Week 2: Horizontal and Vertical Voicing

Welcome to Week 2!

This week, you’ll choose a new piece and focus on horizontal voicing, line, and texture. Use the daily practice activities to work systematically through the chords in your chosen piece.

Listen along with a strong reference recording. Track your progress daily, and feel free to upload short videos of your work. Questions about voicing, technique, or texture are always welcome.

Jarred is here to help you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8KGTUHuOHo

Week 2 Repertoire

Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I

• Fugue in E-flat minor

• Fugue in B-flat minor

Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II

• Fugue in F minor

• Fugue in A-flat Major

English Suites

• English Suite No. 2 — Prelude

• English Suite No. 3 — Allemande

Partitas

• Partita No. 1 — Prelude, Allemande

• Partita No. 2 — Sinfonia (especially mm. 1–29)

• Partita No. 4 — Overture (from m. 18), Allemande

• Partita No. 5 — Praeambulum

Italian Concerto

• Second or Third Movement

Practice Habits

Five basic horizontal voicing habits

(to be mastered first, without ornaments)

1. Long tones
   Identify 1-beat chords or longer and create a line using the numbers game
   (connect high-percentage notes; see video example).
   Play all notes solo.

2. Harmonic outline
   Add remaining chord tones and play the harmonic framework.
   Sing the bass line in summary.
   Ignore decorative notes. Listen.

3. Line awareness
   Study melodic patterns and voices.
   Identify structural vs. decorative notes. Listen.

4. Chords first, lines second
   Build thick texture first, then set the lighter part atop, beneath, or within it.
   Build walls before painting and decorating them. Listen.

5. Oblique motion
   Horizontal timing challenges arise when one voice sustains.
   Ensure all voices remain related.
   Listen to the longer tone before moving a nearby voice.

Five horizontal voicing habits

(after the above are mastered, ornaments included)

1. Sing bass or tenor while playing soprano and alto.

2. Play in character (e.g., French Overture rhythm, pulse, notes inégales).

3. Notice when an unexpected voice or note of an arpeggiated chord initiates the next line.
   Listen to all notes for harmonic color, leading voices, and overlaps to plan timing.

4. Study imitations across registers.
   Identify imitated figures (inversions, transpositions).
   Label them (x, y, etc.) to track changes.

5. Create a focal point where notes accumulate (Baroque crescendo).
   Don’t force it.