Chorale Voicing

  • basic chorale-style (SATB) chord voicings will serve as a foundation for additional color
  • they also allow us to evaluate harmonic choices
  • we have soprano and bass; now we just need alto (right thumb) and alto (left thumb)
  • since we have the root already, we will add 3rd and 7th for tenor and alto
  • use 5th if the melody features 3rd or 7th
  • we will start by assuming diatonic chords: all notes in the key
  • if any 3rd, 5th, or 7th conflicts with the melody, adjust it in the chord
  • assign these notes to tenor and alto voices in whatever order makes sense
  • try to keep the tenor and alto lines smooth where possible
  • avoid putting tenor more than an octave below alto
  • move the bass note up or down an octave as needed to make it playable

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