AFTERTONE · SCORE GUIDE
Bach Inventions: practise two independent voices
Choose a short passage before choosing a speed. The aim of this routine is to keep two musical lines audible, with their own entries, rests and phrase endings. Use it with a score you can read slowly; it is a practice framework, not a fixed fingering or tempo prescription.
1. Choose by what you can hear and read
The collection number is a way to find a work, not a lesson sequence. Read the opening of BWV 772 and BWV 777, then choose the one whose rhythm, key signature and hand positions you can follow without repeatedly stopping. The library’s level labels are approximate, and a two-page score can still demand careful coordination.
Bach’s preface connects these pieces with learning to manage parts and to play in a singing manner. That makes listening to the lower line as a melody a useful starting point. It should have shape and direction, rather than becoming a quiet stream of notes underneath the upper line.
References: [1]
2. Learn one line without losing the pulse
Pick a short passage, often one or two measures. Play the upper line alone and count through its rests. Repeat with the lower line at the same pulse. Notice where a line begins after a rest and where a held note continues while the other line moves. Those moments often need more attention than a run of short notes.
Decide on workable fingering before increasing speed. If a position change repeatedly breaks the line, practise the approach and the arrival together. Starting only at the difficult note can hide the movement that causes the interruption.
3. Combine the lines, then change your listening focus
- Play both lines at a pace where you can keep counting. Listen mainly to the upper line on the first pass.
- On the second pass, listen mainly to the lower line. Check that its entries and endings remain recognizable.
- For a brief balance exercise, let one line project a little more, then exchange roles. Return to a musical balance afterwards; the exercise is not a permanent accent pattern.
- Join the passage to its neighbour with a small overlap. Begin before the join and play beyond it, so the connection is practised as part of the phrase.
4. Use the sound to choose the next exercise
| What you notice | What to try |
|---|---|
| The lower line disappears. | Play it alone, then restore the upper line quietly while listening to the lower phrase. |
| The pulse changes at each entry. | Count through the preceding rest and practise from before the entry. |
| Each segment works, but the join fails. | Practise an overlapping segment that crosses the join. |
| Pedal makes the lines hard to distinguish. | Try a short passage without pedal to hear note lengths, then reassess the pedal for the musical context. |
5. Finish with a check you can repeat tomorrow
Record one short attempt if convenient. Listen once for an even pulse and once for the lower melody. Write down one precise next step, such as “count the rest before the lower entry” or “keep the held note through the hand change”. Increase the working tempo only when the same passage remains clear on repeated attempts.
Before moving to a three-part Sinfonia, try following one of the two lines silently while playing the other. Adding a third voice asks for another independent line of attention; finishing the Inventions in numerical order is not itself a readiness test.
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Sources & notes
The source supports the work identification and preface context. The practice sequence above is an AFTERTONE editorial suggestion, not a quotation from Bach or a teacher-reviewed fingering edition.