IHAPTER HAR MONIC CONSIDEHATIONS

Harmonization

Okay, so you've written a melodic masterpiece. What about the chords to go with it?Choosing chords to go with a melody may seem daunting at first because there are somany possibilities. But that is part of the enjoyment of composing: CHOICE!

If you are a pianist or guitarist, it is likely that you have been composing melody andharmony simultaneously on your instrument. Even so, there are probably moments whenyou are unsure as to the desired chord quality, or what degree of tension to use, so youhave paused to consider various possibilities in a methodical way. If you are a windplayer, the choice of a chord is even more problematic if you are not as used to thinkingof chords on your instrument and have limited keyboard skills.

At first it seems that there are only two ways to approach the task of harmonizing amelody. One is to rely on the familiar tonal and modal relationships in conventionaljazzharmony discussed earlier in this section. The I chord is the boss, and all the otherchords in the tonal or modal universe are used in service to it. There is diatonicharmony; there are secondary dominants and their substitutes along with related II-7chords, etc. The other way is to free yourself of those limitations and proceed with theconcept that any chord can follow any other chord. This is fun, but it can result in eithertortured chord progressions or harmonic incoherence. The best way is to combine thesetwo approashss-uss conventional chord progressions to provide clarity, but utilizeunexpected harmonic twists and turns to promote variety and interest.

Obviously the choice of a chord will depend upon its compatibility with the melody.Notes of long duration (longer than a quarter note) should be chord tones or tensions ofthe chosen chord. Shorter notes may just be embellishments-approach notes if theymove by step to a target note, or escape tones if they don't.

Ask yourself: What key or mode is my melody in? Will diatonic harmony work? Doesmy melody arpeggiate a chord or part of a chord? Is a major, minor, or modal scalesuggested by my melody? If not, consider the possibilities that emerge if you assign thefirst important whole note or half note of the tune to a major, minor, or dominant chordby making that note l, 3, 5, 7 , 9, 11, or 13 of the potential chord. What kind of a chordshould it be? Major 7? Minor 7? Dominant 7? Does the style of your tune play a role inthat decision? This is where your e:u, and perhaps your instrument, comes into play.Making choices without confirming them audibly is risky!

Consider the many possibilities that exist to harmonize the note C. The chart on the nextpage lists a number of them.

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J A L L L U M T U } I I I U I U I H T U H Y A I U U I ' T I A U I I U t

Chord Type:Melody Function

t

MajT or b7

Major 7CMajT

AbMajT

N/A (see page xv)

Bb-:/(9)

U

N/A

$ l l (o r b5)

EbMajT(13)

9B

=: :== :=____-__= .

be

$e

l l

l 3

brt

FMajT

BbMajT(9)

E-7 (Phrygian)

G-7(l 1)

GbMajT(f 1l)

E-7 (Aeolian) E7(bt3)

CHAPTEH 2 I HANMONIC IONSIDEHATIONS

Sometimes a melody will arpeggiate a chord. The arpeggio may have the chord in rootposition, as in the following example (E-7).Notice that other solutions may exist forthe same arpeggio. If you think of the first note (E) as the third of CMaj7, or as the fifthof A-7, or as the major seventh of FMaj7, or as T13 of G7, you get four additionalharmonization possibilities.

= E-7, CMaj9, A-l l, FMajT({ I l), Gl3

Here are two other melodic fragments consisting of broken chords and some possiblesolutions for harmonizing them.

=Iil,Eb'l, Eb6l9(il 11), B7(alt), D7(il9), A7(alt)

=F-I1, Bb9, DbMajT, Bb-9, Eb-l l , Ab9, D-7(b5)

On a scalewise passage such as the following, see if you can determine thekey-of-the-moment. Then choose harmonies from that harmonic universe.

= C6, D-9, FMaj7, G9sus4, A-7

When you have decided which chord to start with, move on to the next importantmelody note (a whole note, a half note, an accented note, a note preceded by orfollowed by a leap). Will it receive a new chord? What is the harmonic rhythm ofyour tune going to be: sixteen beats (four measures), eight beats (two measures), fourbeats (one measure), or two beats (half a measure)? Does the tempo of the tune playa role? Look for guide tones that can connect the two chords together, especially ifyour melody leaps between them.

g g

. . . r r u t l l r | -

Below is a melodic fragment that has been given the treatment outlined on the previouspage. As you can see, there are seven solutions offered. (There are undoubtedly manymore.)

Easy bossa

melody/hafrnony relationshipon first chord

IvI

ex.2

e x . 3

D-7(bs)rr-7(b5)

Bb7

v7

G-:7

rtr-7(rr-7)

G7(be)v'7NI-7

EbMajTIMajT

c7v7m-7

c-:7vL:l

AbMajTIVMajT

DbMajT($l l )bVIIMajT

Bb-:7

v-7

Dbtvtait

bvtnaaSz

GbMajTbnIMajT

ex.4 nbMLalt

MajTF-l

IJ-77 Bb7

v7

Eb7

vTlN

CJ

VI-7

,aC-'| t ,

VI-7 '.

Bb7

v7nbuaitlMajT /

ex. 6 l l A-7(bs) / D7sus4vTIU=4

\ c-z(bsfur-7(b5)

C7(alt)v7ilI-:7ilN-:7bs(d-lbs) i

ex.7 l 3 n/v7N7

i svti vtn

Eb7

r7N7nV)Ab7

M

Additional solutions can be discovered by interchanging chords amongst and betweenthe respective columns. The solid-line iurow shows one such possibility. (Some choicesmay prove to be less effective. The dotted-line arrow produces a progression that is a lit-tle too scattered and dysfunctional. use your ears when you experiment!)

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