Does Anyone Actively Use Figured Bass?

[Deleted]

Does anyone here actively use figured bass to compose their music? I am currently re-familiarizing myself with figured bass and finding the process to be very painful. I am assuming the pain will be temporary but truthfully, I would like to know if anyone incorporates the usage of figured bass in the making of their compositions OR is this something that immediately goes out the window once you actually start to work on a new composition?

[Kevin]

Not me Anne, I just sit down and wait!

[steve]

Can't speak for anyone else, but certainly not me! I barely consider anything these days - just see what's waiting to come out and play. Probably should put a little more thought and "learning" into the process, but just can't seem to get any results that way. The very few times I feel I've written anything even half way worthwhile, it is always spontaneous at the start - with clean up later. Never such academics at the start.

[Kevin]

Maybe if anyone does, other has some knowledge, they would like to share. Along the lines of the brilliant instruction on canon writing that we had a while ago.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the feedback to my question. I think, then, that I will not hold up my attempts to compose over the fact that I do not grasp figured bass very well. However, I do know from the experience of having done endless exercises on chord progressions in my university harmony classes that this type of mental work is immensely valuable even if it doesn't feel like it is when you are struggling with it. As much as time allows me, I will probably try to combine some exercises in figured bass along with a few in counterpoint as I begin to prepare to write a composition for the competition here. And thanks for the tip on the conversation about writing cannons Kevin! I will be studying the thread carefully (asap).

[Kevin]

I am sure that some of you have looked into this but this might help.

www.ars-nova.com/CounterpointStudy/figuredbass.html

[Deleted]

That looks to be a very useful link. Thanks Kevin!