SwarShala: figured-bass reconstruction worksheet
Guide: https://swarshala.com/blog/read-figured-bass-inversion-numbers
Original written exercises. Date: 2026-10-03.

SCOPE AND CONVENTIONS
Modern Roman-numeral analysis, not historical continuo performance.
C4 is middle C. F# means F-sharp; Bb means B-flat; M retains major seventh.
6/5, 4/3 and 4/2 stand for vertically stacked figures, not fractions.
A7/C# is a lead-sheet symbol: its slash names the bass pitch.

SPACING RULE FOR EVERY RECONSTRUCTION
Retain the supplied bass. Use each chord member once. Place every other
member at its nearest pitch above that bass. Figures alone do not prescribe
this particular voicing; the worksheet adds that constraint.

WORKED START: D MAJOR, I6, BASS F#3
Key signature: F#, C#.
I identifies D-F#-A. Triad 6 expands to 6 and 3 above the bass.
F#3 to A3: third. F#3 to D4: sixth.
Answer: F#3-A3-D4. Lead-sheet label: D/F#.

ORIGINAL COMPARISON SET: FILL BEFORE CHECKING
D major throughout. List pitches low to high and a lead-sheet label.
Label      Bass      Bass's chord role     Pitches              Label
I          D3        _________________    _________________    _______
I6         F#3       _________________    _________________    _______
I6/4       A2        _________________    _________________    _______
V7         A2        _________________    _________________    _______
V6/5       C#3       _________________    _________________    _______
V4/3       E3        _________________    _________________    _______
V4/2       G2        _________________    _________________    _______

INDEPENDENT QUESTIONS
For 1-3 give bass role, all octave-labelled pitches, and a lead-sheet label.
1. G major: ii6; bass C4. _____________________________________________
2. D major: V4/2; bass G3. ____________________________________________
3. F major: V4/3; bass G3. Explain the required accidental. ____________
4. Match 6/5, 4/3, 4/2 to third, fifth, seventh in the bass. ____________
5. Repair D major, I6/4, bass A2, answer A2-D3-F3. ______________________
6. Is D major, I6, bass A2 consistent? Retain bass; correct the label.
   _________________________________________________________________

REFERENCE-POINT REPAIRS
A. A learner reads D-major I6/4, bass A2 as D-G-B, counting 4 and 6 from D.
   Identify the wrong reference and reconstruct correctly. ____________
B. In D major, IM6/5 with bass F#3 retains major-seventh quality.
   Reconstruct its pitches and write a lead-sheet label. ______________
C. Isolated altered interval, with no sharps/flats in the key signature:
   a sharp beside figure 6 over F3 changes which note to which note?
   Does this single interval specify a complete chord? ________________

-------------------- ANSWER KEY: COVER UNTIL READY --------------------

Comparison set:
I:    D3 root;    D3-F#3-A3;       D.
I6:   F#3 third;  F#3-A3-D4;       D/F#.
I6/4: A2 fifth;   A2-D3-F#3;       D/A.
V7:   A2 root;    A2-C#3-E3-G3;    A7.
V6/5: C#3 third;  C#3-E3-G3-A3;    A7/C#.
V4/3: E3 fifth;   E3-G3-A3-C#4;    A7/E.
V4/2: G2 seventh; G2-A2-C#3-E3;    A7/G.

Full intervals above bass: root-position triad 3,5; first inversion 3,6;
second inversion 4,6. Seventh chords: root 3,5,7; first 3,5,6; second
3,4,6; third 2,4,6. Inverted seventh figures already imply the seventh.

Independent answers:
1. C is the third of A minor. C4-E4-A4; Am/C. Third and sixth above C.
2. G is the seventh of A7. G3-A3-C#4-E4; A7/G. Intervals 2,4,6.
3. G is the fifth of C7. G3-Bb3-C4-E4; C7/G. F major supplies Bb;
   B-natural would change the collection to Cmaj7/G.
4. 6/5 = third; 4/3 = fifth; 4/2 = seventh.
5. F3 must become F#3: A2-D3-F#3, D/A. F-natural makes D minor,
   conflicting with the supplied I in D major.
6. No. A is the fifth of D major. I6/4 is the corrected label.

Reference-point repairs:
A. Count from the supplied bass A, not the root D. A2-D3-F#3; D/A.
   The figures do not instruct adding scale degrees 4 and 6 to the root.
B. F#3-A3-C#4-D4; Dmaj7/F#. M specifies quality; 6/5 the inversion.
C. D4 becomes D#4. A sixth is counted above F3. The single altered
   interval does not supply a whole chord or its Roman numeral.

Final self-check: key/numeral -> chord identity; bass/figures -> arrangement;
signature/alterations/quality -> exact spelling. Never erase an accidental
to force an unfamiliar figure into a memorised inversion table.