Colin's Teaching Resources

This page was last edited on 13/08/05

Four Part Harmony

Before we begin!

There are several books which deal with the basics of four part harmony. I shall not dwell on every small point so do not expect this page to be comprehensive. If you need to know more about the basics try Ricci Adams' site, Teoria, the Tonality Guide or HERE. You could also get hold of a copy of Lovelock "First Year Harmony" or similar; the Associated Board produce a set of theory books.

This page assumes you want to write 4 part harmony (working towards the style of Bach) for 4 voices S.A.T.B. If you are confused already don't bother to read on.

When you see this bullet there is a task to try (if you want to)

If you have completed AS level then what follows will be easy and you could regard it as revision. A useful (if incomplete) summary of points you should know about is here. When you have completed AS level (Edexcel) you ought to know how to approach harmony, and the order in which you need to do things. Check that you DO know this by going here.

Spacing Chords

You will need to know the vocal ranges in order to be able to write harmony for voices. Here are some working suggestions:

If you cannot space chords correctly then you are wasting your time.

Try my Hot Potato test on chord spacing to see if you understand this aspect of writing harmony.

ROOT POSITION Primary Triads and the Secondary Triads II & VI

Try some of the links listed above to get you started.

You need to know how to form the Primary Triads (I, IV & V) and the secondary triad VI in both major and minor keys.

You need to know how to form the secondary triad II (Supertonic) in major keys only as it is not used in ROOT position in minor keys as far as you are concerned at present.

You also need to be able to space the above chords correctly and be able to think of alternative spacings.

Basically you need to remember not to double the 3rd of a chord. You CAN leave out the 5th, but it is best not to do so unless you really have to.

You should be able to form cadences using root position chords.

You should understand how to check for consecutive octaves and fifths and how to avoid them. Being able to think of alternative spacings quickly will help.

For example, the following cadence has consecutive 5ths between the Alto and Bass. This is because the Alto moves and it need not do so. If it had stayed on a G all would be well.

Try the Hot Potato test on this topic to see if you can spot consecutives in progression involving two chords.

The next test helps you find out if you know how to move from one chord to another. You will select the best chord from a set of three.
EXAMPLE: Which chord completes a perfect cadence in E major? Well the answer is chord 2. From the given chord [on the left of the thick line] to chord 1, there are consecutive octaves between Alto and Bass. Were chord 3 to be chosen there would be consecutive 'octaves' between T & B.
Now take the Hot Potato test!