Putting Chords to an Existing Melody

What you should get from this section:

After completing this section, you should be able to take an existing melody and put chords, and
a bass line to it to create a strong structure.

There are several things you can do to help you put a chord progression to an existing melody
that will make your life a lot easier. Here are a few of them:

 The first thing you should try to do is work out what key it’s in. This will make it a lot
easier, as if you know what key you’re playing in, you can pick chords from that key (see
section on theory). How do you do this?

 Well, first of all, play the melody. Are there lots of sharps or flats in there? If so,
look at the key signatures in the theory section and see what ones match the notes you’re
playing. Do they match any particular key? If there are F#’s in the melody, but C
naturals, then it might be in G. If there are lots of Bb’s and Eb’s but natural A’s it may be
in Bb major.

 If that hasn’t helped, then see what note the melody starts and finishes on. Quite often
a melody will start and/or end on the note of the dominant chord in the key. So if it’s in A
for example, it will quite often start on that note and/or end on that note.

 It could be in the relative minor key. Every Major key has a relative minor key, which
contains the same notes, and the same chords as the Major; it simply starts on a different
note. For example, in the Key of C Major, the relative minor is Am. So if the piece looks
like it’s in C, but starts and/or finishes on A, it’s probably in A minor. The way to find
the relative minor key from each Major key is to simply count up 6 notes from the root.
For example in C Major: C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6 (And this is the minor key).
Note how it’s different from the A Major key.

 Try putting a simple bass line to the melody. As bass lines are fairly easy to write, you
should have no problem with this. Once you’ve got the bass line, take the root notes and
use the chords that they correspond to. See if it fits.

 Try putting a standard chord progression to the melody. For example, I, IV, I, V (In C
this would be C, F, C, G). The reason this might work is that the way our Western
musical ears are “tuned”, we automatically follow certain musical patterns without even
thinking about it, subconsciously creating melodies that fit in with the “norm”.
  Strip the melody down to its bare essentials. Take out all the notes that aren’t totally
necessary to the overall feel of the melody, and see if that makes it easier once you’ve got
down to the core of the melody.

Here is an Example of how I’d put chords to a melody. Let’s start with a melody that everybody
knows. Amazing grace:

Well it’s in the Key of C Major for a start (it’s easy as I wrote it down in that key, but I DID
work it out...honest)

So the notes in the 2nd bar are C and E. So it’s in C Major, the first accented note is a C, and the
notes in the bar are a C, and an E which are the root and third of the C Major chord. Do you
think a C chord might work here? Let’s try it…Ok, that works!

Next bar. The notes are an E and a D. The E lasts for the majority of the bar however, so let’s
concentrate on that note. We’ll try an Em as it’s the obvious choice, but if you play it, it doesn’t
sound very good so let’s discard that chord. Am also has an E in it, so let’s try that chord.
Ahhhhh much nicer, so we’ll stick with that!

The next bar contains a C and an A so Am could work again here, but I have a hunch that we
should go back to C. Ok that works well.

Where did my hunch come from? I thought it was an appropriate place to change the chord, and
we’d just been on Am so I assumed that C would work, and as the main note in the bar is a C it
stood to reason that it would fit.

Next bar only contains the note G. As the chord G is in our key, and it seems obvious, let’s try it.
. . Bingo! It works.

The next bar is the same as the 2 nd bar so I think it’s safe to try a C there.. Yep, it fits.

Next bar again, same as the third so we’ll stick an Am in there and it works a treat.
The next TWO bars seem to stay on G, so let’s try a G chord holding it for two bars. Do you
think that worked? Yes it did, so it seems we have a chord progression here that’s working. If we
play the second half of the song using exactly the same chords, it works fine.

The only difference is the last two bars where we need to finish up with two bars of C Major,
instead of two bars of G Major.

So this is what it looks like with the chords added:

So what guidelines did this melody follow??

 We ascertained the key as C Major.

 All the notes were in the key, which made it easy. No accidental sharps or flats.
 The first AND last chords were C Major, so it followed that basic rule.
 All the chords were within the key.
 By taking the main notes of the melody, we were able to attribute chords to them pretty
easily.

So what did you learn in this section?

 How to take a basic melody and break it down bar by bar to find out what chords would
fit.
 Different methods of working out the chords within a melody.
 How to ascertain the key a melody is being played in.
 How to work out the relative minor keys of the Major key.

Exercise:

 Take a couple of melodies, either well known ones, or ones of your own creation, and
using the techniques above, work out what chords would fit with the melody. Then using
your composing skills, add nuances to it to make it a little more interesting.
Chord Melody Workout, part I by Darrin Koltow

This lesson is a set of exercises for intermediate level guitarists to improve their chord melody
playing. Specifically, these exercises help you:

 Play chord melody arrangements

 Flow a melody line over the crucial ii-V7-I progression
 Play basic chord substitutions
 Train your dog to bake brownies
 Teach your fingers to "see" the chords connected to arpeggios and the arpeggios
connected to chords
 Find that drill bit that fell behind the workbench last July
 Learn how chords work together

Okay, pause, take a deep breath. Now, continue. The Chord Melody Workout, or CMW,
can also help you:

 Create solos
 Apply intervals as chord substitutions
 Read a newspaper upside down
 Improvise
 Learn chord voicings
 Navigate the fretboard better
 Tell Aunt Sophie what you *really* think about her
 Much, much more. Batteries not included.

Let's listen to an example of chord melody playing. Click here to hear me playing one of the
exercises in this article.

How to build chord melody skills?

What exactly do you have to know to play chord melody arrangements? Let's try this list on for
size:

 A melody to play
 Chords to play. This means
o chord quality or type, from notated/written charts, memory, what your ear hears,
or a message from God
o the voicing of that chord that will put the melody note on top
  How to see, hear and play the melody connected to the chord, and the chord connected to
the melody.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Let's expand on some of these points.

Where are we getting our melody? To create CMW, I chose a super simple but instructive
melody: one based on a continuous arpeggio that runs over a ii-V-I progression. A melody like
this is ideal for writing exercises for a number of reasons: it's musical, the patterns it uses make it
easy to see the underlying chords; it's easily changeable: you can vary the rhythm, the starting
notes, and lots of other elements.

As for what chords to play, this is explained above. What about the voicing, though? What does
it mean to know the voicing of a chord that puts the melody on top? That means you can play a
chord shape that fits the harmony, *and* that has the melody as its top note. At the least, this
means, for example, that I can play four different C7 chords in each CAGED position: a C7 with
the C on top, a C7 with the E on top, and C7s with the G and Bb on top.

