Topmusicanswers
Figured bass, also called thoroughbass, is a kind of musical notation in which numerals and symbols (often accidentals) indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones that a musician playing piano, harpsichord, organ, lute (or other instruments capable of playing chords) play in relation to the bass note that these ...
What do accidentals mean in figured bass?
Accidentals in Figured Bass
Sometimes you see an accidental (#, b, or ♮) under a bass note, or next to a number below a bass note. ... If you have just a “#” or “b” below a note in figured bass, that means the note a 3rd above it will be sharpened or flattened.
What does a sharp mean in figured bass?
If a sharp, flat, or natural appears alone in the figures, it tells you to alter the note a third above the bass as indicated. ( ♯ = ♯3)
