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Created: Monday, 16 August 2010 20:09 Written by Victoria Williams

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Grade Six Music Theory - The Rules of Harmony

These rules of harmony need to be learnt. You need to use them when you are harmonizing a melody, creating a bass line with figured bass, or realizing a figured
bass.

Click on each rule for more details about it.

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The Rules
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1a. NO consecutive 5ths

1b. NO consecutive octaves

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1c. NO hidden (or “exposed”) consecutives
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2a. NO dissonant leaps (seventh, augmented or diminished intervals), choose small intervals. Leading note resolves to the tonic.

2b. The soprano line should have an interesting melody.

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2c. The alto and tenor lines should not move about much at all. 
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3a. 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.

3b. Never leave out a figured note. Never leave out the root or third.
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4a. Never overlap parts.

4b. Stay in the accepted voice ranges and don’t put more than an octave between the upper voices.
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1a. Consecutive 5ths Remember Me

Consecutives are the no.1 bad guy in figured bass! You must NEVER write consecutives. Log in
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Here are two root position chords – C major and A minor:

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In the first chord, the tenor and bass parts are a perfect 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: See all V

Please note: this website is

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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.

You have to check for consecutive 5ths between each voice of the harmony. This means six checks between each chord:
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Soprano – Alto
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Soprano – Tenor

Soprano – Bass Get the MyMusic

Alto – Tenor
Alto- Bass
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Tenor – Bass

A1. Introduction to

Sometimes the consecutives are more difficult to see: here are consecutive 5ths between the alto and bass parts:
A2. Triads and Cho

A2. Triads and Cho

A3. Inversions

A3. Inversions Exe

Common questions about Consecutive 5ths:

A4. Chord Progres

Feedback

Are compound 5ths (i.e. an octave and a 5th) wrong ? YES, they are also illegal.
A4. Chord Progres
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: 
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A5. Melodic Decor

A5. Melodic Decor

A6. Harmonizing a

A7. Harmonizing a
This is allowed, because the parts don’t change notes.

A6 & A7. Harmonis

Exercises
1b. Consecutive Octaves
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A8.! Figured Bass a
Consecutive octaves are just as bad as consecutive 5ths. Consecutive octaves can sneak in just about anywhere, so always be on
the look out for them! A8. Figured Bass I

Check for consecutive octaves between all six voice pairings, as above.
A9. Figured Bass R
Here are some illegal consecutive octaves:

A9. Figured Bass R

A10. Figured Bass

A10. Realising a F
Exercises

Consecutive 5ths and octaves are considered to be bad because it sounds as though the music has been reduced to only three
A11. Adding a Figu
parts. Each of the four voice parts should have a strong, independent identity, and this effect is dramatically lessened by
consecutives.
A11. Adding a Figu

1c. Hidden Consecutives The Rules of Harm

Also known as “concealed” or “exposed” consecutives, these are a little harder to spot, but must be avoided.
B0. Composition -
Hidden consecutives happen when:

The bass and soprano parts form a perfect 5th or octave AND B1. Composition -
The 5th/8ve is approached by similar motion AND

The soprano part is approached by a leap (not by step). B1. Composition A

B2. Composition -

B2. Composition M

Sequence Exercise

B3. Composition -

The bass and soprano parts form a perfect 5th.

B3. Composition C

B4. Composition -

B4. Composition In

B5. Composition -

The 5th is approached by similar motion (both parts move upwards in the same direction, instead of one part going up and other B5. Composition K
part down (“contrary motion”) or staying the same (“oblique motion”). Exercises

B6. Composition -
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B6. Composition -
The soprano part contains a leap (the interval between the two notes is wider than a 2nd). 
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B7. Composition -

B7. Composition H
Exercises

C1a. Reading an O

C1a. Reading an O

Exercises
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! Reading
C1b. a Ch

We can fix a hidden consecutive by just fixing one problem from above.
C1b. Reading a Ch
We can change around the notes, so that the 5th (or octave) disappears:
Exercises

C2a. Musical Instru

Names

C2a. Musical Instru

Names - Exercises

We can change the similar motion to oblique (or contrary) motion: C2b. Transposing,

Instruments

C2b. Musical Instru

Reed and Strings -

C3. Musical Terms

Or, we could make the soprano part move by step, instead of a leap. C3. Musical Terms

C4. Commenting o
2a. Voice Leading Basics
“Voice leading” is about how each note connects to the next one, in one voice part. C4. Commenting o

In all voices:
C5. Key
Leaps of a seventh are NOT allowed.
In major keys, diminished/augmented melodic intervals are NOT recommended.
C5. Keys - Exercis
Augmented 2nds and 4ths are NOT allowed.

