IHAPTER

HARMONICCONSIDEHATIONS

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 becausethere are so
many 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 and
harmony simultaneously on your instrument. Even so, there are probably moments when
you are unsure as to the desiredchord quality, or what degreeof tension to use, so you
have pausedto consider various possibilities in a methodical way. If you are a wind
player, the choice of a chord is even more problematic if you are not as used to thinking
of chords on your instrument and have limited keyboard skills.
At first it seemsthat there are only two ways to approachthe task of harmonizing a
melody. One is to rely on the familiar tonal and modal relationshipsin conventional
jazzharmony discussedearlier in this section. The I chord is the boss, and all the other
chords in the tonal or modal universeare used in service to it. There is diatonic
harmony; there are secondarydominants and their substitutesalong with related II-7
chords, etc. The other way is to free yourself of those limitations and proceed with the
concept that any chord can follow any other chord. This is fun, but it can result in either
tortured chord progressionsor harmonic incoherence.The best way is to combine these
two approashss-uss conventionalchord progressionsto provide clarity, but utilize
unexpectedharmonic twists and turns to promote variety and interest.
Obviously the choice of a chord will dependupon its compatibility with the melody.
Notes of long duration (longer than a quarter note) should be chord tones or tensionsof
the chosenchord. Shorter notesmay just be embellishments-approach notes if they
move by step to a target note, or escapetones if they don't.
Ask yourself: What key or mode is my melody in? Will diatonic harmony work? Does
my melody arpeggiate a chord or part of a chord? Is a major, minor, or modal scale
suggestedby my melody? If not, considerthe possibilitiesthat emergeif you assignthe
first important whole note or half note of the tune to a major, minor, or dominant chord
by making that note l, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11,or 13 of the potentialchord. What kind of a chord
shouldit be? Major 7? Minor 7? Dominant 7? Does the style of your tune play a role in
that decision?This is where your e:u, and perhapsyour instrument, comes into play.
Making choices without confirming them audibly is risky!
Considerthe many possibilitiesthat exist to harmonizethe note C. The chart on the next
pagelists a number of them.

97

J A L L L U M T U } I I I U I UI H T U H YA I U UI ' T I A U II U t

Chord Type:

Major 7

Melody Function

CMajT

AbMajT

FMajT

MajTor b7

BbMajT(9)

N/A (seepagexv)

Bb-:/(9)

E-7 (Phrygian)

be
U

N/A

$e

G-7(l 1)
ll

GbMajT(f
1l)
$ l l ( o rb 5 )

EbMajT(13)
l3

E-7 (Aeolian)

brt

9B

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

E7(bt3)

CHAPTE
2 HI H A N M O NIIO
CN S I D E H A T I O N S
Sometimesa melody will arpeggiatea chord. The arpeggio may have the chord in root
position,as in the following example(E-7).Notice that other solutionsmay exist for
the samearpeggio.If you think of the first note (E) as the third of CMaj7, or as the fifth
of A-7, or as the major seventhof FMaj7, or as T13 of G7, you get four additional
harmonization possibilities.

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

Here are two other melodic fragmentsconsisting of broken chords and some possible
solutions for harmonizing them.

=Iil,Eb'l, Eb6l9(il11),B7(alt),D7(il9),A7(alt)

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

On a scalewisepassagesuchas the following, seeif you can determinethe

key-of-the-moment.Then chooseharmoniesfrom that harmonic universe.

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

When you have decided which chord to start with, move on to the next important
melody note (a whole note, a half note, an accentednote, a note precededby or
followed by a leap). Will it receive a new chord? What is the harmonic rhythm of
your tune going to be: sixteen beats(four measures),eight beats (two measures),four
beats(one measure),or two beats (half a measure)?Does the tempo of the tune play
a role? Look for guide tones that can connect the two chords together,especially if
your melody leapsbetweenthem.

gg

...rrutllr|-

Below is a melodicfragmentthathasbeengiventhe treatmentoutlinedon the previous

page.As you cansee,therearesevensolutionsoffered.(Thereareundoubtedly
many
more.)
Easybossa

melody/hafrnonyrelationship
on first chord

v
I

ex.2

ex.3

ex.4

ex.6

ex.7

D-7(bs)

G7(be)

c-:7

Bb-:7

rr-7(b5)

v'7NI-7

vL:l

v-7

Bb7

EbMajT

AbMajT

Dbtvtait

v7

IMajT

IVMajT

bvtnaaSz

G-:7

c7

DbMajT($ll)

GbMajT

rtr-7(rr-7)

v7m-7

bVIIMajT

bnIMajT

nbMLalt

ll

l3

,aC-'| t ,

MajT

VI-7

CJ
VI-7

F-l

'.

7 Bb7

IJ-7

v7

Bb7

nbuait

Eb7

v7

lMajT

vTlN

A-7(bs) /

D7sus4

\ c-z(bsf

C7(alt)

ilN-:7bs(d-lbs)
i

vTIU=4

ur-7(b5)

v7ilI-:7

n/
v7N7

i
i

svt
vtn

Eb7

r7N7nV)

Ab7
M

Additional solutions can be discoveredby interchangingchords amongst

and between
the respective columns. The solid-line iurow shows one such possibility. (Some
choices
may prove to be less effective. The dotted-line arrow produces progression
a
that is a little too scatteredand dysfunctional. use your ears when you experiment!)

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