From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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Voice leading one note between triads

Voice leading one note between triads

From the course: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals

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Voice leading one note between triads

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- Now that I've discussed why voice leading is important, let's put it into action. I think the best way to start is by taking the seven major scale triads and seeing what other chords we can create by voice leading a single note. There are countless songs that use this technique. How many times have you heard this type of descending motion on a piano? (gentle piano notes) I can hear both Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in that progression. Or perhaps something with more of an up and down feel. (upbeat piano notes) There are a thousand songs that use that progression. Nat King Cole's rendition of "L-O-V-E" is one that comes to mind. Voice leading is not only a way of transitioning between chords smoothly and efficiently. It's a songwriting technique as well. To demonstrate this concept further, I'll show you a few chord transitions you can make by moving a single note. Let's…

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