PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Beginners Forum BIAB Produces Dissonant Backing Tracks

First off, that's a really pretty piece and your arranger did an excellent job.

Writing chords for a melody (harmonizing/arranging) is a very deep subject. But I want to point out a few things that your arranger did that may help you.

First, he placed chords (even when arpeggios) usually at the first beat of a measure for four beats/the full measure. Sometimes he changed chords on the third beat. Occasionally (rarely) he changed chords of the fourth beat (and maybe even on the second, rarely---I wasn't paying that close attention). That's a good practice. Break the melody down into 4 beat chunks, choose a chord and leave it, only changing when the melody demands (or the muse strikes).

Before that, even, know what the tonal center (home note) of either the entire piece or a major section of it is. That's the note from which all melodic movement travels and the note that, when it hits, feels like "home, satisfying, resolved". Whatever that note is, that's your base Key. Odds are pretty good its the first real note of your melody, but not necessarily. Odds are even better it's the last note.

You gave your Key as C. Let's assume that IS the tonal center (home). Looking just at your first measure, however, there is a D# (most likely actually an Eb) which is not in the key of C major. I can think of three reasons why it might be there (and none why it doesn't belong).

1. It's a "passing" chromatic tone that really has no function except to get from one note to another or add flavor. And that's fine.

2. It's an important note that requires some special harmonization. Obviously, no triad is going to contain four notes. Chords outside the "key" are fine, if that's what sounds right for the piece.

or

3. Your melody is not "really" in the key of C major, using the notes of a C major scale. Maybe it's in C minor. Maybe it's in C harmonic minor. Maybe C Dorian. Maybe even in C major or minor blues.

Here's what your arranger did, though he did it more easily and naturally than I could. He determined the "home note"/tonal center of at least major portions of your melody. He analyzed the notes of at least major portions of your piece (8 bars, usually) and determined what scale your melody (mostly) belonged to. Then, using that scale, he chose chords to harmonize with your melody.

Lastly, he used his ear and experience to make those harmonies move and function to support not just the notes, but the feeling and movement of the melody. His choices were pretty much limitless...more so even than your melodic choices were before you sat down to compose.

If you are new to working with chord harmonies, here's the course of study I wish I had started with.

1. Study scales in the keys (major and minor) you seem to usually work in. It's easy to transpose if you need to. Cmaj and Amin are the best ones to start with.

2. Learn how to build diatonic triads (your most basic chords) off of the notes in the scale. For C major, that's Cmaj, Dm, Em, Fmaj, Gmaj, Amin and B diminished.
For Cmin, that's Cm, D Diminished, Eb, Fmin, Gmin, Ab, Bb. Verify that before printing or committing to memory. .

4. Expose yourself to common alternative scales and how building the diatonic triads works in them.

5. Expose yourself to chord extensions, inversions, and especially "slash" chords that make new roots.

6. Expose yourself to chord substitutions, Secondary dominants, modal interchange, and other ways to move out of the diatonic triads in a key.

7. Expose yourself to "functional harmony".

1-7. You don't have to become an expert in any of these. Just knowing they exist is a good place to begin.

8. Learn that chord theory is not RULES WHICH MUST BE OBEYED, but concepts that explain workable music.

9. While learning #8, keep in mind that YOUR EAR is BOSS, KING, EMPEROR, DICTATOR, PRESIDENT FOR LIFE. If it sounds good, it IS good. A little theory goes a long way to help get things rolling.


Here's where I got most of my "facts": It was put together by a forum member here to whom I owe many beers...but I can't remember which one.

https://scottdavies.net/chords_and_scales/music.html