Harmony - Need Help As Not Very Good At It, Homework for tomorrow Options

[nicki_flute]

Ok, my homework for tomorrow is to put a harmonise a passage, which is 13 bars long. I have a bass line with figured bass, and I have the first few bars given to me.

The thing is, I'm really carp at this, and I think it's because I don't actually have that much of an understanding. It doesn't help that the bass line is mostly crotchets, so not much I can imitate. My problem is mainly with suspensions, we did them last term, but I never got them then.

For instance...I have a 7-6# harmony part, which I think is a suspension right?

It's a minim, and the bass note is an E, am I supposed to just do a D-C# (crotchets) or tie a D or what?

Also, is 5-3 6-4-2 a suspension?

I'm really need some help with harmony, I'm probably going to get a Rhinegold book to help me, I have the AB guide to music theory part 2, and the grade 6 workbook. What else can I do?

[sbhoa]

Don't know the whole answer but if the first is a supension you will have the D in the previous chord.
Keep this in the same voice and then go on to the C# as you suggest.
I don't think the second one is a suspension.
Remember the 3 things you need fo a suspension... prepare sound resolve.

With figured bass I used to start by pencilling in the notes of the chords then juggled them around to stick to the rules.

I don't konw the Rhinegold book that has been suggested to you but I wonder how heavy going it might be?
Do you have the Harmony in Practice or ABC of Harmony books that some people are using in preparation for grade 6 and above theory preparation.
These have lots of examples, starting with fairly basic chords.

[jacobvaneyck]

6-4-2 is a seventh chord, if it's written with each number under (though usually 4/2 would suffice). If these are written one after each other I don't know what to make of it without seeing your example. Can't really add to what sbhoa said for the other one.

I know I've recommended it before but the Butterworth Harmony in Practice (big orange book) is great for all this. You could also try dipping into grade 7 and 8 theory.

If you're on MSN later you could see what you can tell me about it.

[organ_dummy]

For instance...I have a 7-6# harmony part, which I think is a suspension right?
It's a minim, and the bass note is an E, am I supposed to just do a D-C# (crotchets) or tie a D or what?
Also, is 5-3 6-4-2 a suspension?

Yes, 7-6# is a suspension. If the bass note is a minum E, then in the upper voices, you should have a minum G, another minum E or G (E might work better), and crochets D-C#. I don't know if this example is in the key of D minor or what, but if it is, the chord is VII6 with a 7-6 suspension.

5/3 going to 6/4/2 is not a suspension. As someone else has noted, 6/4/2 is an inversion of a seventh chord, with the chordal seventh in the bass. Based on the way you asked your question, I suspect that both the 5/3 and the 6/4/2 chords occur over the same bass note. A similar example that comes immediately to my mind is mm. 1-4 of the Prelude in C Major from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. The chords are I-II4/2-V6/5-I. The most important point that you should remember about this example is that the chordal 7th in the II4/2 chord is prepared by the previous chord and then resolved downward by step in the following chord. This chordal 7th is not a suspesion, but it is treated very much like one because it is prepared, becomes a dissonance when it is carried over into the next chord, and then is resolved downward by step when the harmony changes again.

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Here is a complete list of suspensions you may find in a figured bass exercise, reading the numbers horizontally:
4-3, 7-6, 9-8 when the suspension occurs above the bass
2-3 when the suspension occurs in the bass

If you don't see these numbers, then there is no suspension.

[nicki_flute]

Thankyou, although for my counterpoint there are just the melody and bass parts, not SATB. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Thanks for that explaination, it's helpful!