, I should mention here the tale of the young Beethoven and his tutor. Ludwig Van had used parallel 5ths in an exercise; his tutor complained that they weren't allowed, whereupon Beethoven replied: "well,
I
allow them!" Rock on, Ludwig!)

 

Rules are made to be broken! I find contrary motion to be a nice change and crossing voices can be interesting. I remember the first time I heard Bach's "chromatic fantasy and fugue " and realized that genius makes its own standards.

Actually "voice leading "is just the study of counterpoint. Studies lead to generalizations of typical practice ( rules) which get passed on as dogma.

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Crossed and contrary lines are more so leading than parallel. At least in traditional music. The concerns are generally scalic diatonic motion with particular attention to 7ths and leading tones which must go down and up respectively.

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Studies lead to generalizations of typical practice ( rules) which get passed on as dogma.

 

 

I disagree. I mean sometimes it happens, but the whole idea of study is to stretch your brain so it can process concepts in new and different ways. Knowing HOW to voice-lead doesn't mean you do it all the time exactly as the "rules" say.

 

To me, any of the music theory "rules" say, "If you want this type of sound, these tendencies will get you there."

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I'd agree fully with Jon. I think certain PEOPLE are prone to promoting dogma... the study or formalizing of anything doesn't do that. Studying anything has almost always helped me on many levels.

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OK -I should have said "generalizations may get passed on as dogma". But even when an individual examines a subject that individual will assess and develope personnal theory. For example, A child can place his hand over a burning candle and experience pain and determine that its probably a bad idea to do that OR an adult could pass on that info as "dogma" beforehand. In either case there may be an exception to the rule (ever hear of Firewalkers?) Dogma requires a collective approach to a subject if only on a simple level as a child being taught by its parent.An individual may develope a "rule" and not share that knowledge . What if Einstein had kept his mouth shut?

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That's because rock music is not much interested in voice-leading, or similar classical harmony principles. It's too busy with grooves and drones, riffs, bluesy wailing (voice and guitar), aggressive/surprising timbres and rhythmic devices. That's how we like it!

Voice-leading is for the classical salon and the jazz club... and the more polite forms of pop music...
;)

The average rock guitarist tends to be dumbfounded by the basic rule of classical harmony that bans parallel 5ths. "Whaddya mean?? I play power chords all the time, what's wrong with that??"
:confused:
(Answer: nothing, in rock music. In classical, everything.)

IOW, all human ears hear parallel 5ths the same way. It's just that classical ears don't like the sound, and rock ears do. (Jazz ears are on the fence, somewhat - they'll like them sometimes.)


(Of course, I should mention here the tale of the young Beethoven and his tutor. Ludwig Van had used parallel 5ths in an exercise; his tutor complained that they weren't allowed, whereupon Beethoven replied: "well,
I
allow them!" Rock on, Ludwig!)

 

I just read that Ravel had some sort of brain damage that affected his sense of pitch one result being that Bolero became an exercise in timbre rather than melodic or harmonic exploration. I understand that critics of the day thought it was junk, probably because they were hidebound in certain "rules". Rules are, essentially, expectations, and it's good for any artist to understand them. But the heart of art, I think, is to play or work with the tension of expectations - fail that and your work is cliche, break them all and... too avante-garde? ("French for bull{censored}" - John Lennon) and... well, that's a much longer discussion.

 

Oh, and I wouldn't say chunking power chords is really playing "parallel fifths" in the sense of separate "voices" playing harmony- more just playing the fifth (a harmonic partial) along with the root to fill out the timbre, in the same way that playing a C major cowboy chord after playing a Gmajor in your first Eagles songbook isn't exactly playing several part harmony.

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Studies lead to generalizations of typical practice ( rules) which get passed on as dogma.

Well, they don't have to, but often they do, I agree.

As soon as something is written down, it easily assumes the role of "law". Books have an automatic authority (just because they're books) that may not be warranted.

 

However, there's also the view (at least in classical and jazz) that one begins studying by following the rules - learning to play or write in archaic styles - in order to build on that firm foundation. So you start by treating the rules as dogma, as fixed laws, in order to absorb the foundations of western music. But the idea then is that one should outgrow them - perhaps by moving forward through later genres or styles to the present day.

IOW, every student recapitulates the history of the music they're studying!

 

I'm not saying that's a GOOD idea - but it's one way of doing it. The difficulty is to treat all that learning lightly, and retain one's personal vision. IOW, that's the way THEY did it (and I get it); it doesn't have to be the way I'M going to do it. Unless, of course I want to compose something in one of those vintage genres.

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Oh, and I wouldn't say chunking power chords is really playing "parallel fifths" in the sense of separate "voices" playing harmony- more just playing the fifth (a harmonic partial) along with the root to fill out the timbre, in the same way that playing a C major cowboy chord after playing a Gmajor in your first Eagles songbook isn't exactly playing several part harmony.

If you play a sequence of power chords - which is what I was thinking of - then you are playing parallel 5ths.

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