Music theory
What is counterpoint in music?
Counterpoint is the writing of two or more melodies that sound at the same time and each make sense on their own. It differs from harmony not in its notes but in its point of view: harmony asks what chord this is, counterpoint asks what each line is doing. Both describe the same music — a Bach fugue has chords in it — but only one of them explains why the inner parts are interesting.
Counterpoint against harmony
In harmonic thinking, a progression comes first and the notes fill it in. In contrapuntal thinking, the lines come first and the chords are what happens where they meet.
That difference shows in the result. Music written harmonically tends to have one melody and accompaniment; music written contrapuntally has several melodies, and the listener can follow any of them.
Neither is better. Most Western music since 1750 leans harmonic, most before it leans contrapuntal, and almost everything contains both — a bass line that walks convincingly is counterpoint whether or not anyone calls it that.
What makes lines work together
Independence of rhythm. If two lines move in identical rhythm the ear hears one thickened line. Staggering them — one holds while the other moves — is what keeps both audible.
Contrary motion. Lines moving in opposite directions stay distinct; lines moving in parallel merge. This is the practical root of the old ban on parallel fifths and octaves.
Controlled dissonance. Dissonance between the lines is not avoided but placed: it appears on a weak beat or as a suspension, and it resolves by step. The tension and its resolution are what give the texture forward motion.
Singable shapes. Each line should be one a voice could actually sing — mostly stepwise, with leaps followed by motion in the opposite direction.
Species counterpoint in one paragraph
The traditional teaching method, codified by Fux in 1725, adds one difficulty at a time against a fixed melody called the cantus firmus. First species: one note against one, consonances only. Second: two notes against one. Third: four against one. Fourth: syncopated, introducing suspensions. Fifth: all of them combined, called florid counterpoint.
It is a training exercise rather than a compositional style, and its value is that each species isolates a single problem. Composers from Mozart to Schoenberg learned this way, and the habits it builds — step motion, contrary motion, prepared dissonance — outlast the exercise.
Where you already hear it
A canon or round is the simplest case: the same melody against itself, delayed. «Frère Jacques» is counterpoint that children sing without instruction.
A fugue is the elaborate case: one subject, entering in each voice in turn, developed against itself for the length of a piece.
In popular music, counterpoint appears whenever a bass line or a guitar figure is memorable in its own right rather than merely supporting — Paul McCartney's bass playing is the standard example, and so is any horn line that answers the vocal instead of doubling it.
Trying it yourself
Write a simple eight-note melody, then write a second line under it using only notes a third or a sixth away, moving in the opposite direction whenever the first line moves.
Play both. Where it sounds thin, the two lines are probably moving in the same direction; where it sounds muddy, they are probably too close together. Both are fixable by moving one line, not by changing chords.
That exercise is first species in everything but name, and it teaches the point of the discipline faster than the rules do.
Common questions
What is counterpoint in music?
Two or more melodies sounding at the same time, each making musical sense on its own. The chords that result are a by-product of how the lines meet rather than the starting point.
What is the difference between counterpoint and harmony?
Point of view, not material. Harmony asks what chord is sounding; counterpoint asks what each line is doing. The same passage can be described both ways, but only counterpoint explains why the inner parts are worth hearing.
What is species counterpoint?
A teaching method from Fux's 1725 treatise that adds one difficulty at a time against a fixed melody: one note against one, then two, then four, then syncopated, then all combined. It is an exercise rather than a style.
What are the basic rules of counterpoint?
Keep the lines rhythmically independent, favour contrary motion, prepare and resolve dissonance by step, and write lines a voice could sing — mostly stepwise, with leaps answered by motion the other way.
Is a canon counterpoint?
Yes, the simplest kind: the same melody set against itself at a delay. A round like «Frère Jacques» is counterpoint that singers perform without ever using the word.
Does counterpoint appear in pop music?
Whenever a second line is interesting in itself rather than merely supporting — a bass part with its own melodic shape, or a horn figure that answers the vocal instead of doubling it.
Write the second line and listen
Put a simple melody in the studio, add a line beneath it moving the opposite way, and play both. Whether two lines stay separate is something you hear in one pass, not something you calculate.