How Bach Uses Counterpoint – BWV 996 Allemande

Sorry about the audio quality in this video! I forgot to turn on the phantom power for my microphone, so I had to use the audio recorded by my camera for my voice. In this video, I take a closer look at the Allemande from J.S. Bach’s BWV 996 and explore some of the counterpoint ideas Bach uses throughout the piece. I look at how Bach combines stepwise motion, arpeggios, consonance and dissonance, and how the different voices interact with each other. We’ll look at examples of 9ths resolving into 10ths, 7ths resolving into 6ths, tritones resolving into consonances, and how Bach approaches perfect consonances through contrary motion. One thing I find especially interesting is how Bach creates a constant feeling of tension and resolution. Rather than looking at every note as a separate chord, I try to follow the individual voices and see how the dissonances resolve through voice leading. Finally, I experiment with some of these ideas in my own Baroque-inspired improvisation and see what we can take from Bach and use in our own playing. Guitar diagram colors: 🟢 Green = Notes from E minor ⚫ Black = Raised 6th & 7th 🟣 Purple = Chromatic / secondary-dominant notes If you enjoy the video and would like to support my work, check out my Patreon. I share additional material there, and if you’re interested in private guitar lessons, you can also contact me through Patreon. Support me on Patreon / Contact me for private lessons: patreon.com/ImprovisingBaroquewithJohnathan Thanks for watching!