Close position
Chord tones set as close together as possible.
What it means
One speaks of close position when the upper voices of a chord lie as close together as possible, so that there would be no room for a chord tone between them. In four-part writing this concerns the three upper voices; the bass is unaffected by it and can lie at any distance below. The counterpart is open position, in which chord tones are left out between the upper voices.
Musical use
Both positions have their advantages. Close position sounds closed and compact, can be grasped with one hand on the piano, and suits accompaniments and exercises in writing at the instrument. Open position sounds more open and fuller, distributes the voices more evenly across the tonal space, and corresponds more to the natural range of a choir.
Tonally, the choice is especially important in a low register. Closely spaced thirds in the low register sound murky and blurred, because the partials of the notes involved lie close together and interfere; the same notes in open position stay clear. That is why the rule of thumb is to set larger distances toward the bottom and smaller ones toward the top — a distribution that corresponds to the harmonic series.
In the study of composition it also holds that the distance between neighbouring upper voices should not exceed an octave, whereas larger distances are admissible between tenor and bass.
In jazz, close position in connection with block chords led in parallel designates a compositional technique of its own.
Whether a chord is in close or open position is decided by the three upper voices: if they lie as close together as possible, one speaks of close position; if there is room between them for a chord tone, of open position. The bass is not taken into account. In piano writing, close position is the natural grip for the right hand; in choral writing it is used above all in high registers.
Performance practice
If a low texture sounds murky, check the spacing — often it suffices to put one note an octave higher. With accompaniments on the piano, close position helps because the hand hardly has to move. And, when arranging, choose the spacing deliberately according to the sound you want to achieve.