Now, how do you see, hear and play the melody connected to the chord, and the chord connected
to the melody? As I mentioned, when you're working with a melody that's a simple arpeggio,
getting to the chord shapes from the melody shapes, and back again, is pretty straightforward. In
general, an arpeggio shape outlines its associated chord shape and vice versa.

Did I lose you? I hope not, because there's some serious, skill building, finger licking, toe-
tappin', knee-slappin' fun coming, as we present the CMW workout itself.

The CMW Exercises

The CMW workout contains 40 exercises that build the skills mentioned a little while ago. This
breaks down to 8 for each CAGED position. The first eight of those 40 are presented here. These
8 focus on the C major CAGED form. The actual key is F major.

In each of these exercises you'll be mixing chords and arpeggios over a I-ii-V-I phrase,
developing a strong sense of the connection between chords and melody, and having a grand
time doing it. You'll no doubt develop your own ideas for more exercises as you work through
CMW.

Are you ready now for the first 8 exercises? Here's the tab.

CAGED C (F major)
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------5--------|
|---------6-------|-------6-8-6-----|-------5-8-5-----|-------6-6-6------|
|-----5-7-5-7-5---|-----7---7---7---|-----5---5---5---|---5-7---5---7-5--|
|---7-----7-----7-|-5-8-----8-----8-|-5-8-----8-----8-|-7----------------|
|-8-------8-------|-5---------------|-7-------7-------|-8----------------|
|-8---------------|-6---------------|-6---------------|-8----------------|
Degree 1, ascending

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-6---------------|-6---------------|-5---------------|------------------|
|-5-7-5-------5-7-|-7-7-----------7-|-5-5-----------5-|-7-5-----------5--|
|-7-----7---7-----|-8---8-5---5-8---|-5---8-5---5-8---|-7---7-------7----|
|---------8-------|---------8-------|---------7-------|-8-----8-5-8------|
|---------5-------|-6-------6-------|---------6-------|---------5--------|
Degree 1, descending

|---------5-------|---------6-------|-------6-8-6-----|-----5-8----------|
|-------6-6-6-----|-----6-8-6-8-6---|---5-8---8---8-5-|---6--------------|
|---5-7---5---7-5-|---7-----7-----7-|-5-------9-------|-7-------7-5------|
|-7---------------|-8---------------|-8-------8-------|-7-------7---7----|
|-8---------------|-5---------------|-7---------------|-8-------8-----8--|
|-8---------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
Degree 3, ascending

|-5---------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-6-6-----------6-|-8-6-----------6-|-8-5-----------5-|-6----------------|
|-5---7-5---5-7---|-7---7-------7---|-5---5-------5---|-5-7-5-------5-7--|
|---------7-------|-8-----8-5-8-----|-8-----8-5-8-----|-7-----7---7------|
|---------8-------|---------5-------|-7-------7-------|---------8--------|
|---------8-------|---------6-------|---------6-------|---------5--------|
Degree 3, descending

|-------5-8-5-----|---------6-------|-------6-8-6-----|-----5-8----------|
|-----6---6---6---|-----6-8-6-8-6---|---5-8---8---8-5-|---6--------------|
|-5-7-----7-----7-|---7-----7-----7-|-5-------9-------|-7-------7-5------|
|-7-------7-------|-8---------------|-8-------8-------|-7-------7---7----|
|-8---------------|-5---------------|-7---------------|-8-------8-----8--|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
Degree 5, ascending

|-8-5-----------5-|-6---------------|-6---------------|-5----------------|
|-6---6-------6---|-6-8-6-------6-8-|-5-8-5-------5-8-|-6-6-----------6--|
|-7-----7-5-7-----|-7-----7---7-----|-5-----5---5-----|-5---7-5---5-7----|
|-7-------7-------|---------8-------|-5-------8-------|---------7--------|
|---------8-------|---------5-------|---------7-------|---------8--------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------8--------|
Degree 5, descending

|-----5-8---------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|---6-------------|-----------------|---------5-------|---------6--------|
|-7-------7-5-----|---------7-------|-------5-5-5-----|-----5-7-5-7-5----|
|-7-------7---7---|-----5-8-8-8-5---|---5-8---8---8-5-|---7-----7-----7--|
|-8-------8-----8-|-5-8-----------8-|-7---------------|-8-------8--------|
|-----------------|-6-------6-------|-6---------------|-5----------------|
Degree 6, ascending

|-----------------|---------------6-|-8-6-----------6-|-8-5-----------5--|
|-----------------|-----------6-8---|-8---8-5---5-8---|-6---6-------6----|
|-7-5-----------5-|-7-------7-------|-9-------5-------|-7-----7-5-7------|
|-7---7-------7---|-8-8-5---8-------|-8-------8-------|-7-------7--------|
|-8-----8-5-8-----|-------8---------|---------7-------|---------8--------|
|---------5-------|-6-------6-------|-----------------|------------------|
Degree 6, descending

How did it go? Before you move ahead, make sure you can play this smoothly with a
metronome, and that it *feels* right to you.

Once you've mastered the first 8 exercises, take a look at a summary of the remaining exercises.
Use this table as a checklist.

Progression CAGED Starting note (from chord tones Direction (ascending or

No. Form
1 C
2 C
3 C
4 C
5 C
1, 3, 5, and 6) descending)
1 Ascending
1 Descending
3 Ascending
3 Descending
5 Ascending
6 C 5 Descending
7 C 6 Ascending
8 C 6 Descending
9 A 1 Ascending
10 A 1 Descending
11 A 3 Ascending
12 A 3 Descending
13 A 5 Ascending
14 A 5 Descending
15 A 6 Ascending
16 A 6 Descending
17 G 1 Ascending
18 G 1 Descending
19 G 3 Ascending
20 G 3 Descending
21 G 5 Ascending
22 G 5 Descending
23 G 6 Ascending
24 G 6 Descending
25 E 1 Ascending
26 E 1 Descending
27 E 3 Ascending
28 E 3 Descending
29 E 5 Ascending
30 E 5 Descending
31 E 6 Ascending
32 E 6 Descending
33 D 1 Ascending
34 D 1 Descending
35 D 3 Ascending
36 D 3 Descending
37 D 5 Ascending
38 D 5 Descending
39 D 6 Ascending
40 D 6 Descending
You can find the tab for the remaining exercises on TrueFire.com. The price is only one dollar.
Click here to check it out. Before you take off, remember you can contact me with *any*
questions you have, unless the topic is the Physics of Flan or something like that. Have fun!

"How To Match The Melody Notes Of Any Song

To A Chord In Your Left Hand!"

If you've ever wondered how you can know which chords go with which melody notes, I've got good
news for you!

