Exercise

Bass 253 — The rising 5–6

Bass motions and sequencesG major

Corpus id bass-253 · cite this id — it is permanent

What it teaches

The rising 5–6: a bass that wants to climb cannot carry parallel triads, so over each tone the fifth becomes a sixth before the bass moves — and the sixth turns into the next tone’s fifth.

The given bass

4/4	bar 1		bar 2		bar 3		bar 4		bar 5		bar 6
Bass	G2		G2	A2	A2	B2	B2	C3	C3	D3	G2
Figures			6		6		6		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		bar 5		bar 6
Soprano	D4	E4	E4	F♯4	F♯4	G4	G4	A4	A4	G4
Alto	B3	B3	C4	C4	D4	D4	E4	E4	F♯4	D4
Tenor	G3	G3	E3	A3	D3	D3	G3	E3	A3	B3
Bass	G2	G2	A2	A2	B2	B2	C3	C3	D3	G2
Figures		6		6		6		6

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

The exchange converts a forbidden parallel ascent into a self-renewing sequence: every fifth is left by oblique motion, and each new sixth becomes the next bass tone’s fifth without either voice moving together. The climb runs a fifth of the scale and hands the line to the dominant.

At the keyboard

This realization is choral — the upper voices exceed a single hand’s span. The soprano is a ladder: step up over the standing bass, stand still while the bass climbs to meet you, step up again. Neither voice ever moves at the same moment as the other. Carry it into C major, F major.

Voice-leading patterns this exercise drills

Cite this exercise

Gradus Figured-Bass Corpus, bass-253 — The rising 5–6. v1.0. https://gradusmusic.com/figured-bass-corpus/exercise/bass-253

Corpus v1.0 · licensed CC-BY-4.0 · machine-readable at /api/v1/figured-bass/exercises/bass-253

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