How to Play Basso Continuo: The 15 Things Every Beginner Needs to Know

Рет қаралды 31,103

Alice M. Chuaqui Baldwin, harpsichordist

Күн бұрын

HOW TO PLAY BASSO CONTINUO / If you’re learning to play figured bass and need some basso continuo examples, a basso continuo demonstration, or just need an explanation of some basso continuo and figured bass symbols, this video will help you out!
This video includes the fifteen things I think every beginning continuo player should know about basso continuo realization, as well as a short history of basso continuo and practical advice for how to play basso continuo and how to learn more. I demonstrate using examples from the Kyrie of Bach’s B Minor Mass, a recitative from Bach cantata BWV 26, “Every Valley” from Handel’s Messiah, “Thy Hand Belinda” from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and a continuo treatise by Jean-François Dandrieu. I also discuss standard cadential figures and how to play them, as well as suggestions for further basso continuo and figured bass practice and study.
If you want to learn how to play basso continuo, this is the video for you!
__________
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN OR RELATED TO THIS VIDEO:
Get my PDF of IMPORTANT BASSO CONTINUO TREATISES here! mailchi.mp/ccb5f4991fc5/basso...
If you want to learn more about the lirone, check out this video: • Laura Vaughan explains...
And if you want to learn more about the viola da gamba, check out this one: • Introducing the Viola ...
__________
0:00 Intro
0:28 Basso Continuo Definition
1:23 When was basso continuo common?
2:24 How to Play Basso Continuo
2:52 Basso Continuo Example: Bach (B Minor Mass)
7:46 Basso Continuo Example: Purcell (Dido and Aeneas)
8:04 Basso Continuo Example: Handel (Messiah)
13:45 Basso Continuo Example: Rule of the Octave (Dandrieu)
15:14 Basso Continuo Example: Bach (BWV 26)
15:51 Basso Continuo Example: Common Cadences
__________
DR. ALICE CHUAQUI BALDWIN. For more about me, check out my website:
www.alicebaldwinmusic.com/
__________
Say “hi” on social:
Facebook: / achuaquibaldwin
Twitter: / achuaquibaldwin
Instagram: / achuaquibaldwin
/ @harpsichord
www.alicebaldwinmusic.com/
#BassoContinuo #FiguredBass #Harpsichord

Пікірлер: 94

@harpsichord 4 жыл бұрын

What else do you want to know about continuo playing? Let me know with a comment below! And if you’re already an experienced continuo player, what else do you think should go on this list? After making this video I thought of another thing that should be included: Generally don’t play higher than the soloist or highest line of music. What other pieces of basso continuo knowledge do you think would be good advice for beginners?

@sopranoarwen 4 жыл бұрын

Can I learn to play continuo if I'm solidly an intermediate (or worse) keyboardist? 🙂

@harpsichord 4 жыл бұрын

@@sopranoarwen I definitely think so, Arwen! It might take you a little longer than someone with strong keyboard skills, but I definitely think it's doable. I think the perfect place to start would actually be my favorite continuo treatise, the Dandrieu treatise I mentioned in the video. It would be perfect for you because the way it's written--with a bunch of "extra" figures (you'll see what I mean if you look at it)--teaches you voicing leading without having to think about it--you just follow along! I think you would definitely be able to do that (even if your progress through the book was slow at first) and then after a while (probably a few months) it will all start to feel more second nature, which will be essential for playing "real" music! Here's a link to the Dandrieu: imslp.org/wiki/Principes_de_l'Acompagnement_du_Clavecin_(Dandrieu%2C_Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois) Let me know if I can help in any other way or answer any more questions!

@sopranoarwen 4 жыл бұрын

@@harpsichord Thank you - this is so helpful! 🙂

@SergioValenzuela 3 жыл бұрын

This is so Great!, thanks so much Alice for this generous and rich introduction to basso continuo playing. Always wanted to learn about it, being an almost pathological Bach fan. The sound of your harpsichord is beautiful and very full being a smaller instrument . Do you think is too hard to find a relatively affordable one for practice ?. I can only get a "feeling" of it by using a Hauptwerk sample set (Mietke Cembalo) on my computer that is nice and gives me choices of temperaments, ( but i know that might sound like an aberration to You :) ). Thank You

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

@@SergioValenzuela Thank you so very much for your comment and your kind words! I would absolutely recommend getting a real harpsichord if you can--my harpsichord was actually only $2,500 (10 years ago) and I found it on eBay, of all places, so I think it is possible to find relatively affordable instruments (though my harpsichord does need quite a bit of work and isn't super great--I'm actually on the market for a new one, once I can afford it). Sometimes you can get instruments for really cheap in your own community (older amateur musicians sometimes have instruments that they're looking to get rid of), or you can sometimes also get access to an instrument that lives at a church or in someone else's home, though that, of course, has been made more difficult with COVID right now. I highly recommend seeking out a harpsichord if you can, though, because the physical touch of the instrument is totally different! Thanks, again, for your comment and I hope that helps!

@MultiAmadeuss1 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not a musician, but it really helps me to understand baroque music. Thank you so much!

@lawrencetaylor4101 10 ай бұрын

I'm not a musician, but want to learn to play the piano. After more than a year of trying chord theory, I finally heard talk of the Rule of the Octave. And I've had a great month, like I've discovered what I need to learn. Most of what she said was out of my pay grade, but I am starting to learn cadences. I'm no genius, it's taking me some time, but it's satisfying. Merci.

@nectronomeflower4895 3 ай бұрын

How’s it going?

@y11971alex 3 жыл бұрын

You have a beautiful instrument!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@calebmatthews4644 2 ай бұрын

Im so glad I have stumbled upon this channel, thanks so much for the videos they are very helpful :)

@adamburnette6955 3 жыл бұрын

The TEXT! Yes!

@matthiaswynants4857 3 жыл бұрын

I learned more from you than I am learning in my first year of the conservatory now, Thank you!

@jemith 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! What else do I want to learn about continuo playing? Everything, starting from the very beginning. I didn’t have time to learn in college, and suddenly I’m middle aged. I’m so glad I discovered your channel. ❤️

@htr98 3 жыл бұрын

this is a difficult knowledge to find for my reality... But with your videos showing the score and hands, things become clearer thank you infinitely!!!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad my videos are helping you!

@neilwalsh1213 Жыл бұрын

Beautifully put together.

@PianistTanooki 7 ай бұрын

Stumbled across this as I’ve been trying to get into more Baroque music as of late. I’m a pianist, and I don’t intend on learning how to play basso continuo, but I’m very fascinated all the same, and I’ve learned a lot from this video, so thank you!

@mikolajkrakowiak8365 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much you’ve really opened my eyes. I’ve been playing and learning basso for a while now and this is really helpful.

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment and I'm so glad that you found my video helpful!

@nickukiah810 3 жыл бұрын

Wonderful - enlightening, insightful, and concisely and accurately expressed. Thank you!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much for your very kind words!

@alexandrebrasil2845 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, very good explanation and musicality!

@miguelrotaeche8582 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. I have the english edition of the CPE Bach Essay. It has a chapter on Thorough Bass, but I never understood what the numbers meant until I saw you playing the Dandrieu scale with its chords. Then I understood. Thank you again. I think there is a secrecy concerning all matters related to basso continuo that makes very difficult to learn about. Maybe you are not aware because you live in the US, but in the US there is a not written law, coming direct from the Enlightenment, according to which knowledge MUST be accessible to everyone, and this is not so in many other countries. And by the way, I have so much appreciated the conciseness in your video. Congratulations.

@josephbrantley625 3 жыл бұрын

Super helpful! Thank you!

@faustolemos3917 3 ай бұрын

I have to play Handel's Messiah next month and I've never played this style before. This is so helpful. Thank you!

@ADarkandStormyNight 2 жыл бұрын

Outstanding video.

@mfredcourtney5876 10 ай бұрын

Wow. So much to learn. Thank you.

@paigeshort6614 3 жыл бұрын

Super presentation. Thank you so much. I look forward to more.

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your comment and kind words!

@rachelpeham4800 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. I am a bloody beginner in improvised basso continuo, so this is very helpful. 🙏

@harpsichord 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’m so glad you can find it useful!

@bifeldman 3 жыл бұрын

Very thoughtful.

@vaughangarrick 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic thank you so much

@hansmartin828 3 жыл бұрын

Very clear and useful content. Thank you!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm glad you found it helpful!

@GabrielLeni 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible

@claudioyabrudi Жыл бұрын

Nice vídeo, congrats! I like particularly #9. That's what I try to do when playing with my baroque orchestra (sometimes counting more than 60 players), although there are some fellow musicians who prefer to take every opportunity to play passing notes, failing to provide rythm for the group.

@ThiloAbend 3 жыл бұрын

I would like to learn more about continuo playing in recitatives!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

This is a great idea! I'm pretty sure I will indeed to a video on recit playing in the future--thanks for the suggestion!

@eliasgarciasanchez4714 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!!!

@jannesdesmet Жыл бұрын

This was very helpful and well explained!

@harpsichord Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you found my video helpful, Jannes!

@aada7748 10 ай бұрын

Amazing video thank you!!!

@tafelmusik1979 3 жыл бұрын

This is lovely!

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much!

@Asiek 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@ZapataCarratala 8 ай бұрын

Great summary!

