TheHydra

I don't think species counterpoint really fits in with the jazz/blues styles. To do jazz counterpoint, I'd need to have a lot of chromatic movements, and I don't think movements of a m2 are allowed in species counterpoint except at the end. Unless I've missed something.

National_Anthem

Sure. But that doesn't mean it's not worth learning: some of the principles that you learn still hold true no matter how much chromaticism you add. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms are all composers that use a lot of chromaticism in their writing, but you can see that they'd drawn a lot from studying species counterpoint.

It's like essay writing at school: most of us will never have to write an essay or an article in our lives, but some of the skills are transferable to say, letter writing or whatever.

__________________
Flickr

jazz_rock_feel

Species counterpoint is really the study of melody. Sure, the 'counterpoint' aspect is import, but the really important thing to take away from it, for most people, is the melodic aspects. It's conservative melody, but ultimately tonal melody is virtually the same from era to era and style to style. The fluff changes, but the attributes of a good quality melody (i.e. one that we find pleasing) is really the same.

__________________

An Afternoon with Stravinsky: Analysis and Observations of the Symphony of Psalms

I finally updated my SoundCloud with more recent pieces. Check it.

TheHydra

Oh no, I know that. It's just that I wanted to see if I could write bluesy species counterpoint and I've come to the conclusion that it's borderline impossible at this point. I still fully intend to follow through with species study.

EmilGD

So... 3rd species anyone?

griffRG7321

This Olympic games shizz is pretty boring, so yes.

__________________

AeolianWolf

okay, then, third species. for those of you who don't know, 3rd species is 4 notes against one (so four quarter notes against a whole note).

rules:

• all rules from first and second species apply.
• the counterpoint may begin either on a quarter note or a quarter rest - in either case, the first note must be a perfect consonance.
• the first quarter note in a measure is always consonant, the third is usually consonant, and the second and fourth may be dissonant. the third may be dissonant if the first, second, and fourth are consonant. if the first and fourth note in a measure are a P4 apart, the second and third may be dissonant, provided they are moving in stepwise motion, creating a "double passing tone".
• the types of embellishment permitted are: passing tones, neighbor tones, the nota cambiata*, and embellishing tones (consonant skips).

*illustration of a nota cambiata - http://www.listeningarts.com/music/...cies/3rdex9.mov

questions, as always, are welcome.

here's my contribution: http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vi...4abea4dc93098f8

__________________

| Facebook (personal) | Facebook (music) | SoundCloud | Instagram |

Xiaoxi

How do you know that?

__________________
Modes and scales are dumb and useless. Stop learning them. No, seriously.

Analyzing Brahms: Insights to Help Us Improve Our Music

Nelsean attempting to pronounce my name lol

I got Last.fm. Don't know why...

Nietsche

Bit late on this, plowed through all three species today because I didn't have anything else to do. I don't think I did too badly

First Species:

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vi...eb15d9b96912818

Second Species:

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vi...bfc464341cd3e2d

Third Species:

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vi...b40cbde0b76b8d6

__________________

AeolianWolf

first species was good.

second species:
- measure 4, note 2 - you're leaping into a dissonance. no good. if you change it to an E instead, you'll be good.
- try to think more in contrary motion when possible.

third species didn't have anything wrong with it per se, but try to find some solutions that are more melodic and sound more pleasant. it kind of sounds like your line is just meandering -- especially in the least few measures, where you ascend stepwise, then descend stepwise, then ascend stepwise again to the tonic. remember that this is species counterpoint - treatment is more like melodies of the renaissance motets than a bach composition. by that i mean that sequences tend to be avoided rather than welcomed. don't think in terms of sequences (which, i'll admit, was the most difficult thing i had to learn to do when i studied counterpoint, because i'm such a sucker for bach's sequenced motives).

__________________

| Facebook (personal) | Facebook (music) | SoundCloud | Instagram |

Nietsche

Thanks for the comments AW. I've fixed the faulty note in m4 of the second species. I might try another having another swing at second and third species tomorrow, keeping what you've said in mind.

__________________

jazz_rock_feel

For the third species, you leap from and to a dissonance several times. Measure 2 beat 3-4, measure three beat 2-3, measure 4 beat 3-4, and measure 5 beat 3-4. Also generally what AW said about the melody. It has a tendency to meander a bit, although it's hard not to meander in third species.

Third species is definitely the hardest, so it only gets better from here on out.

__________________

An Afternoon with Stravinsky: Analysis and Observations of the Symphony of Psalms

I finally updated my SoundCloud with more recent pieces. Check it.

Nietsche

There can't be a problem with measure three because all the motion in that measure is stepwise, I think you meant measure four beats 2-3, but I see what you mean, though in my partial defence all the offending 'dissonances' are actually fourths.

__________________

jazz_rock_feel

Yeah, sorry, 2, 4 and 5. You have two leaps in measure 4, but one is a cambiata so it's legit. 4ths are dissonances the same as seconds and sevenths.

__________________

An Afternoon with Stravinsky: Analysis and Observations of the Symphony of Psalms

I finally updated my SoundCloud with more recent pieces. Check it.

Erc

I hated doing this in college, but I always found 3rd species the easiest because it was the most musical

__________________
Here's me improvising!

jazz_rock_feel

It's the hardest because it's the least musical.

__________________

An Afternoon with Stravinsky: Analysis and Observations of the Symphony of Psalms

I finally updated my SoundCloud with more recent pieces. Check it.

griffRG7321

I'm dripping wet for 4th species...

Chains of 7-6 suspensions coming in.

__________________

Nietsche

Only according to your stupid Renaissance-era rules

__________________

TheHydra

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/vi...29895ea1f2a3e57

Here's my third species. I couldn't figure out how to make Measurement 8 sound good, but after about 5 minutes of fiddling with it alone I settled on the solution given. Opinions?