It's easier than you might think to learn how to go about matching the melody notes (the tune) of
any song to the appropriate chords. It's really a simple 2-step process, once you understand it, but if you
don't know the secret, you can wonder about it for years. But if you learn it now, you will know it the
rest of your life.

Back when I was a teenager learning to play the piano, it used to puzzle me which chords to use with
which melody notes:

"I wonder how those top pianists know which chords to use? I mean, they don't always use the C
chord to harmonize the C melody note, or the D chord to harmonize a D in the melody, and so on -- so
how do they do it?"

A few years later I had the extremely good fortune to find a teacher in Hollywood by the name of
Dave. He was THE teacher -- he taught many of the recording artists and names you would recognize --
plus a young aspiring piano player named Duane (me). And he showed me how to go about matching
the melody notes of any song to the appropriate chords.

That changed my musical life. I didn't have to wonder any more -- I knew for sure which chords went
with which notes, and when and why.

It's really a simple process once you understand it, and it has to do with knowing just 2 facts:

Fact 1: There are 3 basic chords that will harmonize any note, and that note is a member of all 3
chords. For example, in the key of C there are 3 basic chords (in music theory they are known as
"primary chords") that are organic to that key because they are the only 3 chords that occur as major
chords without having to add any accidentals. Those chords are the C chord, the F chord, and the G
chord -- also known in music theory as the I chord, the IV chord, and the V chord (Roman numerals are
used in classical music notation). So if you play any note of the C scale -- C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C -- you can
harmonize that note with one of the 3 primary chords -- either C, F, or G -- because all of the notes in
the C scale are members of one or more of those 3 chords.

Fact 2: These 3 chords rotate as the melody moves through the song, so pick the chord that has that
melody note in it. For example, let's say you are trying to pick out "Silent Night"
by ear, and you start on G. Simply ask yourself "Which of the 3 primary chords -- C, F, or G --
has the G note in it? The answer is both the C chord and the G chord. So you try one, and
if it doesn't sound quite right, try the other. Before long you will be sensing which chord
is the better choice. Like in any subject, there is a learning curve, but it's not a steep learning
curve -- especially when you enjoy what you're doing!

Then once you master the primary chords, you can widen your scope to "cousin chords"
(known in music theory as "secondary chords") then later on you can add "neighbor chords" and "color
chords" and all kinds of other exciting variations, and then the sky is the limit in terms of improvising
and making up your own musical sounds.

For a complete course in matching chords to melody notes, please click here or on the banner below:
Which Chords with Which Notes? Harmonizing a Melody

I wish more songwriters would do the melody-first method. Coming up with

the melody after endless strumming of chords can often result in a tune that is directionless and
uninspiring. What probably scares writers off of writing a melody first is… how do you
harmonize it?

___________

Download “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle, and discover 11

principles vital to your songwriting success!

______________

Getting a bit of understanding with regard to chord theory is always a great idea. If you can’t
read music, you might feel tempted to resort to a kind of random process of applying chords to
melody. But good songwriting is not usually a random process. And while through the random
process you may eventually come up with chords that sort of work, it’s better to understand why
certain chords harmonize certain notes, and how chords should ideally progress.

Here are some tips for adding chords to your melody:

1. Every song needs a basic harmonic rhythm. It’s the frequency of the chord changes. For
many songs, chords will change every four to eight beats. Determine what it will be for your own
song. This usually means identifying the time signature for your song. If your song exhibits a
continuous STRONG-weak-STRONG-weak pattern, you’re probably in 4/4 time.
2. Identify the key of your melody. Often the first and (especially) last notes of your melody
will be the key note (tonic) of your song. Once you know the key, you’ll be able to identify the
three chords that you’ll uyse the most: I, IV and V of that key (for example, in A major, you’ll
find that A, D and E will be the chords that work best.
3. Chords will usually change on strong beats. This means that beats one and three of every
bar of your song will be good spots for you to change chords.
4. Identify the melody note on the strong beat. Usually the note or two after it will also offer a
good clue as to what the chord should be. Let’s say your melody has the notes A and C# at the
beginning. These are two notes from the A chord, and it’s a safe bet to use that chord. But you’ll
also find that the notes A and C# also exist in F#m, so consider that chord as well.
5. In general, your chord progressions will start on the tonic chord, then go to the IV-chord,
moving on to the V-chord, then return to the I-chord. There are other chords you can use, of
course, but that I – IV – V pattern will be a workhorse that will work well for you.
6. The faster your song, the less frequent your chord changes should be. Changing chords
frequently in a fast song makes the song sound frantic, and so unless you’re looking for that
effect, make chord changes less frequent in faster tempos.

If you don’t know what those Roman numerals mean, or if you want to learn the more complete
story behind why some chords work better than other ones in your song, my e-books “How to
Harmonize a Melody”, “Essential Chord Progressions”, “More Essential Chord Progressions”
and “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting- Chord Progression Formulas” will explain it all to
you in great detail, and will provide you with pages and pages of chord progressions you can use
right now in your songs.
16 Responses to “Which Chords with Which Notes? Harmonizing a Melody”

1.

SunZoo Studios: Abi Says:

April 9, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Wow Gary what a great post!

You are so right.

Traditionally i’ve seen ballads and pop songs writen in this manner.

I have also noticed the Urban market does not (for the most part) use this technic, there is
special attention to the flow first, creating a solid ground for the writer (s) instead.

Loved your post and thank you!!

Reply

2.

strugmo Says:
April 9, 2009 at 9:49 pm

Good point about songwriters often doing the chords first and then the melody … But
harmonizing under a written melody can get complicated depending on the genre etc…

Reply

3.

Mikel Says:
April 11, 2009 at 1:14 am
 This “process” or “formula” can work well for the beginning songwriter, but the formula
provided in this article (I refer mostly to the types of chords used) may produce a
functional and familiar pop sound, but is also a very unoriginal sound. Though a beginner
may find these tips useful, they may also find their song will sound almost exactly the
same as every other pop song out there, dating as far back as the 70s, depending on the
genre.

I say nothing beats having a strong theory background or knowledge. I agree coming up
with the melody can be a strong way to start, I only propose the suggesting the I-IV-V-I
chord progression as the “work horse” may not be very apropos for someone looking to
create something original.

I’m new to songwriting, but my background is in music composition; that being said, my
suggestion would be to decide the melody, and when considering your chords, do
whatever makes the melody sound interesting to the ear (for instance, non-chord tones,
which were never mentioned in the article). Just be sure that, however you choose your
chords, your chords are functional (which functional rules also depend on the
genre/style).

