Understanding ground bass
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify, understand and compose a ground bass, using bass clef.
Key learning points
- A ground bass is a short, repeated bass line that repeats throughout a piece, forming the structure of the music.
- Ground bass was popular in baroque music but repeated chord sequences are still common in today's pop music.
- A ground bass tends to start on the tonic note to reinforce the key.
- A ground bass finishes on the dominant or leading note which naturally wants to return to the tonic note to start again.
- Composing a ground bass
Keywords
Ground bass - a short, repeated bass line that repeats throughout a piece, forming the structure of the music
Baroque - a period in Western music between 1600 and 1750
Tonic - the first and most important note in a scale (often referred to as the home note)
Dominant - the fifth note in the scale, which often feels like it needs to resolve to tonic
Leading note - the seventh note in the scale, which often feels like it needs to resolve up to tonic
Common misconception
A ground bass pattern should finish on the tonic as it 'sounds' finished.
The final bar of the piece should finish on the tonic note, but until that bar, the pattern wants to repeat. Finishing on the dominant or the leading note naturally helps the music return to the first note of the pattern, which should be the tonic.
Teacher tip
Pupils may feel comfortable using the notes from the octave below middle C and moving out of position and they can be directed to do that.
Equipment
Keyboard instrument
Licence
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