A

David

Darling

parallelism

Parallelism is when two notes are a certain distance apart and move the same interval at the same time in the same direction. A parallel third, for instance, would be when two notes are a third apart (C and E, for example), and they move, say, a step upward. Parallel thirds and sixths are generally considered to sound good, whereas parallel fifths and octaves tend not to sound so good.