Many students begin learning part-writing by voice-leading with root-position dominant and tonic chords. The approaches below apply to both major and minor keys.

Dominant Triad to Tonic Triad

There are two typical approaches for part-writing the dominant triad to the tonic triad.

Approach #1

The leading tone (ti) is a tendency tone that steps up to scale degree 1 (do).
- The leading tone must be raised when in a minor key.
Scale degree 2 (re) steps up to scale degree 3 (mi/me).
Scale degree 5 (sol) stays the same. (It is a common tone, or a note shared between the two chords.)
The bass voice moves from the root of the V chord (sol) to the root of the I chord (do). This motion may be ascending or descending.
The soprano, alto, and tenor voices may be swapped.

Approach #2

Scale degree 2 (re) steps down to scale degree 1 (do).
Scale degree 5 (sol) skips down to scale degree 3 (mi/me).
The leading tone (ti) skips down to scale degree 5 (sol).
- The leading tone must be raised when in a minor key.
- This technique, the leading-tone drop, is only possible if the leading tone is in an inner voice (alto or tenor). Otherwise, the lack of resolution from ti to do is blatant to the listener.
The bass voice moves from the root of the V chord (sol) to the root of the I chord (do). This motion may be ascending or descending.
As long as the leading tone stays in an inner voice, the soprano, alto, and tenor may be swapped.

Dominant Seventh Chord to Tonic Triad

Part-writing the dominant seventh chord to the tonic triad presents a new challenge. The chordal seventh is a tendency tone that must resolve down by step. (This is a rule of thumb that should be followed any time you work with seventh chords.) There are three usual approaches for these two chords.

Approach #1 (Incomplete tonic chord)

The leading tone (ti) steps up to scale degree 1 (do).
- The leading tone must be raised when in a minor key.
Scale degree 2 (re) steps down to scale degree 1 (do).
Scale degree 4 (fa) is the chordal seventh, so it must step down to scale degree 3 (mi/me).
The bass voice moves from the root of the V chord (sol) to the root of the I chord (do). This motion may be ascending or descending.
The soprano, alto, and tenor voices may be swapped.
This approach results in a tonic triad with three roots and a third. The fifth is omitted in this case.

Approach #2 (Incomplete dominant seventh chord)

Rather than starting with a complete V7 (sol-ti-re-fa), start with an incomplete V7 (sol-sol-ti-fa).
- Omitting the fifth (scale degree 2; re) is allowable as long as V7 is in root position.
The leading tone (ti) steps up to scale degree 1 (do).
Scale degree 4 (fa) is the chordal seventh, so it must step down to scale degree 3 (mi/me).
Scale degree 5 (sol) stays the same.
The bass voice moves from the root of the V chord (sol) to the root of the I chord (do). This motion may be ascending or descending.
The soprano, alto, and tenor voices may be swapped.
This approach results in a complete tonic triad with two roots, a third, and a fifth.

Approach #3 (Complete chords with a leading-tone drop)

Start with a complete V7 (sol-ti-re-fa). The leading tone (ti) must be in an inner voice (alto or tenor).
Scale degree 2 (re) steps down to scale degree 1 (do).
Scale degree 4 (fa) is the chordal seventh, so it must step down to scale degree 3 (mi/me).
The leading tone (ti) skips down to scale degree 5 (sol).
- The leading tone must be raised when in a minor key.
The bass voice moves from the root of the V chord (sol) to the root of the I chord (do). This motion may be ascending or descending.
As long as the leading tone stays in an inner voice, the soprano, alto, and tenor may be swapped.
This approach results in a complete tonic triad.