Harmonizing a melody

**Kyyry** · 09-14-2011, 02:15 PM

Hello!

I'm new here and after being a lurker for sometime, decided to register since you guys have some great insight to music theory and jazz. I've decided to apply to a jazz music school in my country next year and I'd love to get some advice from you guys on how to cope with the entrance exams. I have a basic knowledge of music theory, scales and chords with their functions but I know that's not going to be enough. Here's my first question of many to come

One of the tests in the exam is about harmonizing a given melody(as in harmonizing, not just re-harmonizing.) There's usually a short 4 or 8 bar melody without chords and we're asked to fill the chords in. How should I approach this kind of assignment? Should I look for notes a third away from each other to form chord tones or is there any better way? I'm aware of the usual changes like II-V-I or I-VI-IV-V but I think guessing would not be the best approach if I actually want to pass

One of my problems is that I can't actually hear a written line in my head, and I can't even sing it with all the people being in the same room. Is there any way to find the chords purely by looking at the melody and not hearing it?

Thank's in advance for the replies and sorry for the language. I'm not a native speaker and it sometimes shows.

**brwnhornet59** · 09-14-2011, 05:24 PM

Hi Kyyry, just for kicks, do you happen to have an example of said melody? We could all do it together. It would be interesting to see everyone's approach's.

Without any more input, I would think establishing the key would be the first order. Then if there are accidentals etc...this would help deciding what is what, for me at least. One method would be to treat the first note of beat one as the 3rd of the chord we would build. Notes starting on the downbeat tend to be consonant, so they are more stable. So the choice's would be the 3rd or the 6th then the 5th. Notes on the upbeat of 4 could also be viewed as the 7the of the preceding chord leading to the 3rd of the ensuing chord. The reason for that is the 7th is dissonant, meaning it is restless, wanting to resolve, creating tension allowing natural movement etc...Of course other notes may be chosen that are dissonant as well.

**Kyyry** · 09-14-2011, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by brwnhornet59

Hi Kyyry, just for kicks, do you happen to have an example of said melody? We could all do it together. It would be interesting to see everyone's approach's.

Without any more input, I would think establishing the key would be the first order. Then if there are accidentals etc...this would help deciding what is what, for me at least. One method would be to treat the first note of beat one as the 3rd of the chord we would build. Notes starting on the downbeat tend to be consonant, so they are more stable. So the choice's would be the 3rd or the 6th then the 5th. Notes on the upbeat of 4 could also be viewed as the 7the of the preceding chord leading to the 3rd of the ensuing chord. The reason for that is the 7th is dissonant, meaning it is restless, wanting to resolve, creating tension allowing natural movement etc...Of course other notes may be chosen that are dissonant as well.

I'm sorry. I do not have any kind of examples to provide as I've got my hands on only one practice test and couldn't even keep it. All I can say is that they are very simple melodically and rythmically (with only 4th and 8th notes). Maybe someone could make up an example, because I wouldn't know how to do a clear example without it being blatantly obvious.

Establishing the key was the thing I had figured out to do. Also I tend to guess that the note on the first beat is some kind of a chord tone (1st, 3rd or the fifth) but didn't even think about searching for a lead tone on the upbeat of 4! So basically it's like looking at the notes that fall on the beats and see if the intervals make up a chord, right? And the upbeat of the last beat should indicate where the tonality is going to shift next?

**brwnhornet59** · 09-14-2011, 06:31 PM

Yeah, that's a good example. It gets really deep but there are basic guidelines that composers follow that can come in handy when analyzing a tune. The whole idea of a melody establishing itself, then moving onward is how I would approach the chords. You could come up with very easy chords or let it become more complex using rel minor and or major's, to state the basic idea(s). Remember that you can come up with more than one chord to say the same thing. In a static key where there are not many or any accidentals, most chords are inversions of others anyway.

For example you could use the iii chord or the vi chord as a sub for the I. You could use ii or the vi as a sub for the IV. Make sense? These are just diatonic inversions using rel minors. You can reverse it by using the major chords to sub for the minors. Subbing the V7 for the vii or the iii. Make sense? There are many more examples just staying in the stated key. Then you can start borrowing from parallel minor or neighboring keys. Lots of fun.

**JonnyPac** · 09-14-2011, 07:22 PM

Here's a wee bit on it. Mind you, this is not classical in it's approach and may mislead you for the given test requirements. I am pretty open minded when it comes to arranging as it were... Hope it gives some ideas though. Good luck!

**brwnhornet59** · 09-14-2011, 07:26 PM

Thanx Jonny! I did not have anything handy to post, this is a perfect beginning!

**JonnyPac** · 09-14-2011, 07:26 PM

Originally Posted by brwnhornet59

Thanx Jonny! I did not have anything handy to post, this is a perfect beginning!

Cool beans!

