Hi, I'm Pedro. Today.
I've got a quick tip for you about harmonizing melodies by
thinking in terms of chord and modal color.
This can be a great way to help you justify your chord choices
rather than just haphazardly finding a chord that fits.
It's a conscious effort to create harmonic colors by
thinking about the relationship between your melody notes and
the chords you choose, with the aim of creating a certain
emotional impacts and overall moods.
This approach can also be another way to create extended
chords and also a door to using model modulation in your music.
If this sounds interesting to you, then let's look into it.
First of all, what do I mean by color?
I'm referring to the overall harmonic effect of when the
chord is heard with a specific melody note.
Let me give you a few examples illustrating how different this
E note will sound depending on the chord you choose.
As you heard. Not only that note assumes a
different character depending on the chord type.
Major, minor, diminished, but also what the note is in
relation to the chord you choose while being a 9th, 1/6, or 1/3
of that chord. So this is one of the aspects of
the harmonization process that involves choosing the chord for
the effect it creates when it's played against a note in the
melody. Now let's look at what usually
happens, which is choosing a chord that is to be played over
a melodic part, or in other words, a chord over a bunch of
notes. What we are looking for is a
chord that together with the melody helps to flesh out the
sound of a modal color, let's say.
And before we continue, just a quick reminder that if you are
uncomfortable with what modes are and why they sound like they
do and under what circumstances, please find the links in the
description taking you to the block pages.
That will get you up to speed on that.
OK, so let's hear some examples of what I suggested.
It's a four bar melody that I harmonized with two different
chords from the same key. See major in this case, while
trying to explore those model colors.
For the first example I chose the modes Dorian and Mixolydian,
while on the second example I using the same melody I colored
it with the modes Lydian and Phrygian.
As you noticed, the character of the melody changes quite a bit
depending on the harmony that goes with it, so the next
consideration is of the utmost importance.
What do you want to say? If you don't know where you're
going, it's easier to get lost. So at least you should have a
good idea of the general vibe or mood that you are trying to
create or where you want to surprise your audience so that
you choose your chords and colors accordingly and at the
right spots. This means that you need to
familiarize yourself and integrate in your harmonic
vocabulary how the different chord type sound, the harmonic
sound of a 9th, a 6th or a seventh in a chord, and in the
same way the sound of the different modes, so that you can
make more informed choices and have more control over the
emotional impact of your music. Up until now, we have only
considered the modes within a key, but what if you want to add
extra color to your melody and bring in chords from outside
that key? Let's consider this short melody
in the context of C major. With an emphasis on the note, DI
chose the next chords with a certain disregard for the other
notes, as long as they wouldn't sound too out of place.
So the D could either be the 9th of C major, the 9th of C
diminished, but also the sharp 11 of A flat major, or the minor
7th of E major. What you just heard was the
result of the exercise for finding a cord that fits.
But the caveat for this approach is perhaps that it's too open
and the possibilities are gigantic.
It works too, don't get me wrong, but choosing chords with
an intention serves as a guide throughout the harmonization
process, So let's stick to it and try to avoid being swallowed
by the amount of possibilities. And with that said, although we
will be bringing in chords from other keys, the method is the
same as before to create the model color through the
interaction of that group of notes with the chord we choose.
Now, depending on how far the key is, you may have to adjust
the melody. If that isn't the problem,
here's how that melody we've previously used could sound.
Remember that the reasoning behind this harmonization
process is what color or mode could I bring forth if I make
this chord interact with that bit of melody?
And of course, the fact that you wish to create the harmonic
surprise, which is what we are exploring in this case, and
that's why we changed the melody.
However, if you don't want to have significant changes to your
melody, if at all, pay attention to the melody notes that are
going to be harmonized and pick keys with chords that could go
along with it, like in this example.
So I picked chords and modes from the key of G and from A
melodic minor to explore the mixoleidian flavor without
making any changes to the melody.
Since these key areas are close, it's relatively easy to get away
with this approach, and in this final example, I only altered
melody notes in one of the bars, the 3rd for dramatic effects.
The chords and modes came from the related F minor, melodic and
A flat major. By focusing on the interaction
between the melody and the chord, you can create modal
colors that aren't immediately obvious.
As such, this is a great way of subtly introducing surprises in
your music as the shift in harmony adds depth, surprise,
and a new emotional dimension for this technique called modal
modulation. So far we have been using triads
and leveraging on the melody notes to have a richer harmonic
color, but you can definitely play with the respective chords
including the extensions you are implying.
Like in the following example, where instead of the G major
triad, you can have AG9 chord that is basically including some
of the notes present in the melody.
This way you'll be enhancing the overall color through the
harmony. Another aspect to consider is in
the creation of model chords. Simply put, these are chords
that, when played, already carry or imply the sound of that mode.
Think of the notes that help to bring forth that model color and
include them in a chord, as I'll show you in the next examples.
This is a great way of making sure that you come across with
the intended modal color without having to rely too much on the
melodic movement. All right, so that's the tip for
today. This approach isn't about
overcomplicating things. It's about listening closely to
your melody and by thinking in terms of color.
Each note in your melody has the potential to express a wide
range of emotions. You're not just finding a chord
that fits, you are sculpting the emotional landscape of your
music. Harmonize with color in mind and
experiment with the role of the melody notes in the context of
the chord you choose. It's a small shift in
perspective, but it can lead to amazing harmonic discoveries.
If this sparked any ideas for you, let me know in the
comments, I would love to hear about it.
And if you wish to take your melody harmonization skills a
step further, check out the course Mastering the Art of
Harmonizing Melodies and also the Beyond Music Theory book and
blog. The links as always are in the
description. And also as always, don't forget
to like and subscribe for more videos like this.
Thanks for watching and until next time.