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DEFINITIONS OF COUNTERPOINT, VOICE LEADING, PART WRITING
Voice leading refers to continuity in the way the notes of two or more melodic lines progress successively to create harmonic movement—such as the notes of one chord moving (“leading”) to the notes of the next chord. It’s also called part writing because a “voice” is also called a “part,” such as the “guitar part” or the “bass part” or the “lead vocal part.”
Another aspect of voice leading is counterpoint, in which the notes of two or more harmonically related melodic lines (or “voices”) also progress successively, but are heard as independent melodies. J. S. Bach’s fugues, for instance. Or rounds, such as “Row Row Row Your Boat Gently Down the Stream” or “Three Blind Mice” or “Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?).” That’s counterpoint. Voice leading refers to how those various melodic lines behave with respect to each other. For example, if three different melodic lines are moving together, each contributes one note to a continuously changing three-note harmony, but with each voice retaining an individual character.