SinSheet | SFCM

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
Hidden 5, 8	Pg 75	Outer voices only when soprano moves by leap
Doubled LT
Doubled 7^th of seventh chord	Pg 92, #7
Missing 3^rd		In inversions, may be missing 6^th or some other element.
1, 5, 8 by contrary motion	Pg 74 – 75
Misspelled chords; wrong notes
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.