Harmonizing Leads on Guitar

[kevin]

Okay.. so I've been playing for 6 years.. I don't know how the hell to know what notes harmonize with what? Can anyone explain this in very simple terms? I know octaves sound good together yeah.. but like with different notes and stuff.. know what I mean?

And please, if you can refrain from saying like the scales using numbers, like perfect 5th, major 3rd, or that.. If that's possible. Those confuse me more. It'd be more easy for me, if you would like.. give an example like A harmonizes with blah blah blah.. I could work from there.

[DirtyDeeds]

You need to learn you some theory, boy.

Don't use too many octaves together... that's parallel octaves and is a big theory no-no. It's ok in rock music IN MODERATION, but generally sounds bad in any other music, pretty much.

You're not going to get any responses unless you do your part and find out what a major 3rd or a perfect 5th, etc. is. It would take WAY too much time and effort to tell you every note that harmonizes nicely with every other note.

Basically, I urge you to stay diatonic (meaning, in the key). With that in mind, I urge you to be a third, a fifth, a fourth, or a sixth up from the lower note you are harmonizing. A third would mean two diatonic (in the key) notes above the note you are hitting. A fifth would mean four diatonic notes above the note you are hitting, etc.

Hope that helps. I really REALLY ureg you to learn some theory, though. I recomend "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory." It is a FANTASTIC theory book, and makes it really easy to understand. To really gain something out of it, though, you should do the exercises at the end of each chapter.

Oh, also keep in mind that you should not do too many fifths above the lower note when harmonizing. If you do too many in a row, that is parallel 5ths and is also a big no-no. So, minimize the number of octaves and the number of 5ths.

Edited February 2, 2006 by DirtyDeeds

[santana]

OK... Harmonies are done using chord tones. Chord tones are the root note, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. Those are the notes that make up chords. Depending on what scale you are using, you may be using natural, flat or sharp 3rd 5th and 7th notes.

So the harmonized notes you play depends on what scale you are in.

Say you're in C major:

C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So lets say you wanted to harmonize using 3rd notes in a Cmaj, it would be like this:

Note: C D E F G A B

Harm: E F G A B C D

See how all the harmonies are still in the Cmaj scale? That's what you want. Make sure that the interval between notes (3rd,5th,7th) stays the same for the duration of the entire harmony, and that the notes of the harmony line are in the scale that you are playing.

[quadlaser]

OK... Harmonies are done using chord tones. Chord tones are the root note, 3rd, 5th, and 7th. Those are the notes that make up chords. Depending on what scale you are using, you may be using natural, flat or sharp 3rd 5th and 7th notes.

So the harmonized notes you play depends on what scale you are in.

Say you're in C major:

C D E F G A B

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So lets say you wanted to harmonize using 3rd notes in a Cmaj, it would be like this:

Note: C D E F G A B

Harm: E F G A B C D

See how all the harmonies are still in the Cmaj scale? That's what you want. Make sure that the interval between notes (3rd,5th,7th) stays the same for the duration of the entire harmony, and that the notes of the harmony line are in the scale that you are playing.

holy shit, where'd you learn that?

[santana]

Guitar lessons. A long LOOOONG time ago.

[DirtyDeeds]

While what you are saying is true, Santana, I threw in a sixth and left out a seventh. I really don't like the sound of the seventh, as it is only a second apart. It's ok occasionally, but too much of it sounds bad, in my opinion. I also like the sound of the sixth. It has a really neat sound, although it shouldn't be used all that much, either.

And quadlaser, if you thought what Santana said was amazing, you really need to learn some theory. It helps loads.

Also, you do not have to keep the same interval, although that's probably a good place to start when learning to harmonize. It is actually better NOT to keep the same interval. It is ok a bit, for rock guitar and all, but you should try to use contrary motion as much as you can. It will make it more interesting and will keep the contruction simply better. Contrary motion simply means that when the higher note goes up, the lower note goes down, and when the higher note goes down, the lower note goes up. But you must stay diatonic (in the scale). Also, for the most part, you should stick with the 3rd, 5th, 7th, or octave, like Santana said, although other notes ARE acceptable, such as the sixth or the fourth (both of which have interesting sounds).

Edited February 2, 2006 by DirtyDeeds

[santana]

Harmonizing with a 4th is ok, but your root note ends up becoming the 5th of the harmonized note... IE: 4th of C is F, but C is the 5th of F, which then makes it more like you are playing an inverted F 5th.

[DirtyDeeds]

Harmonizing with a 4th is ok, but your root note ends up becoming the 5th of the harmonized note... IE: 4th of C is F, but C is the 5th of F, which then makes it more like you are playing an inverted F 5th.

This is true. I was trying to keep it simple for the people who don't understand so well, though.

[kevin]

Yeah I really should learn some theory..

Okay I think I'm understanding a little.. So the numbers in the scale correspond to like.. the number of the note in the scale, with respect to the order their played in? And basically for starting out i should just keep the interval between the notes in the scale the same, untill i'm more proficient.. I've been using my new keyboard to kinda help me figure out the things too a little bit. Thanks for all the help santana and dirtydeeds!

EDIT: Just realized the white keys on the keyboard in succesion are the c major scale! Would you suppose it would be good for me to play around with it on the keys before transitioning it to guitar?

Edited February 3, 2006 by kevin

[santana]

If you feel more comfortable on keys, then by all means use the keyboard. If that works better for you, then go for it and then take the new things you learn and bring them to the guitar.

And yes, the numbers do correspond to the notes of the scale. Like... when you are talking about the Cmaj scale and some one says, play the third, they are refering to the 3rd note of the scale. C D E. E is the third note.

[kevin]

Just thought i'd update a bit. I've gotten the hang of harmonizing with 3rds, and me and the other guitarist are going good with it, making our songs better! Plus we have this intro to a song.. that uses open high e string, and because of your guys help, I was able to harmonize with it using a capo.. and it sounds so amazing. When its on the radio I'll be sure to give you guys some royalties

Thanks much!