Silent Night
Franz Xaver Gruber (1818). Public domain.
Three chords, yet the blocks move in parallel.
- C
- G
- C
- F
- C
- F
- C
- G
- G7
- C
- G7
- C
Before and after
Every example is the same melody and chords twice: a lead sheet played literally, then voiced by Bock. The melodies are CC0.
Public-domain melodies
Real tunes, out of copyright, with the simple chords you would find in a songbook.
Ode to Joy
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (1824). Public domain.
Two chords, and each inner voice gets its own line.
- D
- A
- D
- A
- D
- A
- D
- A
- D
Amazing Grace
Hymn tune "New Britain" (1829), words by John Newton (1779). Public domain.
The melody stops one seventh from falling. Bock marks the break.
- G
- C
- G
- D
- G
- G7
- C
- G
- D7
- G
Greensleeves
English traditional, 16th century. Public domain.
Bock walks the bass instead of jumping root to root.
- Am
- C
- G
- Em
- Am
- F
- E
- Am
- C
- G
- Em
- Am
- E
- Am
Pop progressions
Loops you have heard a thousand times, the kind no chorale is built on. Bock voices them anyway and counts the few places where a rule has to bend. The melodies are original, written for these demos.
Four-Chord Pop
I–V–vi–IV progression; original melody, CC0.
The "Let It Be" loop, voiced for choir.
- C
- G
- Am
- F
- C
- G
- Am
- F
- C
Chromatic Mediant
I–III–IV–iv progression; original melody, CC0.
Radiohead's "Creep" chords, which Bach would never write.
- G
- B
- C
- Cm
- G
- B
- C
- Cm
- G
Andalusian Cadence
i–VII–VI–V progression; original melody, CC0.
The "Hit the Road Jack" loop, with one parallel fifth left.
- Am
- G
- F
- E
- Am
- G
- F
- E
- Am
Royal Road
IV–V7–iii–vi progression; original melody, CC0.
A J-pop staple. One seventh can't fall, and Bock marks it.
- F
- G7
- Em
- Am
- F
- G7
- C
Figuration, embellishment and ornament
Beyond four plain voices: the chords figured as a cello line, passing notes and suspensions added, the tune decorated with Bach's own figures, or all of it at once.
Figuration: cello
Andalusian Cadence, String Crossing
i–VII–VI–V progression; original melody, CC0.
The chords rocked across the strings, as in Bach's cello suite preludes.
- Am
- G
- F
- E
- Am
- G
- F
- E
- Am
Figuration: cello suite
Four-Chord Pop, Cello Line
I–V–vi–IV progression; original melody, CC0.
Over the figure that opens Bach's first cello suite.
- C
- G
- Am
- F
- C
- G
- Am
- F
- C
Embellishment
Silent Night, Embellished
Franz Xaver Gruber (1818). Public domain.
Passing notes, neighbour notes and a suspension in the lower voices.
- C
- G
- C
- F
- C
- F
- C
- G
- G7
- C
- G7
- C
Ornament
Greensleeves, Decorated
English traditional, 16th century. Public domain.
The tune decorated with figures from Bach's organ chorales.
- Am
- C
- G
- Em
- Am
- F
- E
- Am
- C
- G
- Em
- Am
- E
- Am
Figuration + embellishment + ornament
Amazing Grace, Everything On
Hymn tune "New Britain" (1829), words by John Newton (1779). Public domain.
A walking bass after BWV 147, passing notes, and the tune decorated.
- G
- C
- G
- D
- G
- G7
- C
- G
- D7
- G
Breaks are counted by Bock's independent rule checker across all four voices, the given melody included. Where the chords become a figure, the count is for the four-part voicing it was built from.