Reply

travis crum Says:

December 24, 2011 at 9:55 pm

you are absolutely right about a strong theory/harmony background. your local
community college should have classes in theory, piano and sightreading/ear
training…working out of the Ottman book you can eventually learn to
harmonize/reharmonize working only from a linear melody…anyone who is too
lazy to learn thoeory or ‘doesn’t need it’ is probably either a poor songwriter or a
stone genius…

Reply

4.

garyewer Says:
April 11, 2009 at 6:21 pm

Mikel: I quite agree with most points in your post. I didn’t mention non-chord-tones in
this article because in most cases, before a songwriter ever gets to NCTs, the basic errors
in harmony involve improper use of chords, and a misunderstanding of chord function.
 I’ve always been a believer in the knowledge of music theory as the main way to open
one’s eyes to the creative possibilities in songwriting. My advice in this particular posting
was to those struggling with getting songs to work in the first place. And for those
songwriters, originality of harmonic expression may not (perhaps should not) be the first
concern. Getting melodies to click with harmonies at a fundamental level should be a
priority. Originality should follow that.

I appreciate your comments.

Reply

5.

NadaySaxJah Says:
November 24, 2009 at 8:00 am

Amazing Article , I thought it was special

I look ahead to more similar postings like this one. Does your website have a RSS I can
subscribe to for anymore information from you?

Reply

6.

garyewer Says:
November 26, 2009 at 3:22 pm

The RSS feed for my blog is:

feed://garyewer.wordpress.com/feed/rss/

Glad you enjoyed the article!

-Gary

Reply

7. Cool Site – Essential Secrets of Songwriting Blog | Fitzternet Says:

January 23, 2010 at 11:19 pm

[...] Which Chords with Which Notes? Harmonizing a Melody [...]

Reply
8.

Michael Grove Says:

May 14, 2010 at 2:14 am

Well in part I agree with you when you say that using the chord-first method generally
results in bland and/or meaningless melodies. In fact, most of my most loved songs
obviously were written in the melody first method. Incidentally, I believe I am cursed.
Although I lack any decent knowledge of music theory, I have a very good musical ear,
seeing as I’ve been listening to my father play Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc, on his
booming Grande Piano ever since I could breath. Why do I think I’m cursed? I absolutely
fail at doing the melody-first method, and yet I am astoundingly good at creating in depth
and inspiring chord progressions. All my friends are in awe when I play these chord
progressions, and yet when it comes to writing melodies, my mind is completely blank. I
don’t know what to do. Learning music theory is certainly a step in the right direction,
but I don’t have the time or money.

Reply

9.

garyewer Says:
May 14, 2010 at 7:42 am

Michael:

There are many that find the melody-first method difficult. And while I say that melody-
first allows you to concentrate on the melody above all else, there’s something to be said
for starting with that thing that you do well. If your chord progressions are good, you may
not need much of a melody to partner with it.

For now, you may want to try writing melodies with no accompanying harmonies, simply
as an exercise. Try writing simple, short melodies, and save them in a notepad. You’ll
probably find that your skill in this regard simply needs to be practiced, where chords
come quite naturally.

-Gary

Reply

10.

Peter Jenkins Says:

August 9, 2010 at 3:31 am
Great Article Gary All very valid, The Beatles according to Paul were very much into
working from a set of chords, but would improve and replace as the song took shape.

“Substitution By Function” was something they learned

very early in their writing. I.E. a Tonic for a Tonic a Dominant for a Dominant and a Sub
dominant for a Sub Dominant

Pauls Song “The Long And Winding Road” is a wonderfull example of delayed
resolution, and the clever use of Bass Inversions. plus of course Sustitution by Function

I think it’s a choice of what suits the writer’s, and working from a set of chords does not
always lead to a song that
sounds generic or one that has a “Been Done Before’ feel ,.a mix of the two methods and
being free to alter and re write, is the choice all writers have.

As always your articles or very helpful. to both new writers

and even established ones.

Peter Jenkins P.J.Xanadu Music Publishing U.K.

Reply

garyewer Says:
August 9, 2010 at 8:25 am

Hi Peter:

Thanks for your comments. Your example of “The Long and Winding Road” is a
good one, especially for chord inversions. Another writer with a good grasp of
chord inversions and how to properly use them is Elton John.

Thanks again!
-Gary

Reply

travis crum Says:

December 24, 2011 at 10:05 pm
 ..as a fairly proficient writer and arranger myself, i certain don’t work according
to a set formula for every tune…some songs come from a melody, some all at
once, some from ripping off a good chord progression or riff, some from random
screwing around with chords, etc …i dont believe that any book or method can
teach a person to write music…you have to follow your own muse

Reply

11.

PianoPlonker Says:
December 23, 2010 at 5:55 pm

Top stuff! Your post perfectly covers the building blocks of songwriting; without this
knowledge we’d all be left high and dry. I’ve recently posted on a subject very similar to
this, I’d love for you to have a look:

http://pianoplonker.wordpress.com/

Reply

12.

Evangelist David Says:

November 15, 2011 at 8:16 am

i luv dis site becos am bless.

Reply

13.

Evangelist David Says:

November 15, 2011 at 8:23 am

I know dat i wil become a gud singer daddy in thy lord.

Reply
In Giant Steps Part 1 we had a look at some simple melodic ideas that we can use to outline the
Coltrane Matrix. Now we will look at some harmonic ideas to outline these same changes. We
are going to take a look at two ways (3rds and 7ths and 3 to 7 triads) to outline the changes to
Giant Steps that are both easy to apply and that will sound hip in any situation.

1) Thirds and Sevenths

The first harmonic idea that we will use over the matrix are the 3rd and 7th of each chord. By
using only the third and seventh of each chord we allow ourselves to move quickly through the
changes while outlining the harmony at the same time.

Even though we do not have a root in our voicings, these two note chords outline the harmonic
function of each chord.

 The 3rd will tell us whether the chord is major or minor

 The 7th will tell us whether the chord is major, dominant or minor seventh

If you have never used these voicings before try playing them without any accompaniment and
hear how the changes are outlined without the root being present. These voicings are similar to
what a piano player would put in their left hand when comping through a tune. As we get used
to these new voicings we will start to add notes on top of the 3rds and 7ths that will be similar to
what a pianist would put in their right hands when comping.

Example 1

In this example the 3rds and 7ths are used beginning with the 3rd as the lowest note of the first
chord, Bmaj7. Notice how the voice leading allows us to stay in one position, even though we
are navigating through three different keys. Staying in one position will allow us to quickly
move between each chord even at fast tempos.

