21.3 · Inversions

Voice leading

Stop thinking "chord, then chord." Think three or four voices, each singing its own line, and give every voice one rule: move the shortest distance. Hold what you can, step where you must. That single rule is why smooth playing sounds smooth.

Leaping vs. gliding

C, F, G, C twice. First everything in root position: the whole stack leaps in parallel. Then voice-led: the same four chords, but each voice holds or steps. Watch the keyboard: the second version barely moves.

Why the ii V I melts

The jazz cadence is the rule at its best. Voice-led, Dm7 to G7 keeps two notes and steps two; G7 to Cmaj7 keeps one and steps the rest. Nothing leaps, so tension resolves like ice melting instead of furniture moving.

The recipe in words: keep the common tones, move everything else by step, and let inversions fall where they land. Slash chords are how you write the result down.

Quiz

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Voice leading's one rule is…

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