Exercise

Bass 221 — Passing 6/4

Second inversion (6/4)G major

Corpus id bass-221 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The passing 6/4: the bass walks by step from a chord to its own first inversion, and the 6/4 is the motion between them — the passing tone written as a chord.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4
Bass	G2	A2	B2	C3	D3		G2
Figures		6/4	6

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

The model realization

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3	bar 4
Soprano	B4	A4	G4	G4	F♯4	G4
Alto	D4	F♯4	G4	E4	D4	D4
Tenor	D4	D4	D4	C4	A3	B3
Bass	G2	A2	B2	C3	D3	G2
Figures		6/4	6

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

Third function: connection. The bass passes by step between the tonic’s two positions, the soprano walks the same three tones the opposite way, and the 6/4 on the weak beat is simply where the two lines cross — the passing tone of the species, sounding as a chord. It stands on nothing; it moves through.

At the keyboard

The three upper voices of the model realization fit under one hand. Watch the outer voices trade places: the bass climbs G–A–B while the soprano descends B–A–G. The 6/4 is the middle of the exchange. Carry it into C major, F major.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-221 — Passing 6/4. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-221

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-221

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