Table of Standard Errors
Music Theory 221 - 224
Part One: Truly Egregious Errors To Be Avoided At All Costs
Error | Textbook References | Notes |
Parallel 1, 5, 8 | Pgs 72 – 73 |
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Hidden 5, 8 | Pg 75 | Outer voices only when soprano moves by leap |
Doubled LT |
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Doubled 7th of seventh chord | Pg 92, #7 |
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Missing 3rd |
| In inversions, may be missing 6th or some other element. |
1, 5, 8 by contrary motion | Pg 74 – 75 |
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Misspelled chords; wrong notes |
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Unresolved chords |
| Especially true of dominants that don’t resolve to tonics |
Unresolved LT | Pg 89 | Inner voices may provide some flexibility. |
Misused Chords | Passim | Using a chord in a way that doesn’t work—i.e., a IV43 as a dominant or something equally horrid. |
Part Two: Errors Which Aren’t Egregious But Aren’t Exactly Wonderful Either
Error | Textbook References | Notes |
Spacing | Pg 66, 68 | Not absolutely inflexible, but should generally be respected. |
Overlaps | Pg 76 | Will be considered serious errors if they could have been easily avoided. |
Voice crossing | Pg 76 | Will be considered serious errors if they could have been easily avoided. |
Cross Relations | Pgs 364 – 365, 398 – 400 | These are actually quite egregious, but given they’re difficult to hear sometimes, they’re listed in the ‘lesser evils’ category. |
Part Three: Stuff Which Indicates A Lack Of Taste
Stuff | Textbook References | Notes |
Repeated Chords | Pg 91 | Never from weak to strong beat. |
Leaps | Pg 70 | Especially be careful about “Star Trek” bass lines and such. |
Harmonic rhythm | Passim | Always a tricky subject—listen carefully. |