Exercise

Bass 197 — Bass in thirds

First inversion (6)D major

Corpus id bass-197 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

A bass rising by thirds under paired figures: 5/3 then 6 means the same chord has turned over, not that the harmony has moved.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1	bar 2	bar 3	bar 4	bar 5	bar 6	bar 7
Bass	D3	F♯3	G3	B3	A3	C♯4	D4
Figures		6		6		6

The given bass and its figures (D major, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

The model realization

4/4	bar 1	bar 2	bar 3	bar 4	bar 5	bar 6	bar 7
Soprano	A4	A4	B4	G4	A4	A4	A4
Alto	F♯4	D4	D4	D4	E4	E4	F♯4
Tenor	D4	A3	D4	D4	C♯4	E4	D4
Bass	D3	F♯3	G3	B3	A3	C♯4	D4
Figures		6		6		6

The model realization (D major, 4/4; ⌒ = tied from the previous note)

Three times the bass leaps a third and the figures say: same chord, new position. The bass has moved; the harmony has not — the clearest proof that under a 6 the bass and the harmony travel separately. The last pair puts the leading tone in the bass, and it rises.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. Each pair is one chord in two positions. Let the right hand barely move while the left climbs the third. Carry it into G major, A major, C major.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-197 — Bass in thirds. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-197

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-197

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