**kirksanger** · 09-14-2011, 10:33 PM

Hi Kyyry,

I had to do a similar test for both undergrad and grad school and the two texts below were very helpful for harmonizing melodies and chords with proper voice leading and not breaking any "rules". The Merryman text was simple and easy to follow, the Kostka was more in depth.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

Amazon.com: Tonal Harmony (9780072852608): Stefan Kostka, Dorothy Payne: Books

Amazon.com: Marjorie Merryman: Books

**Kyyry** · 09-15-2011, 02:39 AM

Thank you all for your replies! There's a lot to digest from all the stuff you said. Wouldn't a lot of substitutions require playing the melody with the chords so one can see which one fits better? My biggest problem is that I can't play or sing out the melody in the test so I'll just have to do it on paper. It's just so difficult to hear without playing. Guess I'll have to just read more. Time to pick up Leavitt's method

EDIT: And thank you JonnyPac for your post. The stuff was a bit off this thread's scope as in chord forming, but was still a very good read and I'm sure to try those techniques when dealing with harmony lines next time. Very informative!

**JonnyPac** · 09-15-2011, 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

EDIT: And thank you JonnyPac for your post. The stuff was a bit off this thread's scope as in chord forming, but was still a very good read and I'm sure to try those techniques when dealing with harmony lines next time. Very informative!

Ok thanks- thought I'd thought it out there just in case.

**brwnhornet59** · 09-15-2011, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

Thank you all for your replies! There's a lot to digest from all the stuff you said. Wouldn't a lot of substitutions require playing the melody with the chords so one can see which one fits better? My biggest problem is that I can't play or sing out the melody in the test so I'll just have to do it on paper. It's just so difficult to hear without playing. Guess I'll have to just read more. Time to pick up Leavitt's method

Well then in that case I would look for the usual suspects. Keep it simple. Look for ii, V, I, or I, vi, IV, V, or ii, V, I, VI7. or even I, IV, V. That sounds like the best approach. Let us know!!

**fep** · 09-15-2011, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

Hello!

One of the tests in the exam is about harmonizing a given melody(as in harmonizing, not just re-harmonizing.) There's usually a short 4 or 8 bar melody without chords and we're asked to fill the chords in. How should I approach this kind of assignment? Should I look for notes a third away from each other to form chord tones or is there any better way? I'm aware of the usual changes like II-V-I or I-VI-IV-V but I think guessing would not be the best approach if I actually want to pass

One of my problems is that I can't actually hear a written line in my head, and I can't even sing it with all the people being in the same room. Is there any way to find the chords purely by looking at the melody and not hearing it?

Thank's in advance for the replies and sorry for the language. I'm not a native speaker and it sometimes shows.

I like brwnhornet's idea and would be willing to post some melodies to work out together.

First some questions to make sure we're dealing with the questions on the exam.

In the U.S. college programs you generally start by writing 4 part chorals (soprano alto tenor bass). So in an academic environment when someone asks you to harmonize a melody that is what they generally mean unless they tell you otherwise.

By harmonizing a melody, do they mean writing a 4 part choral?

or, Do they mean just putting in chord symbols like writing a lead sheet?

Do you know all the key signatures?

Can you harmonize scales including major and the minor scale variations?

If I told you a note in a certain key could you come up with the 4 chords (assuming we can use 7th chords) that would include that note as one of the chord tones, in less than 10 seconds?

For example the note B in the key of G. Answer: Bm7, Gmaj7, Em7, Cmaj7.

(The way you do that is by thinking Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th. In G, B is the root of Bm7, the third of Gmaj7, the 5th of Em7, the 7th of Cmaj7. With some practice you can do that really fast).

What your asking does require some theory knowledge and if you answer these questions it can save us some time on whether these items need to be explained.

**JonnyPac** · 09-15-2011, 02:22 PM

Oh dang- I get were I misunderstood the OP. I always forget that "harmonizing a melody" means putting chords to a line. I assumed that the progression was already intact. IMO, making a nice progression is as important as having a well-structured melody. There are lots of different ways to do it. Don't be fooled that the melody must be basic triad tones; Stella is a perfect example of a tune that uses the melody to dance from extension to extension. Had it been harmonized with basic chord tones it would have little appeal. Food for thought...

**whatswisdom** · 09-15-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by fep

In the U.S. college programs you generally start by writing 4 part chorals (soprano alto tenor bass)

Yep! Been there. SATB. It's been a while but I have fond memories having taken Theory I and Theory II. 2 great semesters where I was lucky to have a fabulous teacher who had his stuff down like noone I've met since... 4 credits per course with an ear-training segment in the piano lab. Really helped me as a musician.

**JonR** · 09-15-2011, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

I'm sorry. I do not have any kind of examples to provide as I've got my hands on only one practice test and couldn't even keep it. All I can say is that they are very simple melodically and rythmically (with only 4th and 8th notes). Maybe someone could make up an example, because I wouldn't know how to do a clear example without it being blatantly obvious.

