Contrary motion
Contrary motion is the case in which two voices move in opposite directions: one rises, the other falls. It keeps the voices independent and counts as the clearest way of leading two lines.
- Latin
- motus contrarius
- Meaning
- one voice rises, the other falls
- Counterparts
- oblique motion, similar motion (with parallel motion as a special case)
- Advantage
- preserves the independence of the voices
One rises, the other falls
In the teaching of voice leading one distinguishes how two voices move from one sonority to the next. In contrary motion they go in opposite directions. The Latin word is “motus contrarius”. The two other basic kinds are oblique motion, in which one voice stays put, and similar motion, in which both go in the same direction.
Apart: the voices open out
Two voices begin an octave apart on C. The upper rises (C–D–E–G), the lower falls (C–B–A–G). The distance grows from the octave via the tenth and the twelfth to two octaves. Read from right to left the voices close again.
Sixth-to-octave close
A classic closing formula: the major sixth D–B opens in contrary motion to the octave C–C. The upper voice pulls up with the leading tone B, the lower goes a step down.
Why contrary motion is so valued
The most important reason is the independence of the voices. If one rises and the other falls, you hear both as lines of their own. If they move in the same direction at the same time, they fuse more easily into one sound. That is why voice-leading theory prefers contrary motion where two voices of equal standing are concerned.
A practical advantage: in contrary motion parallel fifths are ruled out, since a parallel presupposes that both voices go in the same direction. If you are unsure whether a sequence contains parallels, you can simply lead one of the voices in the opposite direction.
Contrary motion in everyday music
The sixth-to-octave close shows a place where you meet contrary motion constantly: at the close. The leading tone rises, the lower voice falls a step, the sixth becomes the octave. In piano pieces too the hands often run outwards, away from the middle, or together towards the middle. That produces the movement of “opening and closing” that you hear in runs and closing formulas.
Common mistakes
- Confusing contrary motion with contrast: only the direction of the voices is meant, not their character.
- Speaking of contrary motion in oblique motion too: if one voice stays put, it is oblique motion.
- Orienting all voice leading by it: similar motion too is allowed and often beautiful. It is certain parallels that are restricted, not the direction itself.
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Related terms
Oblique motionSimilar motionParallel motionParallel fifthsVoice crossingOctaveCounterpoint
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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