The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Part 5:
Embellishing
194
Making a Point—with Counterpoint
Counterpoint
is simply the art of combining two or more simultaneous musical
lines. Unlike the art of harmony, where the harmony parts are subsidiary to the
main melody, both melodic parts in counterpoint have equal weight.
The two voices in traditional counterpoint must not only sound melodic when
played separately; they also must fit together harmonically to suggest the chord
structure of the song. That means if you play the underlying chords against the
counterpoint, the melodic lines mustn’t sound dissonant; it also means you
should be able to deduce the underlying chord structure from the melodic lines
alone.
Sounds like a tall order, doesn’t it? Creating effective counterpoint is kind of
like working with a musical puzzle, creating two melodies that not only fit with
the song’s chord progression, but also sound good when played together. Mastery
of contrapuntal technique is definitely something that separates novices from
more experienced musicians.
Key to successful counterpoint is the interaction of the different voices. (And
when I say “voices,” I mean melodic lines; counterpoint can be used in both
vocal and instrumental music.) The two lines have to work together; not fight
with each other. The second line has to be the melodic equal of the first, and
neither line should dominate.
All of this is harder to do than you might think.
Classic two-part counterpoint, courtesy of Johann Sebastian Bach—notice the independence of the two melodic lines. 
The word 
counter-
point
comes from the Latin
punctus contra punctum,
which means “note against
note.” When a second
melodic part is added to
an existing one, the new
part is said to be “in coun-
terpoint” to the first part.
Definition
The dean of contrapuntal
writing was Johann
Sebastian Bach, although
many classical composers
utilized this particular musi-
cal form. Bach was
known for his three- and
four-part counterpoint, in
which any of the parts
could be the lead part.
Note
It’s also important that both lines be singable. That means either melody
should be able to stand on its own as a main melody against the underlying
chord progression. A melody in counterpoint should not be just a combination
of notes to fit the chords; it has to be melodic, it has to have its own internal
musical logic, 
and 
it has to fit with the other melody.
When composing melodies for counterpoint, call upon the skills you learned
back in Chapter 8. Make sure each melody has a shape and a destination, as
well as a coherent form. Also make sure each melody makes sense within the
song’s general chord structure, it fits within a comfortable vocal or instrumen-
tal range (generally no more than an octave range), and the intervals within the
melody are small and singable.

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Chapter 15:
Harmony and Counterpoint
When you put your two melodies together, you should make sure they both fit
within the notes of the underlying chord, and stay within the confines of the
underlying scale. The two melodies should also not duplicate each other; if you
have two identical melodies, you’re writing in unison; not in counterpoint. That
means each melody should have its own motion—which should complement,
but not interfere with, the motion of the other melody. The notes within each
melody also should not interfere or clash with the notes in the other melody;
avoid dissonant vertical intervals.
It’s okay for the two melodies to have their own rhythmic patterns. In fact, in
classical music it’s expected. (If your two melodies have identical rhythmic
structure you have what is called a 1:1 rhythmic ratio, which in some ways is
easier to work with than more rhythmically complex forms.)
Creating Your First Counterpoint
The best way to learn about counterpoint is to dive into the deep end—and
start composing!
For our first counterpoint, we’ll start by defining some parameters. These are
not necessarily hard-and-fast rules for the contrapuntal form, but they do make
it easier for beginners to create a working counterpoint.
Here are the parameters:
◆
Use a 1:1 rhythmic ratio; both melodies should use the same rhythmic
patterns.
◆
Only consonant harmonic intervals are allowed; no dissonant harmonies.
◆
The lower part must begin and end on the tonic of the key.
◆
The upper part must begin on either the first or the fifth of the key, and
end on the tonic—either in unison with the bass part or an octave above.
◆
Between the melodies, rely heavily on intervals of thirds and sixths. Avoid
octaves and unisons, except for the final note.
◆
Move each voice the shortest distance possible.
Now let’s get started.
Some composers like to write both melodic parts simultaneously; this enables
them to employ various advanced techniques, such as sharing a contrapuntal
melody between the two parts. However, for beginners it’s a lot easier to write
the first part first; then complete the puzzle by adding the second, counter-
point, melody.
Which is exactly what we’ll do.
We’ll start from the bottom up and create our first melody for the lower voice.
(This is the staff labeled “2,” in bass clef.) Our melody is in 3/4 time, in the key
of F Major. Because counterpoint works best when both parts have a lot of
rhythmic and melodic movement, the melody is fairly lively, with a lot of eighth
notes; it also starts and ends on the tonic note, F.
195
These general principles
are similar to the ones
established by Johann
Joseph Fux in his classic
counterpoint book 
Gradus
ad Parnassum
(“steps to
perfection”), published in
1725. Many great com-
posers throughout history
have used this book to
learn counterpoint.
Note

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