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Music Theory

Harmony Exercise 5a

Exercise

In this series, a connection without a common tone is one in which you do not hold the note shared by the two chords. Instead, all three upper voices move, usually in contrary motion to the bass, to the nearest note of the next chord. In this practice the bass moves by a 3rd or a 4th, up or down. (Strictly speaking, chords whose roots are a 3rd or 4th apart do share notes, so the task is to write the connection without keeping them. When two chords truly have nothing in common, as with roots a step apart, contrary motion against the bass is the standard way to connect them.)

Connect the following chords without keeping common tones, and name the key in the cases where it can be determined.

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 5a: bass line with figures for 12 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 5a: proposed four-part solution, bass in blue

Which key does each connection belong to?

Keys

  1. F major
  2. E minor
  3. C major
  4. A minor, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  5. D minor
  6. B minor
  7. C major
  8. D major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  9. C♯ minor, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  10. B minor, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  11. C major, although it cannot be confirmed with certainty
  12. 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 5b.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a connection without a common tone?
It is a connection in which the shared note is not held: all three upper voices move, normally in contrary motion to the bass, so each voice travels to the nearest note of the new chord.
Why does the bass move by a 3rd or a 4th?
Those are the bass motions this exercise practices. Chords whose roots are a 3rd or 4th apart do share one or two notes, but here you deliberately do not keep them. This forces you to control the upper voices by contrary motion.
Why use contrary motion against the bass?
When the upper voices move the opposite way from the bass, parallel fifths and octaves are easy to avoid and the four parts stay independent.
How do you decide the key of a connection?
Find the major or minor key in which both chords have a clear function, such as tonic, subdominant or dominant. With only two chords the answer is often uncertain, and in that case you say so.
Is there one correct solution?
No. Any solution that follows the voice-leading rules and sounds good is valid. The solution shown is only one option.