Quick Win #14

Split the Total Movement Between the Treble and the Bass

Here's a quick summary of the main takeaways from this Quick Win!

  • this technique works best when the interval formula of your chord structure doesn't change; that means that you better stick to major triads only, or minor triads only
  • once you know the total movement of the bass against the treble, you can start splitting this number in all the ways possible
  • example: let's pretend the total movement equals five half-steps; you can split it into 5-0, 4-1, 3-2, 2-3, 1-4, and 0-5 between the treble and the bass

Advice

For quicker results, use parallel voice-leading (that is SVL = substitute voice-leading) first as it shows the exact notes in all voices. You can always use proper VL later to smoothen the parts.