Counterpoint/Individual voices/Scale and length

A voice in counterpoint should be relatively short and not have too much range. In this lesson, we will explore why this is and what to do to avoid it.

Length

As you already know, a counterpoint subject will most likely appear multiple times within a piece and should be recognizable. A subject should therefore be somewhat short and simple so the listener doesn't forget the subject that one may be listening to. Remember, however, to not make a subject too short. If it isn't long enough, the subject will become meaningless.

This means that most subjects should consist anywhere from eight to sixteen notes.

Scale

Similar to the length of a voice, voices should keep established tones, so the lowest tone and the highest tone should not be too far apart. In total, the difference between these two tones should be anywhere from a 5th to two octaves apart.