What does an isolated horizontal dash mean in figured bass notation

1. What do dashes mean in figured bass?
2. How do you read a figured bass symbol?
3. What does a slashed 6 mean in figured bass?
4. What does a 7 in figured bass mean?

What do dashes mean in figured bass?

A dash under a movement indicates that voice does not move. The movement is usually accomplished by notes of equal value. In the example below, the 8-7 movement is shown in quarter notes -- note values half the length of the other voices.

How do you read a figured bass symbol?

How to Read and Write Figured Bass

1. If the bass note is the root of a Seventh chord, then there is a “7” written below it.
2. If the bass note is the 3rd of a Seventh chord, then there is a “6 5” written below it.
3. If the bass note is the 5th of a Seventh chord, then there is a “4 3” written below it.

What does a slashed 6 mean in figured bass?

Taken alone, they refer to the 3rd above the bass: C minor G major. F# minor. Otherwise, they accompany a figure and mean "do this to that note." A slash through a numeral (usually 6) means "raise."

What does a 7 in figured bass mean?

A seventh chord in root position would be 7/5/3 if completely figured. In practice this is abbreviated to just "7." A seventh chord in first inversion would be 6/5/3, and is abbreviated to 6/5. A seventh chord in second inversion would be 6/4/3, and is abbreviated to 4/3.