Figured Bass

Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note. Figured bass is closely associated with basso continuo, an accompaniment used in almost all genres of music in the Baroque period, though rarely in modern music.

Other systems for denoting or representing chords include: plain staff notation, used in classical music, Roman numerals, commonly used in harmonic analysis, macro symbols, sometimes used in modern musicology, and various names and symbols used in jazz and popular music.

Read more about Figured Bass:  Basso Continuo, Figured Bass Notation, History, Contemporary Uses

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