Part writing question.

If one were to go say from an open a minor chord (root, fifth, octave, tenth) to an open d minor chord (root, fifth, octave, tenth)

Would this contain a parallel fifth and a parallel octave, and would it be considered incorrect?

What about in the context of accompaniment?

In the end, I choose what is correct and what is incorrect for my own music, I am just wondering what traditional part writing rules would say to this practice.

Like this?

If you're moving upwards, like in this example, it only moves in parallell fourths. I often use this site for help. It says:

Parallel motion by thirds, fourths and sixths is acceptable and often desirable, however, two voices should not move in parallel motion for several beats in succession

In other words, the motion should be acceptable.

Like this?

If you're moving upwards, like in this example, it only moves in parallell fourths. I often use this site for help. It says:

In other words, the motion should be acceptable.

Isn't there a parallel fifth, a parallel fourth, a parallel octave, and a parallel tenth?

Isn't there a parallel fifth, a parallel fourth, a parallel octave, and a parallel tenth?

Yes. Eirik's misconception is a common one. It is not the interval of motion (in his example, the parts all move up a fourth), but the beginning and ending intervals between two voices that determines parallel motion, illegal or otherwise. In the example he gives, the bottom two voices begin a perfect fifth apart, and after moving end a perfect fifth apart, and it wouldn't matter whether they moved a minor second or a major seventh - it's still parallel fifths.

Here, say I am playing an arpeggiated bass in the left hand (something I love to over indulge in...but hey I'm an amateur).

I'll use a minor for simplicity (I play in all 24 keys but that's beside the point):

Say the two chords I want to move between are A minor and D minor.

If I play root, fifth, octave, tenth for the A minor chord, and then root, fifth, octave, tenth for the D minor chord, I have commited a parallel fifth and that is bad.

How about if I play root, fifth, octave tenth on the A minor chord, then move the bass up to the third of the A minor chord, and THEN play a D minor chord? I'd be moving from a 6-3 chord to one in root position. Or better yet, go up to the third of A minor in the bass, and then sharp the third so I'm at a secondary dominant leading into D minor.

I have a suspicion this is the most common form of connecting chords...because I was trying this a lot this evening...and I know I"ve done it a lot before in my improv I just never labelled it theoretically. Anyway....that connection of moving the bass to the third is one good way to avoid parallel fifths in accompanying bass, isn't it?

It's one of the best and most common ways, absolutely.

*Knocks head into table*

I must stop giving advice so late in the evening without having my coffee.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I knew very well which parallell fifths weren't allowed, I don't really know what I was thinking about. I hope I'll learn it once and for all from my pretty little mistake. :P

Here's a solution I came up with. Would it work?

So we have solved the problem with regards to a vertical chord. What if I were to distribute the chords (same problem with a twist)

A minor: root, fifth, octave, tenth

D minor: root, fifth, octave, tenth

in an arpeggio. Is the fifth in the bass still a parallel fifth because the arpeggiation (in typical Romantic style piano accompaniment) creates a vertical sonority? Or does the distribution merely make these fifths leaps in the "line" of the accompaniment?