Close Position
Chord tones packed into a narrow register — focused and thick
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Close position packs a chord's notes into a narrow register: the top voice and the inner parts lie within an octave, giving a focused, thick, pressing sound. It is common in the piano's middle register, in choral writing and in brass harmony.
It contrasts with open position: close voicing blends the chord's colour, open voicing makes each note more independent. The usual mistake is to think close position is easier — when notes are packed together, one wrong note or a voice crossing is immediately audible, so control matters more.
Read deeper → voicing
Sources
- 密集排列与开放排列的对比，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Voicing"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.