Harmony Accompanies Melody Carefully

Composers choose the notes or chords that accompany a melody carefully. This is called the harmony. Sometimes all the notes of a chord are played together; in other places they might be played one note at a time, as in arpeggios. Some harmony chords sound nice, and others can sound a bit ugly.

The stormy-sounding chords are called dissonant chords; they feel tense. They are important in music because they make you want to hear them change to a nice-sounding chord. They lead the music to somewhere else. The nice-sounding chords are called consonant. You usually want to have both in music to make it more interesting.

Consonant, Calm

G-B-D Chord

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

A-C#-E Chord

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Harmony provides the emotions in music. It can make the music sound happy, sad, calm, angry, and any other emotion you can think of. Look at your piano music and see if you can name an emotion for each piece. Is it happy, sad, impatient?

Dissonant, Uneasy

G-A-Bb

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

F-Bb-E

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

You can make a chord from every note in a scale by adding thirds to it. To name these chords, musicians use Roman numerals, such as I ii iii IV V. When the chord is major, the Roman numerals are capital letters, and when the chord is minor, the numerals are small letters. The chords also have English names like tonic, dominant, and mediant.


Composers often use specific combinations of these chords in the harmony for their music. When they use the chords in one of these patterns, we call it a chord progression. Probably the most famous chord progression is the Amen that concludes a hymn. It uses the chord from the 4th note in the scale and the first chord (or tonic).

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

IV Chord = FAC  (A - men)

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

I Chord = CEGC (A-men)

This example is based on the C major scale but the chords can be based on other scales as well. Another important chord progression that is heard in almost all rock and roll music is the I-IV-V-I. Hundreds of songs use only these three chords. (CEG / FAC / GBD)

On my other blog, I have a post on chord extensions and keyboard voicings, Chords and Harmony

You may be interested in taking a look at Hear and Play offering Gospel Keys Ministry Musician 1 featuring Jason White. He teaches gospel piano chords.

photo credit: second sax lesson via photopin (license)

Wishing you a Happy 4th!

Blessings,






"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Slash Chords: Consonant to Dissonant

Photo Credit: sixninepixels

Awhile back I wrote a post about slash chords. I was reading an interesting article, Slash Chords - Part II Beyond Western Harmony by Chaim Burstein. Here's an excerpt:

• 20th Century and the Avant-Garde

Slash chords can be a great way to get away from your typical diatonic chord progressions. One of my favorite ways to use slash chords almost completely disregards Western harmonic concepts. In the prior article on slash chords, we were only concerned with slash chords that do not appear as some form of a chord inversion. Today we are going to discuss every possible combination of triads over bass notes...

Below you'll find a chart that contains every possible major triad and bass note combination. I've organized it from what I find to be the most consonant to the most dissonant. Each new chord is labeled in levels of dissonance, with Level 1 being the least dissonant and Level 12 containing the most dissonant harmonies. This chart was created using only a piano and my ears.

• Slash Chords Levels: Consonant (1) to Dissonant (12) 

Level 1 

C/C played C/EGC

Level 2

F/C played C/FAC

Level 3

Ab/C = C/EbAbC

Level 4

G/C = C/DGB

Level 5

Eb/C = C/EbGBb

Level 6

Bb/C = C/DFBb

Level 7

A/C = C/EAC#

Level 8

D/C = C/F#AD

Level 9

E/C = C/G#BE

Level 10

B/C = C/F#BD#

Level 11

Db/C = C/FAbDb

Level 12 = C/F#A#C#

Another way to use this chart is to increase or decrease the level of dissonance perceived by the listener. This can be very effective at high points in an arrangement... increase the level of dissonance with each new melody note. Try playing these on a piano and notice how the dissonance increases each time a new chord voicing is played. The top voice can act as the root, third or fifth of a chord. This gives you three different ways to harmonize any melody note at any given level of dissonance.

• Harmonizing the note E natural three different ways

L.H. / R.H.

F/GCE

D/AC#E

A/G#BE

In case you missed it, here's an article I wrote on How-Do-I-Harmonize-These-Melodies.

You'll want to pick up a copy of The 300pg Piano by Ear Home Study Course to learn about chords, melodies, harmony and more music theory answers to your questions.

Hope you'll try these chords and see how they sound to your ears.

Wishing you all the best with your piano practice!





"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Monday Mail: What Actually Happens to a C7 Chord Suspension?

Photo Credit: OldGreySeaWolf

Many readers ask for more information on chord suspensions.

Q: "What actually happens to a C7 chord suspension?"

A: Wikipedia says:

Suspended chords are commonly found in folk music and popular music... A suspended chord (sus chord) is a chord in which the (major or minor) third is omitted, replaced usually with either a perfect fourth or a major second,  although the fourth is far more common. The lack of a minor or a major third in the chord creates an open sound, while the tension between the fourth and fifth or second and root creates dissonance.

Actually, suspensions are used in two very different ways. The term "suspension" comes from a technique developed in early classical music (one associates its origins with the Baroque era). When a dissonant note is placed on a strong beat in place of an expected consonant one, and when that note then moves to a consonance, the result is a slight delay or "suspension" of the harmonic movement. We are forced to wait for a resolution of the chord progression, and feel temporarily "suspended."

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

 Dm7 = D/FAC

For example, here is a simple II-V-I chord progression. First, it resolves clearly and directly to a C chord. Next, it moves into a C suspension (an F is used instead of an E in the C harmony); this suspension then resolves when the F moves down to an E.

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

 G7 = G/FGB

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

C = C/EGC

So, you can repeat the same chords, Dm7 and G... then play:

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Csus4 C = C/FGC then to C/E 

Sometimes this suspension-resolution formula appears in a form associated with hymn and gospel playing. Like, C/FGC, then single r.h. notes E, D, E.

But there is another type of suspended sound, and it doesn't follow these rules. It occurs in very contemporary pop and jazz pieces. Simply, this kind of suspension is a chord sound in which the fourth is used instead of the third. It is a sound enjoyed for its own sake, and it doesn't resolve or move in any particular way. Here it is in a V-I progression using dominant and seventh harmonies.

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

C11 = C/BbDF then C/BbDFG

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

Db Eb Gb Ab Bb C D E F G A B C

F11 = FBb/EbGC, then F/EbGBbD

The best way to fully understand the way suspensions are used is to try them in as many situations as possible.

Suspended chords leave you hanging in mid air. They create suspense or anticipation. They sound and feel as though they should be resolved. And so they are used in endings. Also, they are perfect for extending the measure to do a run in your right hand. For more on this subject, visit How to Play Suspended Chords

A suspended chord (or a chord suspension) is usually made by holding one of the tones of a chord a tone higher, then resolving it to its resting place. This can be done with any tones of a chord, but one of the more common suspensions is to manipulate the third of the chord, by first playing the fourth, and resolving it to the third. So a C suspended chord has the tones of the root, the fourth and the fifth. More on suspended chords, here.

One of the best music resources that is a theory book is called 300pg Course Book. You'll learn about a common passing chord, the diminished7. Passing chords are simple and adding passing chords is a great way to spice up your progressions.

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Have fun playing chord suspensions!

All the best,






"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

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