Garron5899

Yea thanks for the excellent explanation! I did not see the outlining of the tritone from the 5th to 6th measure at all. I guess it was the change of measure that threw me off. With regards to the cross relation, I read about it briefly in another harmony book ("A Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony" by Tchaikovksy) and I think understand what you're saying now. I guess I just didn't have enough practice with the cross relation concept to apply it to this figure. I have been trying to decide between studying harmony vertically and/or horizontally and I have still failed to come to the conclusion on which topic I should study first. I read in other books that you should study Counterpoint first because you will have better, melodic voices. But yet, I have also heard that colleges teach harmony vertically first and teach Counterpoint second. I haven't been able to figure out this contradiction. With regards to your advice, I am currently taking piano lessons with an instructor who is also teaching me harmony as well. I plan on going to college soon. Also, I agree that there are a lot of inconsistencies in a lot of the music books. I have noticed that in both the books I am reading.

This is the figure I'm talking about: http://postimg.org/image/uj11xx2jx/

Hi guys, I just joined this site and I have my first question about counterpoint. Currently, I am studying 3rd Species in Two Parts (Chapter 3) and while I was analyzing one of the figures that Fux completed as an example (Figure 55), I noticed that in some places Fux placed a flat before the B note and in other places he didn't (thus a natural B note). Furthermore, Fux goes on to explain that he used the flats to avoid "harsh relations with Mi against Fa". I just don't understand how it could pertain to Mi against Fa. As previously stated in the book, Mi against Fa was explained as the tritone (Augmented Fourth/Diminished Fifth), but when I was analyzing one of the measures that used the flat on B the note sequence was: D, C, Bb, & A descending against the Cantus Firmus tone D. The following measure was: Bb, C, D, E ascending against the Cantus Firmus tone G. In my amateur eyes, I don't see anything that has to do with the Tritone harmonically. My only remote guess would be that he flatted the B because of the fact that it progresses into A which is a whole tone combination that is a part of the Tritone. Am I right? Sorry for the incorrect grammar in the title, I tried to edit it but it wouldn't change lol.