[Harp-L] Harmonizing over the basic diatonic chords



Although I don't play in or with a horn section, I do
play harmony on harmonica at different times. Usually
when I play bluegrass/gospel, I'm playing in a supporting
role, not as the lead. Consequently, I'll play either
a single-note harmony line, or chord-based chugging,
depending on the song and my mood at that time. The
important thing is to add something to the sound of the
group, without walking on someone else's lead or vocals.

Here's how I learned to work with harmony.

Basic harmony is created by taking notes that are a
third interval apart and playing them simultaneously
with the melody note.

Build all of the diatonic triads (chords) for the
particular key. Here are the triads for the "C"
major scale:

-5-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G
-3-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E
-1-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
---1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1 (Scale degrees)

The simplest form of harmony can be played as follows.
While one player is playing the melody line as single
notes based on row 1, the second player is playing the
underlying chord (or partial chord, or octave) based on
rows 1-3-5. That's just simple accompaniment.

Another alternative is that while one player is playing
the melody using the notes in row 1, another player is
simultaneously playing the corresponding notes in either
row 3 or row 5. In other words, the combination of the
notes creates the chord. With only two players, usually
the second player plays the notes in row 3 which are a
third interval apart. With 3 players, all of the triad
notes can be played simultaneously. It creates a richness
when several instruments (like a horn section) are playing
various parts simultaneously.

It IS more complicated than that, because there will be
certain places (at the end of a phrase or at the end of
the song) where all three players will want to finish on
the root note (row 1) of the chord, perhaps an octave
apart, to resolve any tension.

More interesting harmony parts can be created by varying
the rhythm between the parts by changing the time duration
of the harmony notes to be different from the melody time
duration.

You also can play the notes of extended chords as harmony.
Here's the extended diatonic chords for the "C" major scale:

15-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C (Same as the Ionian modal scale, two octaves up)
13-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A (Same as the Aeolian modal scale)
11-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F (Same as the Lydian modal scale)
-9-D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D (Same as the Dorian modal scale)
-7-B-C-D-E-F-G-A-B (Same as the Locrian modal scale)
-5-G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G (Same as the Mixolydian modal scale)
-3-E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E (Same as the Phrygian modal scale)
-1-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C (Same as the Ionian modal scale)
---1-2-3-4-5-6-7-1 (Scale degrees)

Row 1 contains the root notes of the "C" major scale.
If you have other musicians (keyboardist, guitarist, etc.)
playing the notes in the basic triads (rows 1-3-5), you can
play harmony using the notes in rows 7-15.

If you know the modal scales corresponding to a particular
major scale, you can use one of those modal scales to play
a harmony line.

You are only limited by your imagination! There are an
infinite number of variations; that's what makes playing
music so wonderful!

Just some "food" (red meat?!?) for thought...
Crazy ('bout harp!) Bob








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