As you have probably already noticed there is no 7th in the first chord voicing, Bmaj7. In
order to avoid a perfect fifth interval, which tends to sound out of place in certain situations, we
are using the 6th instead. The 6th is a common substitute for the 7th in a major seventh chord
and it allows us to use a perfect fourth interval instead of a perfect fifth.
Example 2

In this example the first chord, Bmaj7, has the seventh as the lowest note. Notice how we are
using the 6th, E, instead of the 7th over the Gmaj7 chord to avoid the perfect fifth interval.

For the purposes of this article we will only look at these two positions, but if you find that these
chords come easy to you, and you want to explore them further, try starting with the seventh of
Bmaj7 on the fifth string, or the third of Bmaj7 on the fourth string. This will give you two more
areas of the neck where you can outline these changes, which in turn allows you to cover the
entire neck at any given time.

Example 3

Now that we have a handle on the 3rds and 7ths by themselves we can add a third note to our
chord above each grip.

In this example we will begin by adding the 9th to the Bmaj7 chord and the D7 chord. Notice
how the 9th of D7, E, is also the 6th of Gmaj7, and the 9th of Bb7, C, is the 6th of Ebmaj7. Even
though we are using the same note over two different chords the quality of that note changes
when the thirds and sevenths change underneath it. So, we are now getting twice the mileage out
of one note by keeping it as a common tone between the two chords. Players like Lenny Breau,
Ted Greene and Ed Bickert were masters at this technique of using common tones on top of 3rd
and 7th voicings.
Example 4

Now we will start by adding the 6th to the Bmaj7 chord, and the 13th to the D7 chord. Instead
of keeping this note for two chords as in the previous example, we will now voice-lead the line
down by whole steps through the progression. The 13th of D7, B, leads down to the 9th of
Gmaj7, A, which then leads down to the 13th of Bb7, G, before finally settling on the 9th, F, of
Ebmaj7.

Using a moving line on top of 3rd and 7th voicings gives our comping a sense of melody that is
often missing when we use other chords such as drop 2 and drop 3’s. This approach really helps
when interacting with a soloist as the moving line can feed ideas to the lead player and vice
versa.

Example 5

In this example we will add a fourth note to our first group of chords that will help give our
voicings some added thickness. Notice how the upper line uses a mixture of leaps and steps to
create a melodic idea throughout the phrase. The use of the C# on the Gmaj7 chord adds a
Lydian flavor to the chord that can be used to inspire our soloist to explore more tonal colors in
their blowing.
Example 6

In the final example using 3rd and 7th voicings we will add a fourth note to our second group of
chords. This melodic line makes use of three #11 tones, over Bmaj7, D7 and Bb7. Again, this
gives our comping a Lydian and Lydian Dominant flavor that can be used to color our chords
and inspire our soloists to use different modes in their lines.

2) Three to Seven Triads

The next chord type that we will apply to the Coltrane Matrix is called the 3 to 7 triad. These are
triads that are built off of the 3rd, 5th, and 7th of each chord. By playing triads off of the third of
each chord we can use a simple structure that we already know, in a new situation to create fresh
and interesting comping patterns.

Notice the types of triads for each chord:

 Major seventh chords: the 3 to 7 triad is a minor chord.

 Dominant seventh chords: a diminished triad.
 Minor seventh chords the 3 to 7 triad is major.

Example 1
Here the progression is voice lead beginning with a root position triad on the first chord.

Example 2

Now we will begin our comping pattern with a first inversion D# minor triad over the Bmaj7
chord.

Example 3

And finally we will begin our progression with the second inversion D# minor triad over the
Bmaj7 chord.
After you get these particular voicings under your fingers try playing them on different string
sets, and if you want to sound really modern try spreading them out over four strings with a skip
between the first and second, or second and third note of each triad (see example 4 in the next
section to see spread triads in action).

3) Melody Harmonization

Now that we have looked at different ways to comp through the changes of the first four bars of
Giant Steps we can apply these voicings to a chord melody over the same section of the tune.

Example 1

In this example we are using 3rd and 7th voicings with the melody note added on top.

Example 2

Now we will invert the voicings so the 7th (or 6th on the Bmaj7 chord) is the lowest note of each
chord.
Example 3

In the following example we can apply our 3 to 7 triads to each melody note.

In this case we will start the progression with a second inversion triad since the fifth, F#, is the
melody note. The only change we have to make to our triads is during the Bb7 chord. Since the
13th, G, is the melody note we can’t use our 3 to 7 voicing in this situation. Instead we can use a
G minor triad, which is built off of the 13th of the Bb7 chord. This will allow us to keep the G
on top of the chord, as well as give use the third, D, and the root, Bb, in our voicing. Using a
minor triad built from the 13th of a dominant chord, or the 6th of a major7 chord, is a common
triad substitution.

Example 4

Here is an example of the spread triads discussed earlier. Notice how they have a “modern”
sound to them, but still maintain the familiar sound of the triad.
Now that we have explored some of the possibilities of these voicings over the first four bars of
Giant Steps try applying them to the entire tune. You will find that by using simple chord
voicings we can focus on rhythm, time and feel, while outlining the changes, instead of worrying
about jumping around the neck or grabbing a big grip on the next chord.

How to Add Piano Chords to any Melody

Edited byMartyn P and 10 others

Article

Edit Discuss History

Remembering chords and then adding them to a melody can involve changing keys rapidly and
carefully -- but most of them seem complicated to pronounce (Thankfully the practiced mind and
body can handle notes quickly and confidently.) and so that seems intimidating... How do you set
about adding chords to a melody? Many chords can be pretty easy, and really fun to figure out,
and add color and expression to your melody without writing bass clef lines.

Edit Steps

1. 1

Know that (usually) the left hand takes care of chording using arpeggio, called broken chords,
or the usual unified chords for the left hand to play for tenor and bass notes in the scale while
the right hand is usually playing the melody and/or alto part(s)...

2.

Find the key; so for example, C major is the easiest; it is called the common key/common
chord. (And, it helps if you understand at least the basic chords and some music theory for
harmony, etc.)

3. 3

Figure out the notes of the melody. You have to make the chords fit the melody notes -- not the
other way around. Try to avoid clashing notes. There are several ways to do this. If the song has
a "left hand" look in it, and if the structure isn't too complicated, listen to the section you're
putting a chord into and decide if it is major or minor.

4. 4

Suppose you have notes G and C in the melody and the song is in the "key of G Major," try
playing a C Major chord (C-E-G) arpeggiated and try a G Major chord (G-B-D) arpeggio
(breaking the chords). Unless the song is really complicated, one of those should fit. By simply
analyzing the section in which you're placing a chord, the tonic (first note, I) of the melody
 chord/key will usually be seen here and there in the bar(s) of the melody where you are looking
to fit your chord.

