Harmonizing a melody

**brwnhornet59** · 09-15-2011, 06:43 PM

I like the pent lines. It's either C or G. I saw no F or F#. My ear tells me it is C when playing A-7, I want the 6th flat, (natural minor). Against that melody the F# does not sound right. IMO

**Kyyry** · 09-15-2011, 11:23 PM

If by tonal center is you mean the key, I would be inclined to say C-major just by looking at the music, since there's no accidentals. A-minor could also be a choice, but the melody ending to the third note of the tonic chord is more common, I guess?

I also noticed that the first three bars consist of notes from the E-minor pentatonic (E G A B D). I wasn't aware that you can play a minor pentatonic a major third away from a chord, but then again contains the third, fifth, sixth, maj7 and the ninth of a major chord. No wonder It sounds smooth. Am I onto something here?

**Kyyry** · 09-15-2011, 11:41 PM

Oh and if I played out and actually heard the melody, I would feel to urge to throw out II-V's in sequence, but let's pretend I never did that. How can I look for these things in the sheet music?

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-15-2011, 11:46 PM

I'm feeling funky, in F Lydian: Am7 G7sus4 Fmaj7#11 %

Or, I'm feeling the blues: E7 % A7 %

**brwnhornet59** · 09-16-2011, 10:11 AM

I am hearing this chord cluster big time.

D-7 G9/ CM7 FM7/ B-7b5 E7/ A-7 A7, add b13 on beat 4.

And I like it!!

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 10:21 AM

Okay back to the assumption that this is a classroom test and we can't hear the melody and we're going to keep it simple.

This was easy as there are no sharps and flats, but this is the process I use to use in the classroom.

List the notes of the melody from highest to lowest:

E G A B C D E

We can see there are no sharps or flats but that the F note is missing. So the F could be either F or F#. If it's F we have no sharps or flats and keeping it simple that would be C major or A minor. If it's F# then we have one sharp and that would be G or Em.

So you could choose the key of C major, A minor, G major or E minor. They'd all be correct.

Looking at the first and last measure and seeing the E note held, I'd choose C major with the E being the third or Em with the E being the root.

Between those two I'd choose C major as it's simpler to work in major than minor.

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 10:27 AM

So still keeping it simple.

My 2nd step would be to see if I can fit any of the basic progressions to this melody.

By Basic progression I mean:

I IV
I V
I IV V
IV I (plagal cadence)
V I (authentic)
V vi (half)

And I'm thinking in terms of sounds,

The I is the tonic sound and includes the I the vi and the iii

The IV is the IV and the ii

The V is the V and the viim7b5

So keeping that in mind, how about some diatonic progressions in the key of C... use 7th chords although a Cmaj6 is cool also

**Kyyry** · 09-16-2011, 10:29 AM

**brwnhornet59** · 09-16-2011, 10:29 AM

I can dig it!! Now without being able to play the chords on an instrument, should we use the basic logic of voice leading and approach and target notes?

In lieu of that, I had three simple chords in mind.

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

Without the use of my ears I'd first look for tones on strong beats or held tones and determine what chords would have that note as a chord tone.

At the 1st beat of the first measure is a held E note. In C major E is the root of Em7, the third of Cmaj7 the 5th of Am7 or the 7th of Fmaj7. So those chords are all safe.

But I'm trying to keep it simple so I want to start on my tonic so I'd use Cmaj7.

And I want to finish on a I, V, IV, or vi on the last measure to have one of the main cadences. The last measure is an E note again so those same chords work but I'd eliminate Em7 as I don't want to end on a iii chord, so it's either Fmaj7 Cmaj7 or Am7.

Then I'd list the possible chords for those other two measures and see if a progression can be made that you might be familiar with. Can you find a ii V I for instance.

You can also think of progression and retrogression and repetition. Too much for me to write, you can google that one. But that's probably getting into too much detail for your purposes, after all this is an entrance exam.

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

I'd probably use these chords: | Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 F7 | Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7
or even | Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 F7 | Bm7b5 Em7 | Am9

I like those but I think depending on the grader your taking a risk with the F7 and the Bm7b5.

The F7 has an Eb note and there is an E in the melody, still it could work but you may get graded off on it. I'd use Fmaj7.

That Bm7b5 with a C in the melody is pretty unusual so they may grade you down on that. I like the way it sounds and if the grader would play it they probably wouldn't mark you off.

In the key of Am I'd use E7 instead of Em7.

I like your progressions.

**Kyyry** · 09-16-2011, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by fep

Without the use of my ears I'd first look for tones on strong beats or held tones and determine what chords would have that note as a chord tone.

At the 1st beat of the first measure is a held E note. In C major E is the root of Em7, the third of Cmaj7 the 5th of Am7 or the 7th of Fmaj7. So those chords are all safe.

But I'm trying to keep it simple so I want to start on my tonic so I'd use Cmaj7.

