Voice Leading and Chord Progressions Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Voice Leading and Chord Progressions distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/voice-leading-progressions/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Four-Part Voice Leading (SATB)

Writing for four voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) following rules that ensure smooth melodic motion in each part while maintaining proper harmonic intervals. Rules include avoiding parallel fifths and octaves, resolving leading tones upward, and keeping voices within their proper ranges.

Cadence Types

Cadences are harmonic formulas that punctuate the end of phrases. Authentic cadences (V-I or V7-I) provide strong closure. Half cadences (ending on V) feel incomplete. Plagal cadences (IV-I) provide gentle closure. Deceptive cadences (V-vi) surprise the listener by resolving to vi instead of I.

Phrase Structure: Periods and Sentences

A phrase is a musical unit that ends with a cadence. A period consists of two phrases where the first (antecedent) ends with a weaker cadence and the second (consequent) ends with a stronger cadence. A sentence typically has a 2+2+4 bar structure with a basic idea, repetition, and continuation.

Non-Chord Tones

Notes that are not members of the prevailing chord but provide melodic interest and embellishment. Types include passing tones (stepwise between chord tones), neighbor tones (step away and back), suspensions (held over and resolved down), appoggiaturas (approached by leap, resolved by step), and escape tones (approached by step, left by leap).

Secondary Dominants

A secondary dominant is a chord that functions as the dominant (V) of a diatonic chord other than the tonic. It temporarily tonicizes that chord by applying chromatic alteration. Written as V/x where x is the chord being tonicized.

Tonicization vs. Modulation

Tonicization is a brief, temporary emphasis on a non-tonic chord using a secondary dominant, lasting only a beat or two. Modulation is a more permanent key change that establishes a new tonic through a cadence in the new key.

Modal Mixture (Borrowed Chords)

Modal mixture involves borrowing chords from the parallel major or minor key. In a major key, the most common borrowed chords come from the parallel minor: bVI, bVII, iv, and ii-dim. These add color and emotional depth without fully modulating.

Neapolitan and Augmented Sixth Chords

The Neapolitan chord (N6 or bII6) is a major triad built on the lowered second degree, typically in first inversion, functioning as a predominant. Augmented sixth chords (Italian, French, German) contain an augmented sixth interval that resolves outward to the dominant.

Key Terms at a Glance

Voice Leading:The art of moving individual melodic lines (voices) smoothly from one chord to the next, minimizing leaps and avoiding forbidden parallels.

SATB:Four-part writing for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass voices, the standard texture for chorale-style voice leading.

Parallel Fifths:Two voices moving in the same direction while both maintaining a perfect fifth apart. Forbidden in traditional four-part writing.

Parallel Octaves:Two voices moving in the same direction while both maintaining a perfect octave apart. Forbidden because it reduces voice independence.

Direct Fifths/Octaves:Two voices arriving at a perfect fifth or octave through similar motion, especially with the soprano leaping. Generally avoided between outer voices.

Authentic Cadence:A V-I or V7-I progression at the end of a phrase. Perfect authentic (PAC) requires root position and tonic in soprano; imperfect authentic (IAC) lacks one condition.

Half Cadence:A phrase ending on the dominant (V) chord, creating an incomplete or open sound.

Deceptive Cadence:A V-vi progression that surprises the listener by resolving to vi instead of the expected I.

Plagal Cadence:A IV-I progression often called the Amen cadence. Provides gentle, hymn-like closure.

Passing Tone:A non-chord tone that moves by step between two chord tones in the same direction, filling a melodic gap.

Neighbor Tone:A non-chord tone that steps away from a chord tone (upper or lower) and returns to it by step.

Suspension:A non-chord tone that is prepared (consonant), held over (suspended as dissonance), then resolved downward by step.

Appoggiatura:A non-chord tone approached by leap and resolved by step, typically accented on a strong beat.

Escape Tone:A non-chord tone approached by step and left by leap in the opposite direction.

Anticipation:A non-chord tone that sounds a note of the upcoming chord before that chord arrives, typically unaccented.

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