5. 5

Find chords in the major scales as the I-IV-V: that means the Tonic(I), the Subdominant(IV), and
the Dominant(V) based on circle of notes of the key of the song. For the minor scales the roman
numerals for chords are lowercase i-iv-v: that's the tonic(i) subdominant(iv) and dominant(v)...
Write these down somewhere so you can refer to them, because they will come up a lot in
theory of harmony!

6. 6

Write the chords (when they are decided upon) above the words using the most common
chord progressions.

country music
 country music

Write the chords (when they are decided upon) above the words using the most common
chord progressions. You can start by using chords I and V (first and fifth) "of the scale of the
key" are very commonly used. So the 1st chord of the scale for the key C Major is the tonic (I) "C
Major" chord (C-E-G) and then chord "(V) is G Major" (G-B-D) and so use whichever sounds
better in progressions upward and downward in different parts of the song...

7. 7

Include these progressions which are commonly used: I IV V I -- I vi IV V -- I ii IV V -- vi IV I V -- I

V vi iii IV I ii V where each numeral means to use the chords named by the notes in that key's
"circle of notes" with the "tonic" as 1st (I) "doh" of the key on up to the (VII) 7th and then
"recycle."

o
 Just repeat these chords to the beat if you're not sure, and write down the one
that sounds the nicest. Don't be afraid to mix them around if you find another
chord sounds nicer!
8. 8

Play chords in normal order, low to high: like "C-E-G", generally -- and then when it is necessary
to consider changing the chord (consider usual chord progressions). The chord is highly
dependent on which melody notes are being used in that part of the song. So an understanding
of theory is helpful -- if for example: the notes of the melody are in the key of C (C-E-G) then you
have the sub-dominant "4th chord (F)" which fits right in, or chord the "fifth chord (G)", and of
course "B (the VII)" may work as it closely relates to "G7", and naturally D, F chords may be
comfortable, all being in, of or near C Major.

9. 9

Use that C chord inversions (which are not in order low to high) to use when the chords on the
song do not change, but then you can have a slightly different sound by the inversions. Thus,
depending on what notes are used like high notes "G or A" in the melody then the second
inversion of the C chord could accompany this group.
 10. 10

Understand that if the lower notes B through D are used in the melody, then the fundamental
or root position of the C chord would be used. If, however, the higher notes (E, F, or sometimes
G) are used, the first inversion of C would be played to give a different tonality.

11. 11

Do you want to write your melody although you may not read music well. Many a musician
can play in a rhythm section -- does not read much music -- but learns and plays harmony to the
melody by blending among other instrumentalists by ear (improvising).

o The notes of the melody are not the first consideration for strumming, picking, and
arpeggio piano chording kind of musician... who is in key and harmonizes to the key, but
is not really "clued" to knowing the exact melody line or harmony theory...
 One may be a good recording session player or band member par excellence by
knowing chords inside and out without reading the sheet music, ie: for purposes
of commercial/professional entertainment or church music!
12. 12

Join professional ranks using "Nashville lead sheet/Nashville notations" of numbering (not
lettering) the chords. This allows chording any key as the tonic to a melody and to allow easy
key changes by counting up and down by musical steps and 1/2 steps (sharps and flats)...

Edit Tips

 Keeping in mind changing keys on piano that the musical alphabet goes from A - G and then you
"recycle" letters/notes from the beginning -- notice in the Circle of Notes: I, III, V, are always the
"doh,mi,soh." The key may have an interval of 1/2 (with sharps and flats, called "accidentals"),
or one or so between the notes to form straight forward triads/trichords, and for a "G7" it
would be I, III, V, VII (G-B-D-F), "doh,mi,soh,te," again with an interval of one between the notes,
ie: tetrads/a tetrachord.
 Clearly the keys that have sharps and/or flats become more involved in choosing chords to
sound better/best.
 It helps a lot if you play an instrument, but there are readily available piano/synthesizer
software chooses in the market for writing chording even free one for arpeggiating jazz and such
for this purpose.
 A study of music theory (at least on chords) is highly recommended.

Edit Warnings

 Watch out for harmony conflicts. Sometimes your chords might not be in accordance with
melodies.
  When asking someone who claims to understand harmony and to be musical for help, first
check his/her credentials, or there may be much "unlearning" to do once you learn the wrong
stuff.
 This is not an easy process for precision harmony parts, especially if you are playing the melody
with one hand and the chords with the other hand for vocal parts (voicing).
 Sometimes for experimentation purposes and for practicing coordination development, or a
"bass clef" with higher notes may be found in some songs so that the right hand may take care
of chording those higher notes instead of the left hand doing the usual chords down below
middle C...

Edit Things You'll Need

 Musical knowledge
 A piano
 A tune

Edit Related wikiHows

 How to Change Musical Keys on a Piano

 How to Create Chord Progression for a Song
 How to Improvise on the Piano
 How to Learn Many Chords on Piano Using Two Shapes and the Numbers 1 to 5
 How to Play Major Chords on a Keyboard
 How to Play Chords in Music
 How to Write The Vocal Melody for Music
 How to Work Out Which Key You're In
 How to Accompany a Singer on Piano
 How to Harmonise a Chorale in the Style of Bach
 How to Enjoy Playing the Piano

Articles for You to Write

Here is a list of suggested articles that have not yet been written. You can help by researching and
writing one of these articles. To get started writing one of these articles, click on the red link of a title
below.

 How to Read Complicated Guitar Sheet Music

 How to Understand Sheet Music
 How to Read Melody on Guitar Tab
 How to Accompany a Musician
 How to Read Piano Chords and Chord Progressions
No

How to Instantly Figure Out Chords to

Simple Melodies
by Jermaine Griggs · 11 comments

in Chords & Progressions,Gospel music,Theory

Before I teach you the secrets to instant harmonization of melodies, check out these 2-minute audio
examples I created back in December 2003 before the release of my GospelKeys 101 course. These
demonstrations will give you a good understanding of the 3 steps and what you’ll be trying to accomplish
after reading this newsletter.

Harmonizing melodies is different than laying chords beneath a melody.

You may have heard of fake books and chord charts where you are given chords to play under various
melodies. Jazz standards are usually notated this way.
For example, the chord chart may display a “Cmaj7″ over a particular bar with a melody line beneath it.
To some extent, you have to know how to read sheet music (at least to read the melody line).

Harmonizing melodies, to me, is much easier. In fact, I honestly believe it can be mastered in a matter of
weeks, if not days, or even hours. Once you know the system, you’ll never forget it and you’ll be able to
apply these same techniques to dozens of songs! This is how hymns and popular music are played.

