Spacing
The distance between chord tones — wide at the bottom, close at the top
Related
Spacing is the interval distance between adjacent voices. A common principle: the low register can be wide, the high register should be close — low frequencies have long waves and turn muddy when packed together, while high notes blend more easily when close.
It relates to voicing but is not the same: voicing decides whether the whole chord is close or open, spacing decides how far each neighbouring pair sits. The usual mistake is to distribute everything evenly — even spacing often crowds the bass and scatters the top; good spacing has direction.
Read deeper → voicing
Sources
- 声部间距的通行原则，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Voicing" 与配器教材；本文为原创表述
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