When playing piano chords, progressions or songs, the way we transition between chords is incredibly important. For example, if we play are transitioning from a C major chord into an F major chord, there are some beginners who might choose to play this progression with root position chords, like this:
C MAJOR TRIAD (ROOT POSITION)
F MAJOR TRIAD (ROOT POSITION)
But as we progress, we realize that it is possible to get a much smoother sound, if we use good voice leading. For example, we could get a much nicer sound from this if we played a C root position into an F major 2nd inversion. This is because there is one common note PLUS the other two notes are only moving by 2 semitones, which gives that smooth sound.
C MAJOR TRIAD (ROOT POSITION)
F MAJOR TRIAD (2ND INVERSION)
Pro Tip - It is also nice when we create a melody line with top note. In this case, the melody line is G -> A.
Voice Leading Rules - Basic Chords
In the above example, we showed a very simple way that you can achieve good voicing leading when going from C major piano chord into an F major piano chord and let us just add here that once we start to use the various inversions of BOTH chords, there are many different ways that we can achieve good voice leading.
So to help you with this, we will now share some basic rules of voice leading to help you achieve good results. Basically, good voice leading can be achieved when the notes we play between chords don't change by more than 2 semitones AND we have at least one common note between the two chords (sometimes though, a common note is not possible).
When playing chord progressions that have basic chords i.e. major triads, minor triads, major add2 chords, major sus2 chords and major sus4 chords, we are normally able to satisfy these simple voice leading rules and as you start playing around with this, you can start to get a feel for what is good voice leading, and you will get a much smoother sound.
CHORD 1 - A MINOR (ROOT POSITION)
CHORD 2 - F MAJOR (1ST INVERSION)
CHORD 3 - C MAJOR (2ND INVERSION)
CHORD 4 - G SUS4 (ROOT POSITION)
Pro Tip1 - Voice leading typically applies to chords but it is also super important to consider melody lines as well. Pro Tip2 - We can also use a variety of chord fills, to help us transition into chords in a melodically interesting way.
Voice Leading Rules - Chord Extensions
When we start to use different chord extensions (such as major chord extensions & minor chord extensions), voice leading becomes even more important. To help us achieve good voice leading for chord extensions, the first step is to learn some beautiful chord voicings, as this helps to give us more options & added flexibility when we are playing.
When using chord extensions, the same rules of voice leading applies. We firstly want to transition between chords in a way that gives us 1 or more common notes (more than 1 is really good voice leading) and secondly, we want to limit the amount of movement between notes i.e. best below 2 semitones where possible but definitely below 3 semitones.
For example, if we are playing a very common 1-6-4-5 chord progression, in the key of C major, and then we were using chord extensions into this progression, it might look something like this:
Original Progression - C major -> A minor -> F major -> G major With Chord Extensions - C major 9th -> A minor 11th -> F major 7th -> G dominant 11th
And if we wanted to achieve good voice leading with these chord extensions, it might look something like this: *Note that these rules do not need to be applied to 'bass notes' as these will often need to move in line with the progression*
CHORD 1 - C MAJOR 9TH
CHORD 2 - A MINOR 11TH
CHORD 3 - F MAJOR 7TH
CHORD 4 - G DOMINANT 11TH
Pro Tip - When you learn more and more chord voicings, you will not only be able to create very beautiful sounds with these voicings, but they will also give you more options when transitioning between chords.
Voice Leading - Tension Resolutions
For those who are at the intermediate level, you will no doubt be using a series of tension chords (like dominant chords & altered chords) which you are resolving (e.g. to major or minor extensions). This is a very nice approach because the constant ebb and flow of these tension & release chords helps to create an interesting and pleasant sound.
When resolving tension chords, it is very important that we use good voice leading, so that the sounds we are creating have that smooth & sophisticated sound. For example, if we continue on from the previous chord progression example, we have just played a G dominant 11th and we are now looking to resolve this nicely, so we may do something like:
Example 1 - G dominant 11th -> resolves into -> C major 9th Example 2 - G dominant 11th -> resolves into -> A minor 7th
For those who are playing at a beginner level, with basic piano chords like major triads, minor triads, major add2 chords, major sus2 chords and major sus4 chords, then the best way to start achieving good voice leading is to learn your basic inversions and then start practicing with the simple guidelines outlined here on this page. This website offers lots of free information to help you achieve this in a very simple & easy way.
For those who are at an intermediate or advanced level and using a variety of chord extensions, then the best way to achieve good voice leading is to start by learning a variety of beautiful chord voicings as this will help to give you more voice leading options & flexibility. Chord voicings can also help you to create very beautiful sounds, even with very basic chord progressions and they can also help you to resolve tensions chords in very beautiful and sophisticated ways.
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