6ths should be avoided. C6a. Naming Chor

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, the 4 resolves to 3 and the 6 resolves to 5. C6b. Chords in a S

Always choose a semitone step if one is available.

C6. Naming Chord

2b. Voice Leading - Soprano C7a. Ornaments

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: C7a. Ornaments E

The best intervals to use are 2nds and 3rds.

C7b. Melodic Deco
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. C7b. Melodic Deco
Exercises
Feedback

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

C8. Technical Exer

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C8. Technical Exer

C9. Periods and C

C9. Periods and C

Which intervals has Bach used here, and how many times?

Unison (2) C10. Score Readin

Second (7)

Third (1) Practice Test

Fourth (1)
Fifth (1) By visiting our website you agree that we are using cookies to ensure you to get the best experience. I understand ! Read more
Sixth (1) Buy PD
Seventh (0)

Augmented/diminished (0)
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As you can see, a good soprano line is made up mostly of intervals of a 2nd.
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2b. Voice Leading - Alto and Tenor Next UK ABRSM th

In the alto and tenor parts, you are padding out the chords: 4 weeks 0 days 10 h
Always choose the nearest note that you can, without breaking any other rules (e.g. of consecutives or illegal intervals etc.) Wednesday 6th Ma

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 used 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!)

Sometimes you don’t have much choice about which note to write next. Here are some cases:

Leading notes ALWAYS resolve onto the tonic when possible.

In a cadential 6-4, the 4 resolves to 3 and the 6 resolves to 5.

Always choose a semitone step if one is available.

2c. Voice Leading -Bass

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.
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3a. Doubling

All four-note chords need to double one note from the triad. But which one? Generally the 3rd is the least satisfactory note to
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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 6-4 chords

You may double the Third:

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Never in 6-4 chords

Never in a 5-3 chord UNLESS:

it is a minor third and it’s your only choice

it is a major third AND the piece is in a minor key, AND it’s part of a V-VI progression.

You may double the Fifth:

In any 5-3 chord

In any 6-3 chord EXCEPT diminished chords (ii° and vii°)

Always in 6-4 chords

Use this table for reference while you’re practising. The greyed out chords are not used in tonal harmony at grade 6.

The chord notes in brackets are OK but try not to use them unless you absolutely have to!

Notes to Double in Major Keys

I ii iii IV V vi vii°
Ia iia iiia IVa Va via vii°a
1, 5 1, 5 (3) 1, 5 (3) 1, 5 1, 5 1, 5 (3) -
Ib iib iiib IVb Vb vib vii°b
1, 3, 5 1, 3, 5 1, 3, 5 1, 3, 5 1, 5 1, 3, 5 3
Ic iic iiic IVc Vc vic vii°c
5 5 5 5 5 5 -

Notes to Double in Minor Keys

i ii° III+ iv V VI vii°

ia ii°a III+a iva Va VIa vii°a
1, 5 (3) - - 1, 5 (3) 1, 5 1, 3, 5 -
ib ii°b III+b ivb Vb VIb vii°b
1, 5 (3) 3 - 1, 5 (3) 1, 5 1, 3, 5 3
ic ii°c III+c ivc Vc VIc vii°c
5 - - 5 5 5 -

Are you thinking –“I’ll never remember all this?”

Don’t worry – it’s a normal reaction! 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:

Feedback

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

3b. Omission

Sometimes it’s ok to leave out the fifth of the triad.

Never leave out a note that is figured. So, if you see “5-3”, you must include the third and the fifth. But if the chord is blank, it

means you can leave out the fifth.

If you see “6-3”, you must include the fifth (it’s the “3” of the 6-3), 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
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4a. Overlap

Don’t let your voice parts overlap. The soprano line 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 a note from time to time.

4b. Range

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 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.

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Last Updated: Saturday, 06 May 2017 13:23

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