Establishing the key was the thing I had figured out to do. Also I tend to guess that the note on the first beat is some kind of a chord tone (1st, 3rd or the fifth) but didn't even think about searching for a lead tone on the upbeat of 4! So basically it's like looking at the notes that fall on the beats and see if the intervals make up a chord, right?

Exactly. I'd imagine the test is not going to try to trick you, just test that you understand how melodies and chords go together.
I mean, I'm sure you'd impress them if you came up with a fancy jazz harmonization. But then that's kind of what you're going there to learn about, right? If you knew it all, then you wouldn't need a college course...

Remember that 7ths are standard chord forms in jazz, so 7ths count as chord tones just as much as R-3-5.

Originally Posted by Kyyry

And the upbeat of the last beat should indicate where the tonality is going to shift next?

Maybe, yes. But I would still look for likely chord tones in that next bar first - and then see if the last note of the previous bar suggests anything different. There might also be the issue of the progression - choosing chords that link well with one another, as well as harmonize the tune. But again I don't thnk that's worth sweating over. You say you know your common changes, so I doubt you'd have a problem with that.
I would watch out for accidentals, which offer big clues about harmonization and tonality - eg leading tones of minor keys. (Of course, jazz contains lots of chromaticism and alterations, but I'd be surprised if they gave you a test requiring harmonization with altered chords.)
Don't try to get clever with substitutions - unless you're really confident about them.
Remember the ideal student they're looking for is not one who wants to show off what he knows (to the extent of covering up what he doesn't) - it's one who is honest about what he doesn't know, and is curious and hungry for new knowledge.

**Kyyry** · 09-15-2011, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by fep

Do they mean just putting in chord symbols like writing a lead sheet?

This is exactly what I meant or at least what I'm asking for starters. There also is this assingment, where they give you the starting chord inversion and ask you to work out how the notes move according to the chord symbols they give you (is this called voice leading or is voice leading a term reserved for approaching the third or the seventh, I'm confused

), but that's another topic.

Originally Posted by fep

Do you know all the key signatures?

Can you harmonize scales including major and the minor scale variations?

If I told you a note in a certain key could you come up with the 4 chords (assuming we can use 7th chords) that would include that note as one of the chord tones, in less than 10 seconds?

What your asking does require some theory knowledge and if you answer these questions it can save us some time on whether these items need to be explained.

I know all the key signatures, am familiar with the cycle of fifths. I also know the chords constructed from a major scale: maj7-min7-min7-maj7-dom7-min7-min7b5. I also know the major scale modes and their character tones.
My melodic minor knowledge is a bit weaker. I know how it's constructed and I can work out the chords by stacking the thirds, but don't know them by heart.

I think a lot of you still got what I was going for. I'm sorry if I phrased my question and the thread name wrong. English is not my native so I guess this won't be the last time I'm going to use wrong terms on this board

But yeah. I think the correct approach would be to spot the chord tones in the melody and to not go for anything too fancy. Thanks for everyone for your input, I appreciate it!

**brwnhornet59** · 09-15-2011, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by fep

I would be willing to post some melodies to work out together.

I am hip to this. Lets give it a whirl!!

**brwnhornet59** · 09-15-2011, 03:30 PM

I agree with Jonr as well. I doubt that they will try and trick you. Doing a few examples together would be fun and beneficial to us all. And there are many ways to approach analysis as Jonr pointed out. There are really not many things to go over that are earth shattering, on any given analysis approach, but there is always more than one way to get it done.

I was hoping Fep would chime in. He and Jonny are the arrangers that we hear from the most around here.

**JonR** · 09-15-2011, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Kyyry

There also is this assingment, where they give you the starting chord inversion and ask you to work out how the notes move according to the chord symbols they give you (is this called voice leading or is voice leading a term reserved for approaching the third or the seventh, I'm confused

), but that's another topic.

Voice leading applies to any voice.

**JonnyPac** · 09-15-2011, 04:44 PM

3rd and 7th are common "guide tones".

**fep** · 09-15-2011, 06:00 PM

Okay here comes a melody.

Since we're trying to help out with an entrance exam how about a rule... Keep it Simple.

**fep** · 09-15-2011, 06:11 PM

My first step would be to identify a tonal center. What are the possible tonal centers (remember nothing fancy).

**brwnhornet59** · 09-15-2011, 06:28 PM

Is this for everyone Fep? Or just Kyyry?

**JonnyPac** · 09-15-2011, 06:32 PM

Wee! fun!!

**fep** · 09-15-2011, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by brwnhornet59

Is this for everyone Fep? Or just Kyyry?

Sure everyone, but I'll lead it one step at a time so Kyyry get's a chance to chime in before we move to far ahead.

So step one, what's the possible key centers (remember nothing fancy)?

Please show your thought process.