I’ll give you a lot more songs when I revisit this topic in future newsletters, but just to demonstrate my
point, let’s take “Mary had a little lamb” since everyone knows this nursery rhyme (…little Jadyn loves this
tune).

With this method, if you can sit at your piano and pick out the one-note melody, then you’re 30 seconds
from playing it as a full-sounding song.

Because the chords that harmonize notes hardly ever change — only the notes themselves.

So if there are 8 notes in a major scale (really only 7 unique notes but the octave note makes 8) — and
you know the “matching” chord for each one of those notes, then you have what it takes to play full-
sounding chords in place of your one-note melodies.

Let me explain…

Say, after 10 minutes at the piano, you’ve managed to learn “Mary had a little lamb” (and believe me, it’s
not that hard to pick out a melody — small children do it if you leave them at the piano long enough).

It’s not rocket science.

I believe everyone has the ear to sit down and pick out a melody (especially if you know your major
scales because most melodies come directly from the scales). So if a major scale has eight notes and
most melodies are formed with a combination of passing tones, upper and lower neighboring tones, and
chord tones, then it shouldn’t take hours to learn melodies of popular songs.

Passing tones…? Upper neighboring tones…?

Lower neighboring tones? Chord tones? What?

You’re probably wondering what these are.

I discuss these things in detail in chapter 17 of my 300-pg course, but for now, I’ll explain them briefly:

Passing Tones

Melodies include tones that are not a part of the chord used for the harmony. These non-chord tones are
called non-harmonic tones. When a melody passes from one chord tone to a different chord tone with a
non-harmonic tone (a half or whole step) between, the non-harmonic tone is called a passing tone (pg
252, “The Secrets to Playing Piano by Ear”).

What does this mean?

Simply put, if you were playing the beginning of “Mary had a little lamb” (E – D – C – D – E – E – E) over
a Cmaj chord, the ‘D’ notes in this sequence would be passing tones because they are not a part of the C
major chord (C + E + G). Notice the ‘E’ and “C’ notes are a part of the C major chord so they are not
called passing tones — they are called chord tones.

Neighboring Tones

When a melody passes from one chord tone back to the same chord tone with a non-harmonic tone (a
half or whole step) between, the non-harmonic tone is called a neighboring tone.

What does this mean?

Basically, passing and neighboring tones function similarly but have one minor difference — the next
note. If the melody is going to a different note and just “passing by” a non-harmonic note (again… simply
a note that ISN’T a part of the chord being used with the melody), then it’s called a passing tone. As
simple as that.

If the melody is moving from one chord tone to a next door neighbor tone, then immediately back to the
original chord tone, the “in-between” tone is called a neighboring tone. If you don’t get this, it’s better
illustrated with pictures. I strongly recommend my course if you think this is interesting and want to learn
more.

Whether you call them upper or lowering neighboring tones depends on which way the melody is going.

It is an upper neighboring tone when it is above the chord tone and a lower neighboring tone when it is
below the chord tone.

Let’s see how well you understand this:

________________________________________________________

Is this an example of a passing tone or neighboring tone?

Chord: C maj (C+E+G)

Melody: C D C

Answer: This is an example of a neighboring tone relationship because the “D” is not a part of the notes
of the chord AND because the melody is going from the “D” back to the original “C” chord tone. Whenever
the melody uses a note to return back to a previous chord tone, then a neighboring tone relationship
exists.

The “D” is specifically an upper neighboring tone because it is higher than the original “C” chord tone.

_________________________________________________________

Is this an example of a passing tone or neighboring tone?

Chord: D min (D+F+A)

Melody: D E F

Answer: This is an example of a passing tone relationship because the E is not a part of the Dmin chord
(so it’s non-harmonic) AND because the melody is moving forward to a different chord tone (“F”). For
example, if the melody was D E D, then a neighboring tone relationship would have been the correct
answer. However, since the “E” is used to move forward to “F”, another chord tone, this creates a passing
tone relationship between the “E” and the other chord tones.

How does knowing this information help you to determine melodies?

For starters, it helps you to understand that melodies aren’t just randomly played notes that you have to
figure out… they generally use notes that are right next to each other.

Let’s analyze “Mary had a little lamb” to see what I’m talking about:

E D C D E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb)

D D D (lit-tle lamb)

E G G (lit-tle lamb)

E D C D E E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, her)

D D E D C (fleece was white as snow)

Now… ask yourself a few questions?

Are these notes randomly spread out or do you see patterns here?

Do you see a bunch of passing and neighboring tones like I do?

Are the notes generally right next to each other (and not more than one note a part when there is a jump
like from the E to G in the third line)?

Let’s analyze another easy nursery rhyme / lullaby:

“Are you sleeping”

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

So how do I harmonize these melodies … already?!!!
This is where I want to introduce the “harmonization” chart. But first, here are some rules to keep in mind:

1. Every note in a major scale has its own harmonizing chord. Usually this chord features the note of the
scale as its highest tone (will discuss more below).

2. Whenever a note is played, simply replace it with its harmonizing chord.

3. When all one-note melodies have been replaced with harmonizing chords, you have a full-sounding
basic song.

Let’s take the C major scale (but keep in mind that every major scale has its own harmonizing chords).
Try to take my patterns and learn them in the other 11 major keys and you’ll do yourself a great service!

When melody note

Simply play this chord:
is:
C E + G + C (played all at the same time)
D F+A+D
E G+C+E
F A+C+F
G C+E+G
A C+F+A
B D+G+B
C E+G+C

Do you notice anything unique about the harmonizing chords?

If you noticed that the highest note of the chord always matches the melody note, then you are absolutely
correct.

In essence, since you are replacing a melody note with a chord, in most cases, you’ll still want to
preserve the melody (… you’ll want to hear the melody clearly) so by playing these particular chords, the
highest note of each chord IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE MELODY.

(This may all seem strange because I don’t have lots of room to explain myself with pictures and
illustrations. Of course, some people will grasp on right away).

If you’re serious about learning harmonization, visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/special?harmonycourse

to check out my course.

So, all you have to do is take the melodies above and replace them with the appropriate chords. I’ll copy
the melodies to “Mary had a little lamb” and “Are you sleeping” so that you can try it on your own below.

I’ll also post the answers below to make sure you fully understand this harmonization process.
Mary had a little lamb

I’ll do the first one for you.

E D C D E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________

G+C+E (Ma)

F+A+D (ry)

E+G+C (had)

F+A+D (a)

G+C+E (lit)

G+C+E (tle)

G+C+E (lamb)

Notice that the original melody note is still on top! That’s the whole point of using the harmonizing chart
I’ve created for you above. The song still sounds like “Mary had a little lamb”, the melody is still obvious,
but with the addition of full-sounding harmony!

