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Topic: Putting harmony & chords with melody? |
Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 8 Oct 2013 10:55 am |
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I am getting familiar enough with the steel that I am able to find a single string melody for songs I want to play. My problem however seems to be in adding in harmony notes and chords. Anyone have any tips or suggestions on this? It just seems that sometimes I just can't find the right harmony note to go where I want and sound right.
I don't know a lot about music theory, but do have a pretty good ear for finding a lead melody but I'd like to be able to do more than just that. I play C6 tuning, by the way.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2013 11:40 am
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To add harmony, you need to know the chord. To start with you should know the key the song is written in. In every key there are three primary chords. For instance, in the key of C, the primary chords are C, F & G7. In the key of G, the primary chords are G, D & D7 and so on. And the major chords are made up of three notes. The C chord is C,E & G, the F chord is F, A & C. The G7th Chord is G, B, D & F and the best goes on.
Then we have minor chords, augmented chords, diminished chords, 6th chords, 9th chords, suspended chords, but watch out for the demented chords, they're boogers!  |
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Tony Lombardo
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2013 1:24 pm
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That's exactly right.
One has to know the chord changes of a tune to harmonize a melody. If the chord is G7 and the melody note is B, simply play a G7 chord, and make the highest note of that chord a B.
The tricky spots of a song occur when a melody note isn't an obvious part of the chord being played at that moment. If the chord is A7, and melody note is Bb, you have a couple of options. You can play the melody note by itself or you can extend the chord to A7b9 and put the Bb on top.
That's how I do it anyway.
Tony L. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2013 2:00 pm
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Tony,
I would substitute an E diminished. |
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Tony Lombardo
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2013 7:08 pm
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'Same chord.
If one leaves the A out of an A7b9, he'll have an E diminished. (C#, E, G, Bb) |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2013 6:19 am
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| Exactly! |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 9 Oct 2013 7:01 am
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Thanks for the advice. Would it be a good idea to tab the single string melody and then go back and add enhancements. I don't think I'm well versed enough at this to do it on the fly unless it is pretty obvious.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Tony Lombardo
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2013 1:39 pm
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Jim, let me first say that I'm certainly no expert--especially on this instrument. I'm mainly a tenor banjo player and a guitarist. My lap steel playing is a work in progress at best.
I love trying to create chord/melody arrangements on stringed instruments (even though I can't play them very well on lap steel). When I create them, I get a fakebook with the single note melody and the basic chords written above the melody notes. I first play the melody straight through with no chords. (I do so because sometimes the melody is different from the way I thought it went.) Next I hum through the tune and imagine where I hear a harmonized melody note and where I hear a single note melody note. (I tend to play mainly chords on tenor banjo, 50/50 on guitar, and about 70% single notes on steel.) Wherever I hear a chord, I look at the chord chart above that note. If that note is a chord tone, I simply play the chord and make that note the highest note of the chord. If the note is not a typical chord tone, sometimes I play a little two note chord with the melody note and one other note from the chord. Sometimes I just punt and play the single melody note with no harmony.
Tony L. |
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