How to Do Voice Leading on the Piano
Voice leading is the art of moving your fingers as little as possible when you change chords on the piano. This makes the music sound smoother and more consistent, and it is also easier to play. Each time you play a chord, you choose the inversion, or which note you play on the bottom, in the middle and on the top. For example, you can play a C major chord as C-E-G, E-G-C or G-C-E. To do voice leading, choose the inversions that keep the notes in the second chord near the notes from the first chord.
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Instructions
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Play the first chord. When you are first learning, don't worry about choosing the best inversion for this chord; as you practice and develop your skill, identifying the suitable inversion will become easy. As a beginner, though, first inversion might be simplest.
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Look at the notes in the second chord to see if any of them were in the first chord as well. If so, keep those fingers where they are to play the second chord. For example, if you started on C major (C-E-G) and are moving to F major (F-A-C), keep your finger on the same C instead of jumping octaves.
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Find notes in the second chord that are near notes from the first chord. For example, moving from C major to F major, A is next to G and F is next to E. Move one finger from the G to the A and the other finger from the E to the F.
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Fill in any remaining notes that require a larger jump. Play the missing notes with whichever fingers can reach them most easily.
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Continue this process for the remaining chords in the piece.
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Tips & Warnings
In voice leading, the specific chord is not as important as the chord number in the key. For example, in the key of C, C is I, F is IV and G is V. As you develop your skill, you will see patterns in chord progressions and be able to voice lead more quickly.
References
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