Note: You might find it awkward to play a chord for every single melody note, especially if a particular
melody note goes by very fast. It is not necessary to always harmonize every single note. Sometimes,
you can play a harmonizing chord — then play the next “single note” of the melody right after it —- then
follow up with the next harmonizing chord.

For example, you can play {G+C+E} for the first part of Mary ["Ma"] but only play the single note, “D,” for
the second half of Mary ["ry"]. Then, of course, you can proceed to the {E+G+C} chord for the melody
note that goes with “had.” The ultimate secret is to rely on your ear to find out what sounds right. If it
sounds right, then it works!

Your turn…

D D D (lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________

________ (lit)

________ (tle)
________ (lamb)

E G G (lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________

________ (lit)

________ (tle)

________ (lamb)

E D C D E E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, her)

______________________________________

________ (Ma)

________ (ry)

________ (had)

________ (a)

________ (lit)

________ (tle)

________ (lamb)

________ (her)

D D E D C (fleece was white as snow)

______________________________________

________ (fleece)

________ (was)

________ (white)

________ (as)

________ (snow)

If you’ve chosen the right harmonizing chords, then you should have a nice full-sounding arrangement of
Mary had a little lamb above. If not, just try it again until it works.

Lastly, try taking “Are you sleeping” and do the same thing you did above. This time, I won’t provide you
with a template. You’ll have to do it all on your own:
“Are you sleeping”

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

Answers to both songs:

“Mary had a little lamb”

E D C D E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________

G+C+E (Ma)

F+A+D (ry)

E+G+C (had)

F+A+D (a)

G+C+E (lit)

G+C+E (tle)

G+C+E (lamb)

D D D (lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________
F+A+D (lit)

F+A+D (tle)

F+A+D (lamb)

E G G (lit-tle lamb)

_____________________________________

G+C+E (lit)

C+E+G (tle)

C+E+G (lamb)

E D C D E E E E (Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, her)

_____________________________________

G+C+E (Ma)

F+A+D (ry)

E+G+C (had)

F+A+D (a)

G+C+E (lit)

G+C+E (tle)

G+C+E (lamb)

G+C+E (her)

D D E D C (fleece was white as snow)

______________________________________

F+A+D (fleece)

F+A+D (was)

G+C+E (white)

F+A+D (as)

E+G+C (snow)
“Are you sleeping”

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

______________________________________

E+G+C (Are)

F+A+D (you)

G+C+E (sleep)

E+G+C (ing)

C D E C (Are you sleep-ing)

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E+G+C (Are)

F+A+D (you)

G+C+E (sleep)

E+G+C (ing)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

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G+C+E (Bro)

A+C+F (ther)

C+E+G (John)

E F G (Bro-ther John)

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G+C+E (Bro)

A+C+F (ther)

C+E+G (John)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

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C+E+G (Morn)

C+F+A (ing)

C+E+G (bells)

A+C+F (are)

G+C+E (ring)

E+G+C (ing)

G A G F E C (Morn-ing bells are ring-ing)

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C+E+G (Morn)

C+F+A (ing)

C+E+G (bells)

A+C+F (are)

G+C+E (ring)

E+G+C (ing)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

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E+G+C (Ding)

B+D+G (dong) — use different harmonization type

E+G+C (ding)

C G C (Ding dong ding)

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E+G+C (Ding)

B+D+G (dong) — use different harmonization type

E+G+C (ding)
Recap time…
You now have a formula:

A) Determine a melody to any song

B) Replace the melody notes with harmonizing chords making sure to keep the melody note as the
highest tone of each chord (see chart above)

C) Add bass (or left hand) — We’ll cover this in another newsletter or you can just get my courses to
explore this since I’m running out of space here.

There you have it. I hope you’ve benefited from this lesson. Let me know on my message board.

Related posts:

1. How to Harmonize Melodies to Create Full-Sounding Songs Part 1

2. How to Harmonize Melodies to Create Full-Sounding Songs Part 2
3. Harmonizing Melodies
4. Using Amazingly Simple Patterns to Learn Contemporary Worship Songs
5. Conversation With Students #3 (Melody & Harmony)
6. The second step to playing songs by ear
7. The first step to playing songs by ear

Tagged as: chords, figure out chords, figuring out chords to melodies, harmony, melody

{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

I WOULD PLAESE LIKE TO KNOW THE MAIN PROCESS TOWARD THE

HARMONISATION OF A PARTICULAR SONG THAT ONE HAS NOT HEARD
BEFORE.

IF POSSIBLE, I WOUYLD THEN PREFER MORE EXPLANATION IN THE TOPIC

OF THE PASSING AND THE NEIGHBOURING TONES AND HOW TO EASILY
IDENMTIFY THEM ON THE KEYBOARD……………… ORGANIATATION
…………

If you haven’t heard the song, it’s a little more difficult. One thing you have to do is rely
on the melody. At least you need to hear the melody (or else, what are you “playing by
ear”… nothing if you don’t at least have the melody to work with… whether someone
sings it for you, etc).
Once you have the melody, you’re good to go. The same harmonization techniques of
GospelKeys 101 (and soon to be GospelKeys 102) apply.

Now for neighboring tones… That just means when the melody goes up or down a scale
tone and back. You can easily hear those. When the melody sounds very close together
and “STANDARD,” usually they’re using neighboring tones. It’s when you take a tone
that is not a part of the previous chord and play it right after and then immediately come
back to a tone that is part of the chord.

Just listen to the sound C to D to C makes… (any relationship like that actually… D to E
to D again… F to G to F). These are examples of upper neighboring tones, assuming that
the first and last notes are a part of a chord in that measure).

Like the song “Pass me not.”

Pass me not o gen-tle sa-vior

E—-D–C—D—C—A-G—-C

Here, the “D” under “o” is a neighboring tone. It is used in between the SAME C (it is
important to note that the C’s are from a C major chord, otherwise the “D” wouldn’t be a
neighboring tones).

A passing tone is a little different. It’s when a non-chord tone is used in between different
chord tones. For example, E and C are notes from the same chord (C major). They are
chord tones. In this case the “D” under “me” is a passing tone, not a neighboring tone.

Neighboring tones go from one chord tone through a non-chord tone back to the same
chord tone.

Passing tones go from one chord tone through a non-chord tone TO A DIFFERENT
CHORD TONE.

Play that melody of “pass me not” several times and point out the key differences
between the “D’s.” They have different functions and once it clicks, you’ll see!

HEAR AND PLA IS REALLY HELPING ME LEARN. SO I JUST LOVE IT