Figured Bass Realization Walkthrough | ABRSM Grade 6 Music Theory
Вставка
- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- MORE MUSIC THEORY VIDEOS HERE: mymusictheory....
Figured Bass Walkthrough
Watch me complete an ABRSM grade 6 music theory question 2, figured bass realisation.
Work out the key and pencil in the chord notes before you start.
Then start with the complete soprano part, because it needs to be tuneful. Don't forget the following rules: Move mostly by step, avoid large intervals and never use augmented or diminished intervals. Watch out for parallel (consecutive) 5ths and octaves, as well as hidden (exposed) 5ths and octaves. Don't double the leading note.
Next put in the alto and tenor parts. Keep the spacing with wider gaps between the lower two parts. Within each part, use a repeated note where you can or move to the nearest note. Aim to write complete triads and make sure you double an allowed note. Never omit the root or 3rd of the chord. Check for 5ths/8ves as you go along.
With each note you write, consider what is coming next and base your selection on the best-possible outcome.
For more grade 6 music theory resources, visit www.mymusicthe...
Nicely done. Checking parallel fiths and octaves can be done much faster though, when just looking at the voices that move in the same direction and with a similar interval, which is more visual so you don't have to calculate all the time. I also do this when writing the note, not afterwards.
I finally understand it, helped me get through my exams. Thanks
A very helpful video
Hi. I would have used a different pattern starting from the 1st bar. The bass line is going down with an interval of 2nd: the harmony in severe style strongly suggests to out the 3 upper voices in contrary movement.
Omg this is such a good & insightful lesson. Really learnt so much. I wonder if you do videos for the entire paper? I would love to watch.
Yes! You can find the whole course here (link includes discount) mymusictheory.newzenler.com/courses/grade-7-music-theory-complete-course?coupon=UA-cam
@@musictheoryexpert can you put the link in for grade 6 as this points to grade 7. Thank you x
@@HJ-vu2my Whoops sorry! This is the link to grade 6: mymusictheory.newzenler.com/courses/grade-6-music-theory-complete-course-selfstudy?coupon=UA-cam
Very good description and work through. Seems like a lot of work. The final result sounds better with passing notes and perhaps also anticipatory notes - but it's good as it stands.
A very helpful video.
Hi, I have a question. Should I preferably stick to the same soprano voice or should I move the soprano by a 3rd? Is the emphasis on the melody or is it more important to move as little as possible?
really good tutorial
Why wasn't the soprano part in the two last measures F E F? I mean, the F is the fourth over the bass note, and in this style is considered a dissonance (in this context it's basically a 4-3 suspension) - wouldn't it be preferable to prepare it by keeping the F from the previous chord in the same voice? This way you would also end with the tonic in the soprano, creating a more "final" resolution in the end.
That would also be fine, but there is no obligation to prepare the 4th in a cadential 6/4.
Thanks !! very helpful
At 26'02'' you say that the alto and tenor move from a 5th to a 4th but I think they actually move from a 3rd to a 4th: (Ab/C to F/Bb )
ok.
Yes, I needed this! I just got onto practice papers for grade 6 and I can NOT remember how to do half the stuff I learnt, so now I'm browsing the internet...can you make a video on auxilary notes and changing notes etc?
Thank you very much
There is no mention about the suitability of note C as Soprano part in the first chord. Is it not suitable?
At bar 4 I would have moved the alto from an Ab to an F and the tenor from C to Bb, preferring a small leap in the opposite direction of the previous stepwise motion in former, and avoiding the large fourth leap in the latter. But of course, there is no single way to do it, and I haven't checked what could happen next.
Really important lesson
28:26 isn't this 3 part harmony as well since the tenor and alto have the same F?
Yes, however that isn't breaking any rules, 2 voices that are close to eachother can be on the same note, as long as both continue along and don't break any rules. A good way to do this is to make sure both voices move in contrary motion from eachother in the next beat.
even know how great compositions
Heya I'm stuck on something if you have a 6 4 3 chord that goes to a 5 3 chord.. is that the treated the same as the 6 4 progression to the 5 3 or differently ??
It's a different thing - 643 would be an added 7th chord. 7th chords can be used freely in any inversion.
Oh that explains why I can't get my head around it !! Thank you soo much .. been trying a week to work it out haha..