And I want to finish on a I, V, IV, or vi on the last measure to have one of the main cadences. The last measure is an E note again so those same chords work but I'd eliminate Em7 as I don't want to end on a iii chord, so it's either Fmaj7 Cmaj7 or Am7.

Then I'd list the possible chords for those other two measures and see if a progression can be made that you might be familiar with. Can you find a ii V I for instance.

By only looking at the notes and sticking to the basic progressions, I might just place Dm7 on the second full bar, because it's root and it's seventh are the sustained notes there. Then I would go for G7 on the next bar, because it's third is a sustained note and also hit again later in the bar. The last beat should be Cmaj7 over again. All this makes the most basic II-V-I you can have in the key of C-major. Very simple and efficient!

EDIT: Also the Dm7 could be replaced with Fmaj7, making this the most basic IV-V-I you can have in the key of C-major

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

By only looking at the notes and sticking to the basic progressions, I might just place Dm7 on the second full bar, because it's root and it's seventh are the sustained notes there. Then I would go for G7 on the next bar, because it's third is a sustained note and also hit again later in the bar. The last beat should be Cmaj7 over again. All this makes the most basic II-V-I you can have in the key of C-major. Very simple and efficient!

EDIT: Also the Dm7 could be replaced with Fmaj7, making this the most basic IV-V-I you can have in the key of C-major

Right on, simple and efficient as you said and I sure think you'd get full credit.

**brwnhornet59** · 09-16-2011, 11:28 AM

=)

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-16-2011, 11:35 AM

I thought this was so much fun, I posted it on the TDPRI. Here are some more harmonisations: Harmonise this melody - Telecaster Guitar Forum

**Kyyry** · 09-16-2011, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by fep

Right on, simple and efficient as you said and I sure think you'd get full credit.

What really bugs me is that even in that small example the melody doesn't hit the chord tones on the first beat, or as in the third bar, not on any beat at all. The melody is fourth above the G, not the fifth or the third. I'll just have to rely on the basic chord movements and just hope that they don't have the guts to take away that dominant before tonic etc. But then again, I wouldn't expect them to do it.

Thanks a lot to everyone and especially to fep for providing a great example and great insight on the matter. I'm not going to have the exam anytime soon, only next summer, but now I have time to prepare well and maybe ask you for your insight on other matters relating to music theory and jazz playing!

**brwnhornet59** · 09-16-2011, 11:55 AM

Let's have another stab at it!!

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-16-2011, 12:24 PM

I still like my E7 E7 A7 A7 -- I mean, the thing is mainly A minor pent.

**GuyB** · 09-16-2011, 01:20 PM

This is fun !

It could be seen as E minor. Looking at it this way, the chords of the first four bars of Autumn Leaves fit very well :

Bar 1 : Am7 Am7 D9 D9
Bar 2 : GM7 GM7 CM7 CM7
Bar 3 : F#m7b5 F#m7b5 B7b9 B7b9
Bar 4 : Em9

**jster** · 09-16-2011, 01:29 PM

I came up with

Cmaj7 Fmaj7|B-7b5 E-7|A-7 D-7|(G7) Cmaj7|

But maybe some of those should be changed to 6th chords or 13th chords.

Not sure about the 7th in say the Fmaj7, an E, competing with the D of the melody at that point.

I think that they should at least give you a tempo for an exam. Harmonizing a melody without a tempo seems broader than it needs to be. What tempo were you thinking fep?

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 01:29 PM

I recorded Kyyry's progressions with the melody, here they are:

K1 – Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 F7 | Dm7 G7| Cmaj7 |

Harmonizing Melody k1 Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

K2 - Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 F7 | Bm7b5 Em7 | Am9

Harmonizing Melody k2 Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

K3 - Cmaj7 Dm7 G7 Cmaj7

Harmonizing Melody k3 Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 01:30 PM

I recorded Big Daddy's progressions with the melody, here they are:

BD1 - Am7 G7sus4 Fmaj7#11 %

Harmonizing Melody BD1 Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

BD2 - E7 % A7 %

Harmonizing Melody BD2 Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 01:30 PM

I recorded Brwnhornet's progression with the melody:

D-7 G9/ CM7 FM7/ B-7b5 E7/ A-7 A7, add b13 on beat 4.

http://www.box.net/shared/ifr32pmti2s5dtey1bap

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 01:31 PM

And I joined the fun and made a progression. I did 8 bars with the melody repeating over different chords:

E7 | D7 | B7 | E7 | A7 | F#7#5 | Bm7b5 E7#5 | Amaj7 ||

Harmonizing Melody fep Compressed.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

**fep** · 09-16-2011, 01:34 PM

Originally Posted by jster

I think that they should at least give you a tempo for an exam. Harmonizing a melody without a tempo seems broader than it needs to be. What tempo were you thinking fep?

That's a good point. About 100 bpm

Sorry you all tired me out, maybe I'll make more mp3's later.