Writing in four parts

Four voices

At Grade 6 every chord is written with four notes, as if for four singers: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. A triad has only three notes, so one of them is doubled: it appears in two voices. Which one to double is unit 2.

• Soprano and alto share the treble stave; tenor and bass share the bass stave.
• Each voice has its own stems: soprano and tenor up, alto and bass down. That way you can follow each line.

Why four separate lines? Because each one should be singable on its own. Most of the rules you will learn are about keeping four independent, comfortable lines.