Think I'm going to get stuck on recognising augmented and diminished chords and tips ? X
Hi, learned a lot from the example here. what about non tonal harmony notes? And rhythm changes cause the harmonies are all based on the rhythm of the bass? Are they allowed in Grade 6 yet or not? Thanks.
thanks
ABRSM's series of five books "Discovering Music theory" does not seem to extend to grade 6-8. Are there official textbooks for grade 6 and above? Thank you!
The AB Guide to Music Theory, Part 2, by Eric Taylor.
hi Victoria ive been reading for book for the grade 6 theory which I'm finding very helpful today, have been struggling with the figured bass as you know.. ive got a question about the SATB when working out if you have 5ths octaves unisons etc sometimes in various pieces ive seen not just in your book but others too 5ths ! ive been told we cant ever have 5ths!! this may sound daft but I'm wondering am I working them out incorrectly ? ive been just basically counting the leger lines not including sharpes flats etc! am I supposed to count intervals ? i.e a minor 3rd is 4 intervals ?
hope ive explained that ok
Hi Lisa, Firstly, the rule is that you cannot have consecutive *perfect* 5ths or 8ves, so you will need to work out what type of 5th you are looking at. A perfect 5th followed by a diminished 5th is absolutely fine, for example.
Secondly, you should never work out intervals by counting lines on the staff or ledger lines (ledger lines are the extra ones above or below the normal staff). Counting lines will not tell you the quality of the interval (which could be major, minor, diminished, augmented or perfect). Intervals and quality are introduced at grade 4, so take a look back at some earlier lessons if you need a recap on this.
I think you're confusing the terms "interval" and "semitone". You shouldn't count semitones to work out intervals. You need to learn them properly. (It's like learning you times tables by saying that 5x5 is "5+5+5+5+5" every time, instead of just knowing them!) At grade 6 you should be able to work out any interval in a few seconds. They are a fundamental part of the exam and you won't be able to pass if you are rusty on them (they affect the answers in all parts of the exam).
Thirdly, you may be looking at "repeated 5ths" instead of consecutives. If the notes are simply repeated at the interval, this is fine.
And finally...! There are a couple of erroneous 5ths in my book and I have seen them in other books too. If you have a specific query about something printed in my book please don't hesitate to take a photo of it and send to info@mymusictheory.com and I will clarify if it's a mistake or correct!
@@musictheoryexpert thank you :) my memory Is a problem so have to write a lot down so I keep a track of what I'm doing all the time
Thank you ! I've been working hard this week trying to check for mistakes watching your videos on the course it's slowing sinking in hopefully this time next year I'll be past figured bass hahahaha
Is it right to say that if you get the soprano and bass right then there will always be a correct solution to the alto and tenor parts? In other words you won't have to go back and change the S or B? Thanks :)
It's definitely more likely, but I couldn't say for sure that it will "always" be true. It obviously depends on things like how close you write the S/B parts - the closer they are, the less choice of notes you have between.
I don't understand why certain options are considered if the figured bass demands a certain note, for instance, doesn't the second chord demand the third of the chord at the top because of the the 6-4 figured bass notation? And also, didn't you say that root position had to be assumed if the root is not notated with a figured bass interval?
The figured bass doesn't tell you what notes to put on top. It only tells you what chord you're playing along with the root. You decide what note you put on top.
hi! does the examiner/person marking the exam play it through as well or only check by sight?
I don't know! Doesn't make any difference though. If you read music silently you can still hear it (like when you read words).
@@musictheoryexpert unfortunately, I'm not lucky enough to be able to read music in my head too well. I guess it depends on the examiner!
Victoria how do you find the traids underneath the stave?
At first I was confused, but I get it now. Take a look at the G with 6(natural) 4. 6 4 refers 2nd inversion, which means the note available is the 3th note above the bass. Therefore, you know the bass note is C and the 2nd note is E.
the tenor is not supposed to go higher than a G? you have it going up to an Ab
Hi Zoya! Who said the tenor can't go above G? Did I say that somewhere? G is a good note to choose as a tenor limit, to stay on the safe side, but the tenor is capable of singing much higher. If you look at JS Bach's own SATB chorales for example, you can see he goes up to G# (=Ab) in no.35, and in chorales 24, 43, 74, 83, and no doubt many more, he goes up to A natural. The tenor voice can even go up to high C (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor).
