Voice Leading
The horizontal motion of individual voices from one chord to the next
Related
Voice leading is the horizontal motion of the individual parts from one chord to the next. It asks whether common tones are held, steps preferred, leaps balanced by contrary motion, and tendency tones resolved. The same labels can sound completely different under different voice leading.
Traditional rules forbid parallel fifths and octaves and restrict hidden ones between the outer parts, to keep the voices independent. Inversion and doubling are often decided by voice leading rather than by the chord itself, which is why one chord may be written differently in different contexts.
Voice leading is more than "what sounds smooth". It explains why some connections work and others do not. Free textures and popular music have voice leading too, with looser rules. Drawing a line for each part reveals parallels and awkward leaps that chord symbols conceal.
Sources
- 定义、禁则与转位选择参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Voice leading"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.