Smooth voice leading

POLISH SAUSAGE · 10-31-2005, 05:39 PM

As an aspiring jazz guitarist, smooth voice leading is a key to playing well...i guess. Anyways, i am having a brain fart as to what my teacher adn I went over last week, so if any of you have websites/comments about smooth voice leading, especially while playing chords, that would be great.

Ned · 11-04-2005, 03:12 AM

Basic part-writing is four semesters, five days a week--and then there's counterpoint. In other words, voice-leading is not a thing you learn quickly once and for all; it's an art in itself. Ars longa, vita brevis.

Frankenstrat · 11-04-2005, 06:57 PM

Well what I usually do is just take the meldoy and make sure that its the highest or soprano note in my chord.

what · 11-05-2005, 10:37 AM

Basically it's "no leaps" which means that each voice should move in half/whole steps. But there is so much to it that it's pointless explaining over the internet..

darrell · 11-05-2005, 01:31 PM

It's definitely not "no leaps"... It's a balance of leaps and stepwise motion. Not large leaps though... like maybe a fifth or less. There's a lot more that goes into it though.

what · 11-06-2005, 11:32 AM

I said "basically" no leaps...

darrell · 11-10-2005, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by what

I said "basically" no leaps...

Yes, but from that I gather that approx. 19 out of 20 motions should be stepwise, which is not good.

jam9383 · 11-10-2005, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darrell

Yes, but from that I gather that approx. 19 out of 20 motions should be stepwise, which is not good.

whats going on, you pointed out he said no leaps then he pointed he meant some leaps are but now you seem to be giving trouble over him saying leaps were allowed

Ned · 11-11-2005, 01:37 AM

One problem is that we seem to be assuming "smooth" to be synonymous with "good".

Let's suppose we are confronted with a C7 chord going to an F major triad. If we voice the chords (bottom to top) C E G Bb and C F A C, we won't have any leaps but we won't have (what's generally considered to be) good voice-leading either because the seventh will not have been resolved.

what · 11-11-2005, 07:24 PM

Ok, I'm either too sleepy or I'm missing something, but how is the seventh not resolved? Doesn't the Bb go to A?

Ned · 11-12-2005, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by what

Ok, I'm either too sleepy or I'm missing something, but how is the seventh not resolved? Doesn't the Bb go to A?

You're sleepy. No, in this example it goes to C. The fifth of the C7 chord, G, goes to the third of the F chord, A.

what · 11-12-2005, 06:38 PM

yah, yeah, I get it. Sometimes I'm slow. There's 4 voices. gah

10-31-2005, 05:39 PM	#1
POLISH SAUSAGE formerly kielbasa Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 783	Smooth voice leading As an aspiring jazz guitarist, smooth voice leading is a key to playing well...i guess. Anyways, i am having a brain fart as to what my teacher adn I went over last week, so if any of you have websites/comments about smooth voice leading, especially while playing chords, that would be great.

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11-04-2005, 03:12 AM	#2
Ned Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,572	Basic part-writing is four semesters, five days a week--and then there's counterpoint. In other words, voice-leading is not a thing you learn quickly once and for all; it's an art in itself. Ars longa, vita brevis.

11-04-2005, 06:57 PM	#3
Frankenstrat MX Hijacker Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 3,964	Well what I usually do is just take the meldoy and make sure that its the highest or soprano note in my chord.

11-05-2005, 10:37 AM	#4
what fcuking rashan Join Date: May 2004 Location: Russia, St. Petersburg Posts: 5,440	Basically it's "no leaps" which means that each voice should move in half/whole steps. But there is so much to it that it's pointless explaining over the internet..

11-05-2005, 01:31 PM	#5
darrell darrell Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Orange County, NY Posts: 2,084	It's definitely not "no leaps"... It's a balance of leaps and stepwise motion. Not large leaps though... like maybe a fifth or less. There's a lot more that goes into it though.

11-06-2005, 11:32 AM	#6
what fcuking rashan Join Date: May 2004 Location: Russia, St. Petersburg Posts: 5,440	I said "basically" no leaps...

11-11-2005, 01:37 AM	#9
Ned Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,572	One problem is that we seem to be assuming "smooth" to be synonymous with "good". Let's suppose we are confronted with a C7 chord going to an F major triad. If we voice the chords (bottom to top) C E G Bb and C F A C, we won't have any leaps but we won't have (what's generally considered to be) good voice-leading either because the seventh will not have been resolved.

11-11-2005, 07:24 PM	#10
what fcuking rashan Join Date: May 2004 Location: Russia, St. Petersburg Posts: 5,440	Ok, I'm either too sleepy or I'm missing something, but how is the seventh not resolved? Doesn't the Bb go to A?

11-12-2005, 06:38 PM	#12
what fcuking rashan Join Date: May 2004 Location: Russia, St. Petersburg Posts: 5,440	yah, yeah, I get it. Sometimes I'm slow. There's 4 voices. gah