Western Music Theory II:

Final Exam Preparation

Dr. James OgburnWednesday, 11 February 2015

Thursday, 19 February 15-17:00 Room A212

Final Exam Time & Place

Keep the common tone between chords

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Keep the common tone between chords Move the shortest distance within individual

voices

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Keep the common tone between chords Move the shortest distance within individual

voices Preferred doubling: 1) root, 2) fifth, 3) third

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Keep the common tone between chords Move the shortest distance within individual

voices Preferred doubling: 1) root, 2) fifth, 3) third Don’t double two different notes of the

chord

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Keep the common tone between chords Move the shortest distance within individual

voices Preferred doubling: 1) root, 2) fifth, 3) third Don’t double two different notes of the

chord Follow leaps larger than a third with

stepwise motion in the opposite direction

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Keep the common tone between chords Move the shortest distance within individual

voices Preferred doubling: 1) root, 2) fifth, 3) third Don’t double two different notes of the

chord Follow leaps larger than a third with

stepwise motion in the opposite direction Avoid leaps larger than a perfect fifth

Voice-Leading:Basic Principles

Resolve the leading tone up by step

Voice-Leading: Specific Considerations

Resolve the leading tone up by step Leading tone may resolve down in an inner

part, in the middle of a phrase

Voice-Leading: Specific Considerations

Resolve the leading tone up by step Leading tone may resolve down in an inner

part, in the middle of a phrase Resolve chord seventh down by step

Voice-Leading: Specific Considerations

Resolve the leading tone up by step Leading tone may resolve down in an inner

part, in the middle of a phrase Resolve chord seventh down by step Avoid dissonant leaps

Voice-Leading: Specific Considerations

Resolve the leading tone up by step Leading tone may resolve down in an inner

part, in the middle of a phrase Resolve chord seventh down by step Avoid dissonant leaps Avoid parallel fifths and octaves

Voice-Leading: Specific Considerations

Figured Bass

Step 1: Key and Roman Numerals

Step 2: Cadence

1. Resolve Leading tone2. Resolve Chord seventh3. Tripled Root Preferred

Step 3: Approach to CadenceCadential 6/4

Resolve all voices down(if no V7, keep common tone)

Step 4: Special Voice-LeadingSequential Progression with 7th

Chords1. For Root Position 7th chords in the sequential progression, alternate complete and incomplete (doubled root) chords for the smoothest voice-leading.

Step 4: Special Voice-LeadingSequential Progression with 7th

Chords2. Keep the common tone between chords.

Step 4: Special Voice-LeadingSequential Progression with 7th

Chords3. Resolve other voices down by step. This will involve the correct resolution of chord sevenths

Step 5: Special Voice-LeadingDeceptive Progression

1. Resolve the Leading Tone

Step 5: Special Voice-LeadingDeceptive Progression

2. Resolve other voices down by the shortest distance

Step 6: Complete the Voice-Leading

1. Keep the common tone between chords.

Step 6: Complete the Voice-Leading

2. Move other voices by the shortest distance.

Step 7: Look

Visually check for dissonant leaps, parallelism, doubling problems, large leaps...

Step 8: ListenPlay it and listen for voice-leading errors...