LESSON ONE (continued):
SETTING MELODY
Obviously, you can't be expected to set all of your thematic material in octaves or unisons all the time. Nor will you necessarily be interested in creating complex contrapuntal countermelodies for every single theme you write.
One approach to this is to create "thickened" melody. For example, if my phrase was a rising scale of C major "C - D - E - F - G", harmonized going from C major to G major, you could easily consider using the notes of the first harmony (C major) as a jumping off point, and simply "parallel" your rising phrase until you reach the target harmony of G.
A prime example of this sort of treatment is Ravel's
Bolero. In that piece you will find myriad instances of the main theme being not so much harmonized as "thicked" with harmony - sometimes quite pungent harmony (major 7ths at one point).
Your job when orchestrating a melody is to decide at what point the "harmony" can return to unison/octave treatment. Remember that this sort of thickened melody is not actual harmony nor counterpoint but a simple thickening of the texture. Since all the voices are moving in the same direction they do not sound as independant entities.
N.B. This is also one of those examples of "strict counterpoint" rules coming into effect OUTSIDE of the context of any actual counterpoint. If your goal is to create countermelody, then thickened melody will NOT sound as independant voices. If your bass part is acting as a part of that thickened melody, then it does not have true independance from the melodic material either. This is one of those instances where the idea of parallel octaves between the soprano and bass, even in a non-tonal context, can be detrimental to the overall effect of your music. If you let the bass and melody coincide too often you are simply creating a very wide thickened melody.