Lesson 6 is now published: the harmonic vocal quartet

Yesterday I told you that Lesson 6 was under construction. Today it is finished: Lesson 6 of the Harmony Course is published in English and Spanish, with its video.

Four voices, each on its own staff

This lesson takes us into four-part writing. We learn to distribute the notes of a chord among soprano, alto, tenor and bass, the harmonic vocal quartet. We don't move the voices from one chord to the next yet; first we learn to build each chord well.

In the original course we wrote the quartet on a piano score, with opposite stems. In the sequencer's SATB mode each voice has its own staff, which makes it much easier to read.

What you will learn

• Vocal ranges: the lowest and highest note of each voice.
• The maximum spacing between neighboring voices, and why they must not cross.
• Doublings and omissions in major, minor, diminished and augmented chords, and why the leading tone is never doubled.
• Chord states: root position, 6/3 and 6/4.
• Melodic position: the octave, the third or the fifth, depending on the note the soprano sings.
• Internal spacing: close or open.

The assignment, reviewed in four parts

The assignment is to write the seven chords of a major scale, in the key of your choice and in any order, one chord per measure, in four parts. For the first time, the Virtual Teacher reviews a four-part exercise: it recognizes the key and the degrees, checks ranges, spacing, voice crossings, doublings and note spelling, and explains every error.

It also describes each chord: its state, its melodic position and its spacing. That way you can check that you wrote exactly what you meant to write.

What comes next

Now we know how to build a chord in four parts. Next we move the voices: Lesson 7, on melodic and harmonic motion, is already under construction. There we will see which intervals each voice may sing when moving from one chord to the next, and why we avoid parallel fifths and octaves.

If you have questions or comments about the lessons, write to me from the contact page.

Luis Cárdenas