194 Par t 5:Embellishing
Making a Point—with Counterpoint
Counterpointis 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-
pointcomes 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.DefinitionThe 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.NoteIt’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.