Harmonising The Melody
In this lesson we further develop the idea of harmonising the melody. In the previous lesson we touched upon passing chords where we harmonised single melody notes.
In addition to adding single passing cords, we can add passing progressions usually based on 251 relationships. As we will see in this lesson it’s also very effective to harmonise the melody with triads and third intervals.
3rd Intervals & Triad Harmonisations
We can harmonise single notes with 3rd intervals which creates a ‘bell-like’ quality. This style of harmonisation is commonly heard in the playing of famous jazz pianists such as Bill Evans and Beegie Adair. To harmonise a melody with 3rd intervals, we simply build a 3rd interval below the melody using the notes from the associated scale.
This concept can be extended to harmonise a melody with triads. A triad is 2 stacked 3rd intervals and again we derive the triads from the associated chord scale. We cover many examples of this approach in the lesson.
Lesson Downloads
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Harmonising The Melody File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
The A Section of the tune repeats 3 times and so we can use passing chords to add interest to otherwise identical harmonic passages.
This type of passing chord is a dominant chord built a half step up. Dominant chords always have a strong pull to resolve a half step down.
Passing chords are temporary stepping stones between chords, adding variety and making your playing sound more interesting & dynamic.
Practice Tips
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Passing chords based on a 25 progression can usually be substituted for sus chords where we play a V7sus leading to a V7alt chord. A good example is the pickup bar of the tune.
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Step-wise melodies are good candidates for harmonising with 3rd intervals and triads. Examples include the descending melody in the 1st bar of the A section, and also the melody in bar 6 over the G-7.
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Listen to the recordings of Bill Evans and Beegie Adair as 2 examples of players who commonly use these harmonisation devices.
This lesson is everything that is beautiful about music, what moves and expresses emotional colour. It`s the difference between three centred living beings and machines. A lovely lesson. Thank you.
Thanks Howard – I’m glad you are enjoying the lessons.
I agree these voicings and harmonisation techniques are very beautiful.
Talk soon,
Hayden