Understanding types of motion is essential to excellent ensemble singing.
Types of motion long counted among my list of music theory concepts that were important to pass the test but not much beyond. It’s only through my teaching that I’ve found the value of understanding and applying these concepts.
Specifically, understanding how the motion of your part relates to the motion of the other parts is an integral way to make sure your part is being sung accurately. Many young singers default to singing the melody in one of two ways, whether they are meant to be singing the melody or not.
- They sing the melody in their octave instead of their own part.
- They sing the melody (or a diatonic transposition of the melody) starting on their first note.
Reading vertically and understanding how parts relate is a great way for young singers to start to be more exacting and accurate in their singing. And it starts with understanding the four types of motion.
- Parallel – both parts move the same distance in the same direction (chromatically or diatonically).
- Similar – both parts move different distances in the same direction.
- Oblique – one part moves in either direction and the other stays static.
- Contrary – both parts moving in opposite direction (distance doesn’t matter).
I think it’s really helpful to take this away from both staff-based and text-based descriptions; some simple drawings help quite a lot.
Here’s a zoom in on different shapes for what each type of motion might look like:
