Counterpoint Review
General Rules:
Begins at interval 1
Ends at intervals 7 → 1, raise the 7th scale degree of the cadence in a minor key
No more than three 3rd and 6th intervals in a row
No more than one p5 and 8th intervals in a row (no parallel 5ths/8ths)
Leaps must resolve by a step/skip in the opposite direction
Cantus Firmus must end at intervals 2 → 1
No melodic leaps of augmented intervals, diminished intervals, sevenths, or
greater than an octave
In 1st and 3rd species, leaps should not exceed a 6th interval
Besides 1st species, no skips or leaps across the bar line
Only one highest note (climax) per counterpoint exercise
No downbeat dissonances or ties in 2nd and 3rd species
no skips to (std) or skips from (sfd) dissonances
Step: 2nd interval
Skip: 3rd interval
Leap: 4th interval and above
Cadence: Indication of the end of the exercise
Consonant Intervals: 8(u), 3, p5, 6
Dissonant Intervals: 2, 4, 7, d5/a4
Voice Exchange: notes trade intervals, find a skip to a 3rd, always 3rd and 6th intervals, use contrary motion
Passing Tone: passing through a dissonance
Neighbor Tone: Going up/down to a dissonance and going back up/down
Types of Motions:
Parallel - notes move up or down by the same intervals
Similar - notes move up or down in the same direction, different intervals
Oblique - one note moves up or down, one note stays the same
Contrary - notes move up or down in opposite directions
First Species:
1v1 notes
Only consonant intervals
One tie allowed
Avoid unison besides first and last notes
Second Species:
2v1 notes
Dissonances must be approached and left by a step, no STDs or SFDs
Dissonances must only be on the second beat
Consonant skip and multiple leaps allowed, but keep leaps confined to the measure
Raise the 6th and 7th scale degree in the cadence in minor keys
Third Species:
4v1 notes
mostly steps with an occasional leap usually ends in unison'
Start at the Octave when writing counterpoint below
Double Neighbor: Beat 1 and 4 are the same, neighbors in between must be dissonant, 1st beat of next measure must be the same as 2nd beat of previous measure
Fourth Species:
1v1 notes but shifted by two beats, always begins with a half-note rest
Use ties over the bar line as much as possible, when not applicable treat it like 2nd species
Cadence will always be 1 → 7 → 1 or 5 → 7 → 1
never tie from a dissonance, only consonants
Structure usually goes Preparation (consonant) → Suspension/tie (dissonant) → Resolution (consonant)
Downbeat dissonances are allowed as long as it’s tied to the previous note
Up to three suspensions in a row, then must leap up to a consonant interval if the resolution is consonant
Dissonant downbeats must be resolved by a step down
Must break into 2nd species with a second beat dissonance
Allowed Suspensions: 4 → 3 (no more than three in a row), 7 → 6 (no more than three in a row), and 9 → 8 (only one in a row)
General Rules:
Begins at interval 1 (unison or octave); fifth is also allowed if counterpoint is in the upper voice.
Ends at intervals 7 → 1 or 2 → 1; raise the 7th scale degree (and 6th degree if approaching from below) in minor keys at the final cadence.
No more than three 3rd and 6th intervals in a row to maintain independent voice contours.
No more than one p5 and 8th intervals in a row (strictly avoid parallel 5ths and parallel 8ths).
Avoid hidden/direct 5ths and 8ths (similar motion into a perfect interval, especially in outer voices).
Leaps must resolve by a step or skip in the opposite direction to rebalance linear motion.
Cantus Firmus must end at intervals 2 → 1.
No melodic leaps of augmented intervals, diminished intervals, sevenths, or intervals greater than an octave.
In 1st and 3rd species, leaps should not exceed a 6th interval (minor 6th preferred; avoid major 6th leaps).
Besides 1st species, no skips or leaps across the bar line.
Only one highest note (climax) per counterpoint exercise, avoiding pitch repetition or monotonous oscillation.
No downbeat dissonances or ties in 2nd and 3rd species.
No skips to (std) or skips from (sfd) dissonances; all dissonances must be approached and left by step.
Step: 2nd interval (major or minor second)
Skip: 3rd interval (major or minor third)
Leap: 4th interval and above (perfect 4th, perfect 5th, minor 6th, octave)
Cadence: Indication of the end of the exercise featuring standard stepwise voice leading formulas
Consonant Intervals:
Perfect Consonances: 1 (unison), 8 (octave), p5 (perfect fifth)
Imperfect Consonances: 3 (major/minor third), 6 (major/minor sixth)
Dissonant Intervals: 2 (second), 4 (perfect fourth in two-voice writing), 7 (seventh), d5/a4 (tritones)
Voice Exchange: Notes trade intervals by skipping to a 3rd, always using 3rd and 6th intervals in contrary motion.
Passing Tone: Stepwise melodic movement passing through a dissonance between two consonances in the same direction.
Neighbor Tone: Melodic step going up/down to a dissonance and returning step-wise to the original consonant pitch.
Types of Motions:
Parallel
Both notes move up or down in the same direction by the exact same interval
Similar
Both notes move up or down in the same direction, but by different numerical intervals
Oblique
One voice moves up or down while the other voice remains on the same pitch
Contrary
Voices move in opposite directions (strongly preferred for maximum voice independence)
First Species (1:1 Note-against-Note):
1v1 notes (whole note against whole note)
Only consonant intervals allowed on every beat
One tie allowed per exercise if necessary
Avoid unison except on the very first and last notes
Maintain contrary and oblique motion as much as possible
Second Species (2:1 Two Notes against One):
2v1 notes (two half notes against one whole note per measure)
Beat 1 (downbeat) must always be consonant; Beat 2 (weak beat) can be consonant or dissonant
Dissonances must be approached and left by a step (passing tones only); no STDs or SFDs
Dissonances must only be placed on the second beat
Consonant skips and multiple leaps allowed on weak beats, but keep leaps confined within the measure
Raise the 6th and 7th scale degrees in the cadence in minor keys
Third Species (4:1 Four Notes against One):
4v1 notes (four quarter notes against one whole note per measure)
Beat 1 must always be consonant; Beats 2, 3, and 4 may contain dissonances (passing tones, neighbor tones)
Mostly steps with an occasional leap; usually ends in unison or octave at the final measure
May begin with a quarter rest on Beat 1, starting the counterpoint on Beat 2
Start at the Octave or Unison when writing counterpoint below
Double Neighbor (Nota Cambiata): Beat 1 and Beat 4 are consonant framing pitches; neighbors in between include a dissonant step down, a leap down a 3rd to a consonance, followed by a step up.
Fourth Species (Syncopation / Tied Counterpoint):
1v1 notes but shifted by two beats (half notes tied across the bar line); always begins with a half-note rest
Use ties over the bar line as much as possible; when tying is not possible, treat it like 2nd species rules
Cadence will always be 1 → 7 → 1 or 5 → 7 → 1 in the upper voice (or 2 → 3 → 1 in lower voice counterpoint)
Never tie from a dissonance; ties must originate from a consonant preparation
Structure usually follows: Preparation (consonant weak beat) → Suspension/tie (dissonant downbeat) → Resolution (consonant weak beat)
Downbeat dissonances are allowed as long as tied from the previous note
Up to three suspensions in a row; then must leap or step to break the pattern if resolution becomes parallel
Dissonant downbeats must strictly resolve by a step down to a consonant interval
Must break into 2nd species with a second beat dissonance when suspensions cannot be formed
Allowed Suspensions: 4 → 3 (max three in a row), 7 → 6 (max three in a row), and 9 → 8 (only one in a row); in lower voice counterpoint, 2 → 3 is standard.