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I can't figure out what a "6——" means in figured bass. The bass notes are C and A.

Figured bass with "6——"

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    Please include an image with this notation (and some context, perhaps a bar before and after).
    – user1079505
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 16:48
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    The figure 6 indicates a 6 chord: play a third and a sixth above the note that is marked with the figure 6. The horizontal lines mean that the chord doesn't change even though the bass notes are changing. However, there's no need to draw a horizontal lines over an A that follows a 6 chord over C, since with or without that horizontal line you would play a normal triad, the third and fifth above A. Without an image of the notation, therefore, the question is a bit confusing.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 17:53
  • Is this an exercise from a music theory workbook or something similar?
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 24, 2022 at 8:33

3 Answers 3

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This is a so called extender and specifies that the given chord note should be held for the given duration. As others have pointed out in this case this is rather useless, as the first chord would be a sixth chord on the c, so C-E-A, and this would tell to hold the A. But the next chord would be A-C-E anyway.

A more useful case would be something like this:

enter image description here

The extender specifies that the raised third should be held for all chords while we get suspension on the harmony.

Or in a case like this

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it tells us that the 6 (a E) should remain and the 4 (C) should go into a minor 3 (Bb).

Or in a case like this

enter image description here

it tells us to keep in the 2-chord instead of switching to f-major.

Here is a more intricate example of this where you can see why this matters:

enter image description here

EDIT: For @user1079505 an example of a changing bass line:

enter image description here

or

enter image description here

or

enter image description here

But these things tend to only happend when either the bass has some ornamentation or when the bass switches to different notes of the same chord.

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    None of these examples show a line over moving bass line.
    – user1079505
    Commented Jan 23, 2022 at 6:38
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    @user1079505 Added some examples of that kind.
    – Lazy
    Commented Jan 23, 2022 at 12:40
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    So if we have a line over a moving bassline, do we change upper notes at every bass note or not?
    – Dekkadeci
    Commented Jan 23, 2022 at 14:02
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    @Dekkadeci Usually not. But this is a reason why using such an extender on a third->root situation can even be confusing.
    – Lazy
    Commented Jan 23, 2022 at 14:11
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The note that corresponds to 6 vertically determines the chord. That chord holds throughout that line in question. Hence it is all "A minor" (supposing that there are no flats-sharps). Firstly the 3rd (C) is in the bass, and then the root (A) is in the bass.

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It means that you should play a sixth above the C (the written "6") and then continue to hold that note (the horizontal line) while the bass continues to A.

In other words, play an A and hold it through both bass notes.

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  • Anyway you play A over A, so there's no need to write a line here. Either the figured bass is incorrect or the question isn't describing it clearly.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 17:54
  • @phoog The line indicates the note should be held (i.e., a tie) and not rearticulated.
    – Aaron
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 17:59
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    That's not correct. Figured bass does not convey that degree of specificity.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 22, 2022 at 18:09

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