Advanced Music Theory – Figured Bass

Completing an accompanying bass line using figured bass. Learn how to write a suitable bass line using figured bass and indicate which chords you would use to accompany a melody. Suitable for candidates preparing for ABRSM Grade 6, Grade 7 and Grade 8 music theory. Figured bass might look a bit mysterious if you’ve never seen it before. Even if you have heard of it, you might think it’s rather strange. So, let’s find out what figured bass is all about. Figured bass is a shorthand method of composing. It was invented during the Baroque period. In those days, composers only wrote out a melody and a bass line and not any of the middle parts. The melody was played or sung by a soloist, and the bass line was usually played on a keyboard instrument, such as the harpsichord or organ. The composer added small numbers underneath the bass line which told the keyboard player which chords to play. These little numbers and accidentals written underneath the lower stave is the Figured Bass. The numbers in figured bass tell you what chord to build up from the bass note, and in which inversion. The single most important thing to remember about figured bass is that the bass line shows you the lowest note and that you must build a chord upwards from that note. Each number tells you the interval above the bass note which you need to write, in order to create a chord. 5-3 means root position chord. A 6-3 chord is a first inversion chord. A 6-4 chord is a second inversion chord. In this music theory lesson, we are going to learn how to complete a figured bass line and indicate which chords might be best suited for a given melody. We’ll learn about what the different numbers in figured bass mean and think about chord progressions and cadences in order to form a successful piece.

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🕘 Timestamps
0:00 – Introduction to figured bass
0:55 – What’s the material that we’ve got?
7:44 – Starting with the cadences
17:49 – Completing the figuration
26:27 – What does it sound like?

🎓 Advanced Music Theory Course
Move beyond the basic language of music theory and learn more advanced techniques combining multiple aspects of harmony, figured bass, analysis and melody writing to produce successful workings in a variety of styles. This course features clear explanations relating to harmonic language, including chromatic chords, and the rules of harmony are explored in detail. Many worked examples give insights into the process of writing harmony, realising figured bass, melodic composition and analysis. The course is full of helpful tips for students concerning what works well and what to avoid. As well as being suitable for candidates preparing for ABRSM grades 6, 7 and 8 music theory exams with the complete syllabus covered, this course also provides an excellent resource for anyone wishing to develop advanced music literacy skills.
https://www.mmcourses.co.uk/p/advanced-music-theory-course

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