@jean-yvesPrax 6 ай бұрын

Thank You Alice, extremely interesting and very clearly explained. Although your video duration is 20' only, it is worth a 400 pages treaty, therefore needing to come back to it, chapter after chapter, like with a school manual. To the "beginners in BC" I can testimony that some subjects that Alice discuss very shortly, such as temperament issue, Rule of the octave, cadences, cycle of 5th (did you mention ?)... actually need years of work to integrate in your BC playing. I'm a lutenist/theorbist, and as you mentioned some general rules and tips are useful for us, other cannot prevail. One of the more important difference is the necessity for us to practice "renversements" (correct term ?) very often - the reason is that we are stringed in 4th, so in many cases it is impossible to play the fundamental AND the 3rd given that they are on the same string ! So all the basic, easy chords 3/5 that your hands find eyes-closed on a keyboard can become an issue for us ! The other fundamental issue is, and JS Bach seems to have forgotten it when he wrote the Lute partitas (on a lautenwerk, i.e. on a keyboard) is that we basically play with 4 fingers only !!! And the next, with a bit humour, is a considerable advantage for the lute/theorbo in ensembles : don't worry to play false notes... nobody ear you !!!

@ApoptoseVideoCrew 3 жыл бұрын

thank you for this

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it! Thank you!

@brandonacevedo8997 3 жыл бұрын

I wish I could like twice

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

How kind of you--thank you so much! I'm so very glad that you found my video helpful!

@c.snoeij1330 3 жыл бұрын

I'll like the video AND your comment ;)

@jessepearson5579 2 жыл бұрын

Momma mia...Your mind excites me much...grazie

@zairavalenz1029 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your video it was very clear. What do you think about transcribing de basso continuo and the inprovisations to learn better to solo

@FeonaLeeJones 3 жыл бұрын

Well stated 😃

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked the video!

@jftsang 3 жыл бұрын

This is really useful, thank you! About not repeating notes - does this include repeated notes in the bass line? Or does one leave that to the cello?

@enjoyer8700 3 жыл бұрын

I play trumpet but I still found this video interesting

@pondreezy 2 жыл бұрын

4:23

@waterbuffalo4225 2 жыл бұрын

Could you do a video about finding the right balance between basso continuo and the main harmony?

@harpsichord 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment--this is a great idea! I'll definitely consider this for a future video, since how much "stuff" you play in the continuo has to do with so many different factors (like size of ensemble, register, performance space, etc.) in addition to just the harmonic structure.

@culturalivrosetc5259 Жыл бұрын

🍷🔥🔥

@jftsang 3 жыл бұрын

Alice, do you have anything to teach us about making the right hand a bit more interesting than just block chords? I notice you are putting in all sorts of passing notes, and I find it really hard to improvise without doubling the melody.

@renematei708 2 жыл бұрын

You can double the melody, especially considering often the continuo-ist played only from his part not even knowing what the others did. Just do not do it on purpose (excluding special early cases). If composed well, very often one will double voices, even though maybe just in inner parts.

@martinh1277 Ай бұрын

I am just a silly Viola Player. This is true! One day I could accompany a recorder. I sat at an harpsichord and just played single notes in the left hand. It was not artificial, but it worked. Sometimes I was sure and pressed some keys with the right hand. This is the reason, why mankind could not imagine music different to BC. 4 voices are taught, but this was not reality. I made music with good ones, which took up to 6 voices. It was louder. The beginner could play piano, the professional piano and forte and anything between.

@alexmontes8152 3 жыл бұрын

Is it true that the small sixth is called like this to differentiate it in the rule of the eighth from the "doubled sixth" 636, the "large sixth" 653, the "simple sixth" 863 and the "petitte sixth" 643...cause of the position of the hand on the keyboard with the fingers so close together?

@alexmontes8152 3 жыл бұрын

When i write small sixth first time i wanted to write petitte sixt

@austin7 3 жыл бұрын

I had a question about doubling. I quite often hear in recordings the harpsichord or organ doubling fugal expositions, particularly the English Canzona and pieces written in Stylus Phantasticus. When do you know when it is appropriate to double entrances in a final context?

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you--a great question! The general consensus from the historical sources is that you *should* double fugal openings (i.e. the beginning of the first exposition) for the first two voices, but generally start playing "regular" continuo with the entrace of the third voice. This is not always clear, however--a Bach example comes to mind right away (though I can't remember what piece. . . maybe part of The Musical Offering???) where there are thick figures right from the beginning of the fugue, but it's unclear whether or not they should actually be played or if they just indicate the harmonies later in the piece (perhaps?). That is an outlier, though, and generally the best and likely most historical approach is is "doubling" the fugal entrances for the first two voices, then switching to not doubling, which is usually also the ways pieces with figures have it notated.

@austin7 3 жыл бұрын

@@harpsichord thank you so much for the well thought out reply! I am so excited I found your channel I really love your videos. I am a science major at University but I have a passion for learning more about harpsichord and baroque music! I hope you continue to make videos for a long time to come.

