This lesson assumes you are already familiar with building and identifying triads.
To review Traids go to Understanding Triads and Triad Types.
To review Inversions go to Triad Inversion.
A lot of vocal and piano music is written in four parts, but Triads, by definition, are only three notes. How do you write triads when you have more than 3 notes happening at the same time?
When you write a triad in four (or more) voices, you will need to
When you write a triad in four voices you will have to double one of the notes. Below are the traditional guidelines for doubling. You will acheive the best balance between the voices if you follow these guidelines.
In Root Position and 2nd inversion you should double the bass note.
Notice, in the above example, the root of the chord, C, is in the bass and is doubled by the soprano. The third of the chord is in the alto and the 5th in the tenor. All three notes of the triad are present and the bass is doubled.
Notice, in the above example, the 5th of the chord, G, is in the bass and is doubled by the tenor. The third of the chord is in the alto and the root in the soprano. All three notes of the triad are present and the bass is doubled.
1st invertion is a little more flexible. The best balance will occur if you double the soprano. If that is not possible, than double the tenor or alto. Only double the bass if all other options are not available or it gives the best voice leading. Doubling the bass with the soprano is an acceptable solution.
Notice, in the above example, the Root of the chord, C, is doubled by the alto and soprano. The third of the chord is in the bass and the fifth in the tenor. All three notes of the triad are present and the soprano is doubled.
Do not double the leading tone (scale degree 7). Composers during the common practice period (1600-1910) avoided doubling the leading tone because it has such a strong pull up to the tonic. This strong tendency also causes it to stand out in the texture and doubling it only makes it more prominant. Additionally, this is the reason why the diminished chord was rarely written in root position in four voice textures.
Keep in mind that these are not unbreakable rules. Voice leading (the movement of a voice from one chord to another) is often more important than doubling. In popular styles of music the upper voices often move in parallel motion in close postion without concern for the doubling guidelines listed above.
Classical composers after the common practice period are much more likely to ignore these guidelines. But if you are writing using standard triads, then these guidelines will still give you the best balance between the voices in the chords.
It is important to write each part in a range that is appropriate for the voice or instrument. Below are some guidelines to keep in mind. These ranges are for your average musician.
The Soprano is the highest of the standard four voice choir. The soprano voice should be kept in the range of C4 to A5 and is written in the treble clef.
The Alto is the lower of the two treble voices in the standard four voice choir. The alto voice should be kept in the range of G3 to E5 and is written in the treble clef.
The Tenor is the higher of the two lower voices in the standard four voice choir. The tenor voice should be kept in the range of B2 to G4 and is usually written in the bass clef.
The Bass is the lowest voice in the standard four voice choir. The bass voice should be kept in the range of E2 to C4 and is written in the bass clef.
Keep in mind that all of these ranges can be expanded both upward and downward by professional singers.
When writing for instruments other than voices it is very important to look up their range online. It is also important to keep in mind the level of the musicians. Typically, the more skilled the musicians, the higher the potential range. The main exception to this rule are instruments where the range is limited by the number of strings or keys, such as piano, harp or xylophone.
The following guidelines will make a triad in four voices sound full and balanced.
All three upper voices should be within an octave of the adjcent voices. In other words, the Alto should be within an octave of the Soprano and the Tenor should be within an octave of the Alto.
There is no restriction on the distance between the bass and the next upper voice.
Avoid crossing voices. Voice Crossing occurs when a lower voice crosses over a higher voice. This may happen occasionally due to voice leading but it should be rare. For purposes of these exercises, you should avoid voice crossing.
In the next exercise you will write four voice chords following the guidelines listed above. Your goal is to write each chord using correct