Each string moves stepwise.
: In traditional four-part harmony (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass), each line should maintain its own melodic integrity. Practical Guitar Applications
This forces you to find new, creative fingerings for standard chords. Diatonic 7th Inversions
When the bass moves down, the melody (top voice) should move up, and vice versa. This creates acoustic balance.
The guitar is a unique instrument when it comes to music theory. On a piano, voice leading is visually linear. You can see the notes moving step-wise up the keyboard. On the guitar, the tuning intervals change (mostly fourths, but a major third between the G and B strings), creating a grid that can be confusing.