Rules

Your bass line must not break these basic rules of harmony:

 No consecutive fifths
 No consecutive octaves
 No exposed (or "hidden") fifths or octaves
 No leaps of a diminished or augmented interval
 Second inversion chords can only be used as part of a cadential 6-4 or a passing 6-4

The Rules
1a. NO consecutive 5ths
1b. NO consecutive octaves
1c. NO hidden (or “exposed”) consecutives

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

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.

4a. Never overlap parts.

4b. Stay in the accepted voice ranges and don’t put more than an octave between the upper
voices.

2a. Voice Leading Basics

“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 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, the 4 resolves to 3 and the 6 resolves to 5.
Always choose a semitone step if one is available.
 2b. 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.

2b. Voice Leading - Alto and Tenor

In the alto and tenor parts, you are padding out the chords:
Always choose the nearest 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.

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.

 
3a. Doubling

All four-note chords need to double one note from the triad. But which one?

 Double the Root:

 In any 5-3 chord

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

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 a 5-3 chord UNLESS:
o it is a minor third and it’s your only choice
o it is a major third AND the piece is in a minor key, AND it’s part of a V-VI
progression.

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

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

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:

 diminished chords (ii° and vii°) – ONLY double the third

 chord VI in minor keys CAN double the third
 Vb – CAN’T double the third

Guidelines
You can use either the root or the third of the chord in the bass. This means you can use root
position (a) or first inversion (b) chords.

Root position chords are stronger (more stable) than first inversions, so always use root
position chords at a cadence.

Try to use "contrary motion" in relation to the melody line. That means if the melody line goes
up, then the bass line goes down, and vice versa. Don't worry if you can't always manage
contrary motion, but you should always aim towards it!

How to Choose Chords and Inversions

or "Writing the Bass Line"
Here are the triads in order of how common they are, (e.g. I is the most commonly used chord,
but iii is quite rare), and then the triads which most frequently follow them (e.g. chord iii is
almost always followed by chord vi, but chord I can be followed by any chord at all).

Any chord can also be followed by the same chord, as long as it's in a different inversion. For
example, Ia is often followed by Ib.

Major Key Signatures

I any chord
V I, vi
IV I, V, ii, vi
ii I, V
vi ii, V, IV
viio I
iii vi, IV

 Minor Key Signatures

i V, iv, ii?, VI
V i, VI
iv i, V
iio i, V
VI i, iv, V
viio i
iii+ avoid

viia - not allowed because diminished chords are only normally used in the first inversion, and you may
not double the leading note.

viia - not allowed in root position

Summary
Here are the steps summarized for you:

1. Find key & write triads of scale

2. Write all possible chords under each note
3. Do cadences
4. Pick chords & check as you go along
Harmony
1. No consecutive 5ths or octaves, and also check for “hidden” consecutives.
2. The soprano line should have a nice melody. The alto and tenor lines just fill out the
harmony. No wide leaps, augmented or diminished intervals. Use as little movement as
possible most of the time.
3. Always check you have doubled the right note – usually the root or fifth.
4. Don’t let parts overlap, and make sure they stay in the right range of notes.

Hidden Consecutives.
Recheck the bass and soprano lines together. If the two parts make a 5th or an octave, make sure that it
is approached by contrary motion, OR that the soprano part moves by step. If neither of those two
things are true, you need to re-write.
Look along the soprano and bass lines. If you find a 5th or an octave, check the conditions apply.

 In the Va-VIa progression, if you want to avoid writing a consecutive fifth or octave, you have to
double a major third.

Types of Melodic Decoration

These are the types of melodic decoration or ("non-chord notes") you need to know about for
Grade VI Theory:

 Passing notes (accented, unaccented, chromatic & harmonic)

 Auxiliary notes
 Changing notes
 Anticipations
 Suspensions
 Retardations
 Pedals (tonic & dominant)

Non-chord notes can be either accented or unaccented.

1. Passing Notes

A passing note falls in between two different chord notes. For example, the notes C and E are
both part of the C major chord, so they are both chord notes. They are a third apart. The D
(marked *) falls between them, so it is a passing note.

Passing notes can be harmonic or chromatic.

Harmonic passing notes are notes that naturally occur in the key of the piece, like in the
previous example. They usually happen when the two chord notes are a third (major or minor)
apart.

Chromatic passing notes have an accidental added because they don't occur naturally in the
key of the piece. For example, this passing note is C# - it falls between the two chord notes C
and D. Chromatic passing notes usually happen when the two chord notes are a major second
apart.

2. Auxiliary Notes (also called "Neighbour Notes")

An auxiliary note falls between two chord notes which are the same. It can be higher or lower
than the chord note, and it can be chromatically altered (have an accidental).

Auxiliary notes can be either accented or unaccented, just like passing notes.

3. Changing Notes (Cambiata & Echapee)

There are two types of changing note.

The first type falls between two notes which are often a fourth apart:

Look at the soprano line. The notes G-D are a fourth apart, and the changing note, F, falls
between them. It's not a passing note, because passing notes always move by step. This kind of
changing note is also called the cambiata.

The cambiata moves down by step (from G-F), then falls by a third in the same direction (F-D).
The next note (E) is then a step upwards (D-E). This kind of decoration was more common in
Renaissance music (1400-1600).

Try to learn it as down 2nd, down 3rd, up 2nd.

Look at the soprano line. B and G are chord notes. The D is the changing note. This kind of
changing note is also called the Echapee.

The Echapee moves by step in one direction (B-C) and then by a leap in the opposite direction
(C-G), or vice-versa.

Try to learn it as step one way, leap the other. This kind of decoration was more common in
Baroque music (1600-1750).

4. Anticipations

An anticipation happens when we write a chord note earlier than expected - in the beat before
the rest of the chord sounds. Here, the B is part of the G major chord. The G major chord is
sounded on the 2nd beat, but the B is sounded earlier, on the half beat before, so it is an
anticipation. Anticpations resolve downwards (e.g the C falls to B).

5. Suspensions

Suspensions are the opposite of anticipations. A suspension happens when we write a chord
note later than expected - during the beat after the rest of the chord sounds. In this example,
the B doesn't sound immediately with the rest of the G major chord - instead, the C from the C
major chord is held on for a little longer, and then falls to the B half a beat after the G major
chord has sounded. The C is not part of the G major chord, so it is a non-chord note. The C is a
suspension.

6. Retardations

Retardations are a type of suspension. In the example of a suspension above, the C resolved
downwards to B. In a retardation, the non-chord note resolves upwards.

7. Pedals

A pedal is when either the tonic or dominant note is played continuously, while the chords in
the other voices change. Pedals normally occur in the bass, (but it is possible to find them in
any of the other voices too). The pedal note is either held on for a long time, or repeated
several times.

Pedals which happen in the melody line are called "inverted" pedals.