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Music Theory

Harmony Exercise 4a

Exercise

These are exercises in four-part harmony (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) in the style taught in Spanish conservatories. In a connection that keeps the common tone, any note that two consecutive chords share stays in the same voice, while the other voices move to the nearest chord tone. This gives smooth voice leading and avoids parallel fifths and octaves.

Connect the following chords keeping the common tone, and name the key in the cases where it can be determined. Each numbered pair is one connection; the sheet gives the bass line with its figures.

Reading the bass figures. This practice uses the Spanish conservatory system of figured bass. A sign alone under a bass note alters the third above it: + means the third is the leading tone (a major third, as in a dominant chord), ♯ raises the third and ♭ lowers it. A number with a sign alters that interval: ♯5 raises the fifth, and ♭5 together with ♭ gives a diminished triad. A bass note with no figure carries the plain chord of the key. The sheet shows only the bass and its figures; you write the three upper voices.

Harmony exercise 4a: bass line with figures for 30 connections

Audio

Proposed solution

Below is one possible solution. In harmony there is no single correct answer: other voicings that follow the rules are just as valid. The bass is shown in blue.

Harmony exercise 4a: proposed four-part solution, bass in blue

Which key does each connection belong to?

Keys

  1. D major
  2. B major or B minor
  3. G minor
  4. D major
  5. A major
  6. E major
  7. D minor
  8. F♯ minor
  9. B♭ major
  10. E minor
  11. C♭ major
  12. G♭ major
  13. F minor
  14. B♭ minor
  15. G minor
  16. E♭ minor
  17. D major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  18. C major
  19. G major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  20. G major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  21. D major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  22. G major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  23. D major
  24. A major
  25. A minor
  26. F♯ minor
  27. C minor
  28. C major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  29. C major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  30. D major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty

Where the answer says “although it cannot be confirmed with certainty”, the two chords fit that key but also other keys, so the key cannot be fixed from this pair alone.

Audio

Next exercise

To keep moving forward in your harmony studies, try the next exercise: Harmony exercise 4b.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chord connection that keeps the common tone?
It means holding in the same voice the note (or notes) that two consecutive chords have in common, while the other voices move as little as possible.
Which voice should hold the common tone?
The voice that already has it in the first chord. If the soprano has G in the first chord and G also belongs to the second chord, the soprano holds that G.
When can you keep a common tone between two chords?
When the two chords share at least one note. In C major, I and IV share C, and I and V share G. Chords with nothing in common, such as IV and V, cannot be connected this way.
What does it mean to name the key of a connection?
It means finding the major or minor key in which both chords make sense, by working out the functions (tonic, subdominant, dominant) they could have there. A single pair of chords often fits more than one key.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Moving the common tone instead of holding it, writing parallel fifths or octaves in the other voices, not resolving the leading tone, and crossing voices without a reason.