What is counterpoint?
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You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
What is counterpoint?
Independent musical lines placed on top of each other.
>>63863966
what makes them independent of each other?
>>63865215
Nothing
Conterpoint is subjective Polyphony
>>63865245
>>63863848
Counterpoint is a COMPOSITIONAL SYSTEM developed during the Renaissance and Baroque eras in order to facilitate writing polyphonic music.
Counterpoint is a tool, i.e. you can take classes to learn it and your compositions will be objectively correct or incorrect, but resulting effect in the music is relatively consonant polyphony.
Basically, try to write four melodies to be played at the same time and then have a computer play them back. Sound like shit, right? That's because you don't know counterpoint.
>>63866539
This, thank you. It's important to emphasize that counterpoint is a developed system with specific rules, not just a general concept.
>>63865245
>subjective polyphony
Isn't it always going to be polyphony? That's kind of the point.
Good tutorial of what counterpoint is
https://www.teoria.com/en/tutorials/forms/contrapuntal/index.php
>>63863848
Each note is carefully gauged against all other simultaneously sounding notes, to make sure consonance and dissonance is handled the way the composer wants.
>>63865215
Contrary motion, unique rhythms, unique melodic lines. If you have 2 voices at the same time, you should ideally be able to hear 2 clear and distinct voices, and yet they also complement each other and form harmony.
Counterpoint is the marriage of melody and harmony, allowing multiple voices to play different things, while all working together as a coherent whole.
>>63866539
>Sound like shit, right?
Think I did a pretty good job desu
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1i6hzqmLeBU
>>63868759
you're essentially revolving around 1 chord, and the bass plays the same note over and over. Not really counterpoint.
This is what counterpoint should sound like: You'll hear the harmony changing, and each voice having a clear melodic line, but yet also complimenting the other voices around it.
watch the first part
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXQY2dS1Srk
not how each voice has a clear melody, and yet they all compliment each other to form different chords.
counterpoint is the combination of thinking horizontally (melodies) and vertically (harmony)
>>63868759
Alright, maybe that didn't sound like "shit" but that's because it wasn't very ambitious. The harmony was completely static and what each of the instruments played barely counts as a melody. Would you walk around humming any of those parts to yourself?
Take this one. Every instrument's part is "singable".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IPqymfGQj8&nohtml5=False&ab_channel=genesis310788
>>63869197
yo this sounds like snes music
![1297836486170[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/MMa7szc.jpg "1297836486170[1].jpg")
>>63869298
>analog synth sounds
>automatically thinks of video game music
>>63868985
>>63869197
I see. So what would you say the key skill here is? I mean how does one go about thinking "vertically" about the harmonies across all the different parts?
I
>>63869298
it sounds nothing like SNES music. grow some ears. SNES has a very specific sound and the Moog is very different.
>>63869530
learn about harmony I guess. Get Fux's book on counterpoint and work through the exercises.
Its the kind of thing you only really learn by doing.
This is what I write, after having studied counterpoint:
https://soundcloud.com/psllbof/fugue-in-b-minor
Even then I mostly ignore the rules and write by ear, just use the strict fugue entries.
>>63869530
I'm by no means an expert, but I think it just takes practice. You write music and you* check for all of these rules:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterpoint#Species_counterpoint
between every melody and eventually I guess people just internalize everything.
*or a professor because you're taking a full-fledged college course on that shit
>>63869648
I assume that's not you in the picture
>>63869716
heh. nope. I'm not female.
>>63869648
Wow, that's pretty good. What did you use to sequence this?
![1244734352954[1].jpg~c200.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/WKmgzfm.jpg "1244734352954[1].jpg~c200.jpg")
>>63870218
>sequence
kids these days
>>63870218
Reason. I'm not good enough of a pianist to play anything over 2 voices
>>63869298
That's because old vidya composers were nerds who listened to shit like Gentle Giant
>>63863848
An interesting tool that was used well by folks like Handel but became a crutch in the hands of people like Bach who, imo, is a lesser talent of the Baroque. The best way to understand it is to listen to it and see it presented on a score. Check out some of Bach's fugues.
>>63871020
if Bach is a "lesser" talent of the baroque, why did you his fugues as an example? surely some handel fugues would have fitted your post better?
>>63871193
Bach's counterpoints are more easily seen in a score, easier identified. And don't think I meant to take anything away from him, being a lesser talent to Handel is still impressive. If you want Handel, listen and look at the coronation anthems.
>>63869298
Yes, if snes pitch was all fucked up.
>>63866539
>>63866898
>>63868985
yeah i wrote a fugue in high school after reading a bunch of bach's rules. was hard as fuck but passed the thing it was for.
>>63869648
yeah this is good. although it definitely would violate a lot of bach's rules. i wish each of the vioces had more rhythmic variation/motion, like instead of two of the vioces playing at the same time, they were all doing something different.
who's the bitch?
>>63872106
>who's the bitch?
some 20s model. The photographer is mortensen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mortensen
Yeah them fugues follow almost no rules, I like to be pretty free. they're not great, but they get better with each one I write. One day might even get to bachs level if I keep going for another 40 years
what are modern counterpoint music? Does ppl still spend time to write fugues, etc.?
i only can think about Moondog https://youtu.be/34C4NTfQvgM
>>63869298
Lmao
>>63869298
pleb
sounds like genesis or amiga music
