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If you see a bass with a "6" underneath that means the bass note is the third of a triad the triad is in first inversion.Ī triad in second inversion would be indicated with a 6/4, and in this case both numbers are always provided so that this is easily distinguished from the first inversion.
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However, as with the 5/3 the figure is abbreviated in practice: just the 6 is shown unless one of the two needs alteration. If you see "#3" or a "b3," without a "5" or just "#" or "b," that means that the bass is the root of a triad whose third needs to be raised or lowered from what it would otherwise be in the key signature.Ī triad in first inversion would be indicated by 6/3. Therefore, if you see a bass note with no figure the implication is that this is the root of a triad. As this is such a common figure it is generally not written unless one of the two pitches needs to be altered. In the music the figures will appear one above the other.Ī triad in root position would be indicated by 5/3. Note: for typographic reasons, figures will be indicated here separated by slashes.
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If you see an accidental with no number attached it is always referring to the 3rd. Sometimes a slash is drawn through a number to show it is raised, and sometimes a "+" is used to show the same thing. If the composer means for one of the other notes to be lowered or raised from what it would be in the key, the number can be combined with an accidental: a sharp, flat, or natural, as needed. The figures also assume that the added notes will be within the key unless otherwise indicated: it's not necessary to specify whether an interval is major, minor, perfect, or diminished - it will be whatever is natural to the key. In practice a "6" just means that this is the bass of a first-inversion chord (more on that below). These figures are written in their simplest form: for example, a "6" will mean that the bass note needs a sixth above, but that sixth can be in any octave. The figures tell what intervals need to be added to the bass note in order to sound the desired harmony. Figured Bass (Thoroughbass) Realizing harmony from figured bass (thoroughbass)įigured bass in the 17th-18th centuries was a sort of shorthand notation that described the intended harmony to be combined with a given bass.