In the history of European art music (broadly called classical music), the common practice period – spanning most of the baroque, classical, and romantic eras – lasted from about 1600 to around 1900. Sometimes, terminologies are reversed with some authorities referring to a common practice era spanning most of the baroque, classical, and romantic periods (Konečni 2009).

General characteristics

Common-practice music obeys two types of musical norms: first, it uses conventionalized sequences of chords, such as I–IV–V–I (see Roman numeral analysis). Second, it obeys specific contrapuntal norms, such as the avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves.

One can contrast common-practice music with the earlier modal music and with later atonal music. Compare also twentieth-century styles, such as rock and jazz, that are broadly tonal but do not obey the harmonic and contrapuntal norms described in the preceding paragraph.

Technical features

Harmony

Common-practice harmony is almost always derived from diatonic scales and tends to follow particular chord progressions that have withstood the test of time.