{"id":692,"date":"2019-04-13T13:04:33","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T17:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/?page_id=692"},"modified":"2022-08-24T15:52:57","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T19:52:57","slug":"how-to-part-write","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/teaching\/music-theory\/tonal-harmony-part-writing-rules-and-procedures\/how-to-part-write\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Part Write"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Guidelines for Completing Part-Writing Assignments<\/h2>\n<h3>Step-by-step Procedure<\/h3>\n<ol type=\"1\">\n<li>Analyze the chord progression first.\n<ul>\n<li><a name=\"chapter9\"><\/a>If you must realize a <a href=\"https:\/\/robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/figured-bass\/\">figured bass<\/a>:\n<ul>\n<li>Determine the root and quality of each chord.<\/li>\n<li>Do not change the figures. (If a bass note has no figure, you must write a root position triad above it.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a name=\"chapter11\"><\/a>If you must harmonize a melody:\n<ul>\n<li>For each melody note, determine the chords for which the melody note is the root, 3rd, 5th, (and 7th).<\/li>\n<li>Choose a chord that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/PartWritingByFunction.pdf\">creates a strong progression<\/a> from the previous chord, or takes part in an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/tonalidioms.htm\">idiomatic tonal figure<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a bass line that fits the chords and proceeds by contrary motion and\/or parallel tenths with the soprano. (Also make the bass leap from root to root at cadence points.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>If you must realize an <a href=\"https:\/\/robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/figured-bass\/#unfigured\">unfigured bass<\/a>:\n<ul>\n<li>Determine all of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/scaledegrharm.htm\">chord possibilities for each bass note<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Decide which chord to use from the bass motion, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/tonalidioms.htm\">idioms<\/a>, and cadence points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a name=\"chapter7\"><\/a>Fill in all four voices of the first chord.\n<ul>\n<li>Follow these spacing restrictions:\n<ul>\n<li>S and A can be up to an octave apart<\/li>\n<li>A and T can also be up to an octave apart<\/li>\n<li>The space between T and B does not matter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Keep each part within its vocal range:\n<ul>\n<li>S = C4 &#8211; G5<\/li>\n<li>A = F3 &#8211; C5<\/li>\n<li>T = C3 &#8211; G4<\/li>\n<li>B = F2 &#8211; C4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Decide which note to double:\n<ul>\n<li>Double the root<\/li>\n<li>Never double tendency tones (leading tones and chordal sevenths)<\/li>\n<li>You may have to revise the doubling after writing the next chord<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Look ahead:\n<ul>\n<li>If the bass ends significantly higher than where it begins, make sure that the tenor begins above the ending bass note.<\/li>\n<li>If the bass ends significantly lower than where it begins, consider starting in open spacing with a tenor starting note close to the bass.<\/li>\n<li>Even with this strategy, you may still encounter voice collisions later and have to revise the first chord.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a name=\"chapter8\"><\/a>Fill in all four voices of the next chord.\n<ul>\n<li>Keep all common tones in the same voice, when possible<\/li>\n<li>Resolve all tendency tones properly (leading tones up by step and chordal sevenths down by step)<\/li>\n<li>Other voices move by step, when possible<\/li>\n<li>Follow the spacing restrictions<\/li>\n<li>Keep each part within its vocal range<\/li>\n<li>Decide which note to double\n<ul>\n<li>Double the root when possible<\/li>\n<li>Never double tendency tones (leading tones and chordal sevenths)<\/li>\n<li>Always double the <i>bass<\/i> note of second inversion triads and diminished triads (which you may use <i>only<\/i> in first inversion)<\/li>\n<li>Double the 5th or 3rd if doubling the root causes unavoidable parallel octaves or fifths<\/li>\n<li>Occasionally you should leave the 5th (but <i>never<\/i> the root or 3rd) out of the chord entirely, because of voice leading considerations.<\/li>\n<li>In order to create the most smoothness in a progression, you may sometimes double the 5th or 3rd if it produces better stepwise voice leading. But make sure that the doubling doesn&#8217;t create parallel octaves or fifths or doubled tendency tones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Double-check for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/partwritingnotations.htm\">part-writing errors<\/a> between the previous chord and the current chord\n<ul>\n<li>Confirm that all tendency tones resolve properly (leading tones up, sevenths down)<\/li>\n<li>Check for parallel and consecutive octaves and unisons between SA, ST, SB, AT, AB, and TB<\/li>\n<li>Look for parallel and consecutive fifths between all voices (P8, P5)<\/li>\n<li>See if you have crossed or overlapped voices (especially between T and A) (VC, VO)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the exercise is complete.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Hints<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Label <i>everything<\/i>: The key of the exercise, Roman numerals, completely figured bass, cadence types, harmonic functions, 6\/4 chord types, non-chord tones, suspension types, and reasons for irregular doubling, not resolving leading tone properly, incomplete chords, not holding common tones, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Complete the assignment on the day that the part-writing exercise is <i>assigned<\/i>.<\/li>\n<li>On the evening before or the morning of the due date, review your work and thoroughly check for part-writing errors that you might have overlooked. Don&#8217;t be afraid to rewrite some of the assignment.<\/li>\n<li>Also see the following helpful charts:\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/PartWritingByFunction.pdf\">Paradigms of Tonal Progression<\/a> (How to avoid writing weak progressions)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/scaledegrharm.htm\">Scale Degrees and the Harmonies they can Support<\/a> (for help in figuring out an unfigured bass and\/or soprano)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.robertkelleyphd.com\/home\/tonalidioms.htm\">Tonal Idioms<\/a> (Chord patterns that will always work)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\namzn_assoc_tracking_id = \"contrapunctus-20\";\namzn_assoc_ad_mode = \"manual\";\namzn_assoc_ad_type = \"smart\";\namzn_assoc_marketplace = \"amazon\";\namzn_assoc_region = \"US\";\namzn_assoc_design = \"enhanced_links\";\namzn_assoc_asins = \"1093961554\";\namzn_assoc_placement = \"adunit\";\namzn_assoc_linkid = \"954bc8d62a798d71d8982119087fccc8\";\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"\/\/z-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/onejs?MarketPlace=US\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div id=\"amzn-assoc-ad-63bf1251-e122-4513-ae79-e6071d6bf94b\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/z-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/onejs?MarketPlace=US&#038;adInstanceId=63bf1251-e122-4513-ae79-e6071d6bf94b\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Guidelines for Completing Part-Writing Assignments Step-by-step Procedure Analyze the chord progression first. If you must realize a figured bass: Determine the root and quality of each chord. Do not change the figures. (If a bass note has no figure, you must write a root position triad above it.) If you must harmonize a melody: For [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":363,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-692","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Part Write &#8211;<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Procedure for tonal part writing in four-part SATB chorale style, either from Roman numerals, a figured or unfigured bass, or a melody. 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