I read in Mark Sarnecki's book on Harmony that G was the limit for the tenor. But I guess all these rules are subjective at some level. Thanks for the video :)
Also I will check out these chorales
Hey Victoria wondered if you had any tips on spotting consecutive 5ths and octaves. Checking every part is very time consuming and wondered if there was a faster way of spotting them?
Also when referring to the Root, third and fifth of a root position chord, ie C E G. In a first inversion chord ie E G C, is the root, third and fifth always referred back to the parent root position chord, or does the E then become the root. Just asking because the note doubling is confusing at times.
It's more effective to keep an eye on them as you work, rather than only checking at the end. As you put in each part, look for the 5th and/or 8ve in that particular chord and remember which two parts it's in, so that you avoid writing the same interval in the next chord. E.g. if the note you write down in the alto makes a 5th with the bass, be sure to write a different interval for the next alto note. Like anything, you get faster with practice.
Victoria Williams Thank you very much Victoria.
hi Victoria thanks for this video but do the answers vary in figured bass are there many ways of completing this question?thanks!
Hi Fei Gao, for some chords there can be more than one possible answer, and for others only one answer can be correct - it depends.
I confused
Great video, Victoria, thanks so much. Is it OK to leave all the parts with the same rhythm like you have, or do you need to add melodic decoration in the S/A/T parts? Thanks.
I want to know chord progression of 6/5
Hi Victoria thanks for your video it was a great help. If there is a figured bass number for example 6 but no note to accompany it in the bass clef what should you do?
There will always be a bass note. In the situation you describe, it's probably because the bass note is held over from the previous chord. E.g. in 4/4 if you had a minim (half note) with a figure under it, then another figure after it, you'd be expected to write two chords, lasting a crotchet (quarter note) each. The bass note itself would be the same note.
Victoria Williams thank you so much!!
Hello, thank you so much for this video I am preparing to take the ABRSM music theory test for grade6. Can I know your email for more questions?! thank you!
Hey cool vid but the tenor cant go above G by textbook rules. So when people are practicing for their exams watching this vid, they will lose points. In real world you can break all the rules of course.
Can the notes in a same chord stack up together?
Example like the note of Alto and Tenor are both at middle C.
You mean two parts can share the same note? Yes it's fine, as long as it's just limited to just a couple of of instances here and there, and never two chords in a row.
Yes exactly. Thanks for your reply and clear explanation btw
Grade 6 😓 I’m 35 and ashamed I don’t know how to do this 😂
www.mymusictheory.com/learn-music-theory/for-students/exam-boards
Hello Victoria, do you have a method for quickly identifying the root chords of figured bass inversions? There's a lot of mental flipping and rotating when calculating inversions into root positions. I am sure I'm missing something obvious, here.
Well a 5/3 chord is root position, so that's the easy one.
A 6/3 (or 6) chord is first inversion, so the root is a third lower. If the bass note is E for example, then the root is C (or C#, depending on the key signature).
If it's a 6/4 chord, then the root is a 5th lower, so a bass note of E would have a root of A.
Thanks for your quick/reply! Yes, this is my current method. Thanks for your videos.
what is meant by doubling the notes
Hi Lisa. If you repeat a note from the triad (normally in a different octave) this is called doubling. E.g. if you write a chord as C(low)-E-G-C(high) then you have doubled the C. Another way to write the chord could be C-G(low)-E-G(high) for example.
@@musictheoryexpert oh ok thank you :) there are so many things to remember for this grade isn't there
@@lisasexammusicoriginalcomp5861 Yes! The jump between grades 5 and 6 is big :)
I seem to be constantly making mistakes think I'm going to give up !
@@lisasexammusicoriginalcomp5861 Oh dear that's a pity! Are you working with a teacher? Have you taken a look at the lessons on my website www.mymusictheory.com?
the first three chords could be a passing 6-4. ( 1b - Vc - 1)
Yes - this is a passing 6/4.
But someone told me that passing 6/4s go in contrary motion. Please help... My exams are getting closer and i'm going bonkers...
They often do, but they don't have to. A passing 6/4 is a 2nd inversion chord in a group of three. It is the middle chord and the bass notes must move by step. The 2nd inversion chord should be on a weak beat. What happens in the Soprano is largely irrelevant, but very often it will mirror the bass.
Thanks