Counterpoint is - as you said - two or more melodic simultaneous melodic lines that are independent.

Independent means not similar. This includes being rhythmically different, moving in different directions, and even forming different sets of intervals between the melodies. The more independent the melodies are, the more counterpoint-like they are.

Surprise, harmonic interest, melodic inventiveness... these are all hallmarks of good music, but all of these can be created without the use of counterpoint.

It's fairly easy to write boring counterpoint. Just blindly follow the rules.

That's because the aren't recipes for writing music. They're "rules of thumb", in the sense that they warn you of things you should generally avoid, because doing some things makes the music difficult to sing or play, or melodic lines that aren't independent.

These "rules" aren't really complex, either. Once you understand them, they'll seem like common sense.

For example, there's the classic prohibition to avoid parallel octaves and fifths. It's not because it sounds bad - in fact, it often sounds great. The problem is that voices moving in the same direction (parallel movement) and on strong consonances (octaves and fifths) lose their independence, and no longer sound like counterpoint.

Compelling musical ideas are interesting, and so tend to break rules. That's because the value of doing something musically interesting outweighs the value of doing something musically safe.

Music that never breaks rules tends to be bland and boring. Music that breaks too many rules is difficult to follow and understand.

Counterpoint isn't good or bad in an of itself. But done artfully, it can create some of the best effects in music, where two or more different melodic lines weave together to create harmonies, rhythms, and counterlines that clash and resolve.

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?