Strategies for 2-voice Counterpoint

This course aims to introduce counterpoint. As a subject, counterpoint is extensive. So, we should be
satisfied in getting our feet wet and staying in until the water feels warm. To put it in perspective, a
trained composer like Bach could be given a theme and improvise an entire fugue (or several) from it.
We will be happy to just write 2 melody notes against 1 bass note.
Let's use a procedure for this as well.
1. Choose a harmonic progression,
2. Write out the bass line of this progression in quarter notes,
3. Craft a 1:1 counterpoint against the bass in the melody,
4. Add either 1 NCT or chord tone to each of the notes in the melody.
The first 2 points of the procedure won't be covered it. It's assumed that you can do this on your own
already.
Tips for 1:1 Counterpoint
1. Use only chord tones. NCTs can be added in the 2:1 counterpoint (step 4).
2. Try starting on either the root or 3rd of the first chord, and try ending on the root of the last
chord.
3. Move mostly by step, but don't move exclusively by step. Make sure your leaps are an octave or
less. The larger the leap, the less you should use it. Leaps of a 3rd or 4th are quite common.
Sixths and octaves are less common.
4. Try to get a nice shape to your melody. One should be able to follow a line when hearing the
melody.
5. Make sure that the harmonic progression can be heard by just two voices.
6. Imagine you are doing voice leading of just soprano and bass. To this extent, you need to be
conscious of parallel fifths and octaves, direct fifths and octave, double leading tones, +2
melodic intervals, etc.
7. Try to get a single highest note, or less commonly a single lowest note if the direction of the
melody generally move downward.

8. Keep things in perspective. Getting a smooth line with clear direction that only uses chord tones
via a mixture of stepwise motion and skips is very difficult. In 2:1 counterpoint, the smoothness
and clarity of direction can be more easily addressed.
Below is an example of a fairly good 1:1 counterpoint. It's fine, but I would criticize the "turbulence" (see
below) at in the last 3 measures, and think it might be nice if a skip could be incorporated earlier than
the 4th measure. These aren't big issues, and they can be addressed when moving to 2:1 counterpoint.

Tips for 2:1 Counterpoint

1. Use NCTs where possible. This will be a chance to add or further define shape in your 1:1
counterpoint.
2. Use chord tones as well, particularly when the 1:1 counterpoint hasn't provided a clear
articulation of the harmony or you are looking for an opportunity for a larger leap, like a 4th,
6th, or octave. Why use a larger leap? There are both practical and expressive reasons.
Sometimes a large leap is like pressing a reset button; it changes the register and gives you more
options. On the other hand, since large leaps like sixths and octaves are infrequently
encountered, they are experienced as expression gestures and capture attention.
3. It is okay to shift the note in the 1:1 melody over to the upbeat if that helps get the right shape.
Put another way, the note you add can be on the downbeat or the upbeat. It will generally be on
the upbeat, but it doesn't always make sense to do that.
4. Forget your 1:1 counterpoint when it isn't translating well. Sometimes moving from 1:1 to 2:1
counterpoint opens up opportunities that shouldn't be ignored. Don't feel bad if you ignore your
1:1 counterpoint contour for a few beats to take advantage of something that wasn't
foreseeable in a 1:1 setting.

Below is a 2:1 setting of the previous 1:1 counterpoint. Take a moment to compare them. Notice that #2
is used in measure 1, beat 2 to help make the dominant function more clearly heard. Notice that #3 is
used in bar 2, beat 2. Notice that #4 is used in the second to last bar. The contour is completely changed
there, and a much clearer shape is used. This helps address the turbulence issue that I criticized in the
1:1 setting.

Consistency vs. Variety

The secret of counterpoint is balancing consistency with variety. Very clear shapes can be very boring.
While step-wise movement lends consistency and clarity to a melodic line, well, too much of a good
thing can be a bad thing. Leaps should, therefore, be incorporated to add interest.

In general, if you leap a third in one direction you can continue in that direction. If you leap more than a
3rd, then you should move in the opposite direction, generally by step. In effect, you are "filling in the
gap" you made.

If you aren't continually sensitive to the shape of the melodic line, you could end up with what I describe
as turbulence. Your line goes up and down but never very far and never for any reason, that is, the
movement of the line doesn't translate into direction, but instead just activity. Like too much
consistency, having too much turbulence is a bad thing for a contrapuntal melodic line.

NCTs by Interval
There are only so many ways to move between two intervals with a single additional note. Below is a list
of examples of NCTs that are possible between smaller intervals. You can use it as a kind of cheat sheet
for moving from 1:1 into 2:1 counterpoint. For larger intervals, you would probably fill in with a chord
tone or perhaps an appoggiatura.

NCTS that aren't NCTs

Be careful when adding NCTs. They might be NCTs to the harmony that you are trying to project, but are
chord tones in related chords. In the example below, one thinks that they are innocently adding an
appoggiatura, but actually, the G chord (IV) simple gets changed into an E chord (ii6). These chords
substitute nicely for each other, so this isn't a problem. But it is very easy for something similar to
happen with the I and iii chords, and these do not substitute for each other. The harmony and its
progression are damaged.