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Aw, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my channel and that you're finding it useful and informational!

@conforzo Жыл бұрын

It's hard finding a good small harpsichord at a not so outrageous price. What is this one? Who built it?

@bohnulus Жыл бұрын

Hi Alice!!!, I really enjoy your channel CAN YOU HELP ME? What is meant by a '5 b' in Figured bass? a very warm thank you if you can point me in right direction??? the passage was written as a I (5/3) then a ( 5/4/2 ) then a (5 b ) ending on a ( 5/3 ) again,,, all good except for that mysterious ( 5 b ) ?

@harpsichord Жыл бұрын

Hi, Bohne! A 5b usually just means to play a root position chord but with a fifth that is not perfect (so probably either a diminished 5th or sometimes an augmented 5th). It can sometimes also mean to play a 6/5 chord. It will depend on the bass line, however. And that is when the flat is next to the 5; if it is below the 5, it means to play a flat 3rd. Does that help? Let me know if you have any further questions!

@bohnulus Жыл бұрын

@@harpsichord awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s it !!!!! That makes sense !!!!!!! Thank you so much for your concise guidance !!!!!!! It makes sense now it’s essentially telling me it’s a viiø. Yes the baseline went from ‘C’ to a ‘B’ with that ‘previously mysterious ‘5 b’ now it’s clear …. My jazz brain is all good again !!!!! Thank you Alice 👍

@sergeresko 3 жыл бұрын

Please show what the harpsichord typically plays when the rest of the ensemble hold the final note of a piece/movement. For example, in this video: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kLaUnph4xq-omqM.html at the end of the first and third movements. I like this effect very much and would like to learn how it’s produced. Also, if the other instruments play this note in unison (in different octaves), can the harpsichord play a chord?

@pauchalo 3 жыл бұрын

This doubling of the leading tone in Bach's Kyrie though...

@sebastiantoney3373 3 жыл бұрын

I wanna hear some bebop lines in this thing.

@GabrielLeni 2 жыл бұрын

@RAH1861 3 жыл бұрын

Hello. I liked your video very much and it gave me a really good idea of how a continuo is realized. I do have one question, however. On rule #8 - Don't Double. I originally thought you meant don't double any notes. So, for example, if you have a simple sonata for solo whatever, and the instrument plays a G, the continuo chord should not contain a G. I looked through a bunch of sheet music pieces I have and found that they very frequently double notes. So, I listened to your #8 explanation again, and you actually say "the line." So, just to clarify, you don't mean individual notes, you mean the mini-"themes" - phrases - that the soloist plays throughout the piece. Correct? So, for example, if the soloist plays a descending phrase of 4 16th notes, starting on G, the continuo should avoid that (i.e. don't mimic the soloist)? I am an intermediate-level recorder player and occasionally have to make my own continuo using Musescore to make a "play-along" for a piece that hasn't been published with a continuo realization. So I just need to get the basics down. I was all set to go thru my earlier continuos and remove all the doubled notes, but think I may have overreacted. Any help will be appreciated. :)

@harpsichord 3 жыл бұрын

Hi! Thanks for your comment and your question! Your reassessment is indeed correct: chords in the continuo part *can* include the same pitches as the solo line or other parts, the continuo part just shouldn't double melodic (for lack of a better word) material from the other parts. The solo "line," however, generally includes the melodic framework in addition to just the "ornamental" notes (such as the descending 16th-notes starting on G that you gave as an example). So, for example, if the solo line has an A after the 4 descending 16th-notes starting on G, and the continuo player played a chord with a G in the top voice followed by a chord with an A in the top voice, that would still be considered doubling "the line," even if the 16th-notes had not been played by the continuo player. Hopefully that makes sense. Also, it's important to note that avoidance of doubling the solo line is mostly referring to the top voice of the continuo player's right hand--if the chords were instead voiced so that the soloist's line were "hidden" in the middle of the chords, that could be permissible in some contexts. But that can all be somewhat of a tricky issue, both in concept and in actual practice, so it's best just to avoid doubling the solo line in any manner (unless proper continuo voice leading makes it simply impossible), and to use contrary motion (instead of parallel motion) in the continuo part to escape that issue. I hope that helps and please let me know if that doesn't make sense completely or you'd like more clarification about anything. Thanks, again, for watching and commenting!

@RAH1861 3 жыл бұрын

@@harpsichord Yes, what you say is very clear and helps a lot to clarify this. I cannot imagine how harpsichordists play such parts on the fly, but I suppose they figure out at least some of this ahead of time, just as a soloist often figures out his "spontaneous" ornamentation ahead of time. Thanks for the detailed explanation!

@user-ch3jv5pk4o Жыл бұрын

Amazed by you ability to talk 3+ minutes without playing any sample. Didn't watched past that time thus still wondering whether you are played anything or not.