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The way individual voices move from one chord to the next — the horizontal (melodic) aspect of harmonic progression.
Good voice leading means each voice moves smoothly and logically from chord to chord. Rules: keep common tones, move by step where possible, avoid parallel fifths and octaves, resolve leading tones upward and seventh-of-the-chord downward. Bad voice leading makes correct harmonies sound awkward.
Bach's chorales are the definitive study of voice leading — four voices moving smoothly through rich harmonic progressions with minimal leaps.
Voice leading is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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