This post is one of a 2-part series of free basic music theory lessons on my blog, musictheoryde-mystified.com. You can see the complete list here. Please feel welcome to make a comment or ask a question.
A chord’s inversion is the most significant aspect of chord voicing. However, the pitch order and distribution of the other notes still have some bearing on the chord’s overall sound as well as on how the music flows from one chord to the next.
In many genres, the exact details of chord voicing are left up to the player. To do this well, players should be aware of the effects of different voicing options.
The approach to voicing in the context of a piece is highly dependent on genre and beyond the scope of this beginner course. However, being aware of the parameters goes a long way towards developing a sense of flow in a chord progression.
Inversions are certainly the best place to start: the bass notes of chords are easily felt as a coherent part. When you’re ready, you can add more finesse by tweaking the pitch order of the other chord notes.
Doubling: More Is More
Doubling means to have more than one note of the same name. Usually notes are doubled at a higher or lower octave. If your instrument permits (or if the chord is played by an ensemble) you can also double a note in unison.
Like inversions, doubling a note makes it a more prominent part of the chord, although the effect is less powerful than the chord’s inversion.
- Doubling the root note makes the chord more stable and helps it to represent the key.
- Doubling the 3rd highlights the major or minor tonality.
- Doubling the 5th creates ambiguity, highlighting the potential for a chord change where the 5th becomes the root note of the next chord. This chord change doesn’t need to follow: the sense of ambiguity can also be maintained as part of the chord’s character.
Try This…
The following C major chords are all in root position, with each chord featuring a different doubled note.
- Listen for the root note in each chord and sing or play the root note along with each chord, in an octave you can manage. It’s the same note for all three; the lowest note, C
- Now listen for the strongest note in each chord and sing that note. This time it’s not the same for all three chords. Is it the note that’s doubled?
Doubled, most doubled
If more than one note is doubled, the note with the most representatives, either in other octaves or in unison, will contribute most to the chord’s character.
The Distribution Of Notes In A Chord
Although less significant, there are other factors that affect chord voicing, such as:
- Pitch: is the whole chord high or low?
- Range: does the chord cover several octaves or just one?
- Density: are there close intervals between some chord notes or are all the notes spread apart?
Try This…
If you play a chord instrument, experiment with different ways of playing the same chord. Test out the effects of inversions, doubling and note distribution for yourself.
You can do this on a melody instrument, too.
On a melody instrument you can create an effect similar to a chord by playing an arpeggio, as we saw in B15. The faster the arpeggio is played, the more chord-like the result.
Arpeggios sound even more chord-like if you play in a reverberant room. If you’re amplified, you can add some reverb instead.
Any pitch order within the instrument’s range can be played as an arpeggio, including doubled notes.
Here are a couple of generalised observations you can test…
Low is strong:
- A high chord is weaker than a low chord
- Lowering the bass note by an octave makes a chord stronger
Separation equals clarity:
- The clearest chords have their notes widely spaced in pitch
- Close intervals can clash or muddy the sound, especially at lower octaves (Note: this could be a desired effect. It’s not a critique, just an observation)
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NEXT LESSON: B18. Listen And Sing: Learn To Recognise The Notes Of A Major/Minor Chord
PART 2 CONTENTS: Basic Music Theory Course Contents