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Harmonization Unveiled

The Architecture of Musical Sound: A scholarly exploration of melody accompaniment, scale harmonization, and advanced jazz reharmonization techniques.

What is Harmonization? ๐Ÿ‘‡ Explore Jazz Techniques ๐ŸŽท

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The Essence of Harmonization

Defining Harmonization

In the realm of music, harmonization refers to the practice of creating chordal accompaniment for a melodic line or a principal melody. It is the art of combining chords and melodies to produce harmony, essentially by stacking scale tones to form triads or more complex chords.[2] This process enriches the melodic content, adding depth, texture, and emotional resonance to a musical piece.

Visualizing Harmony

While direct audio playback is not possible here, consider the visual representation of musical concepts. For instance, the provided diagrams illustrate how a melody can be supported by chords derived from a musical scale. The first diagram shows two different harmonizations of the tune "Yankee Doodle," demonstrating how the same melody can be accompanied by varied harmonic structures.

Yankee Doodle Harmonizations

These visual examples showcase distinct harmonic treatments for a familiar melody, highlighting the creative possibilities within harmonization.

Two Harmonizations of "Yankee Doodle"
๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ
One harmonization. Visual representation of a musical score for Yankee Doodle with chordal accompaniment.
๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ
Another harmonization. Visual representation of a musical score for Yankee Doodle with a different chordal accompaniment.

Harmonizing Musical Scales

Constructing Harmonized Scales

A harmonized scale is created by using each note of a musical scale as the root note for a chord. The remaining tones within that chord are also derived from the same scale. This process generates a set of chords that are diatonic to the scale, forming the harmonic foundation for melodies within that key.

The Major Scale Example

In a standard major scale (Ionian mode), harmonizing each scale degree results in the following chord qualities:

  • I: Major chord
  • ii: Minor chord
  • iii: Minor chord
  • IV: Major chord
  • V: Major chord (often a dominant 7th)
  • vi: Minor chord
  • viiยฐ: Diminished chord

This sequence provides the fundamental harmonic vocabulary for music in a major key.

The Minor Scale Example

For the natural minor scale (Aeolian mode), the resulting harmonization is:

  • i: Minor chord
  • iiยฐ: Diminished chord
  • III: Major chord
  • iv: Minor chord
  • v: Minor chord
  • VI: Major chord
  • VII: Major chord

These patterns form the basis for understanding harmonic relationships across different modes and keys.

Harmonized C Major Scale

This visualization illustrates the diatonic chords derived from the C major scale.

๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ
Harmonized C major scale: I, ii, iii, IV, V7, vi, viiยฐ. Visual representation of a musical scale with associated diatonic chords.

Reharmonization: Evolving Harmony

The Art of Altering Harmony

Reharmonization is a sophisticated musical technique where an existing melodic line is accompanied by a newly composed or altered chord progression. The primary goals are to introduce musical interest, provide variety, or adapt a piece to a more contemporary or progressive style. It's a powerful tool for arrangers and composers to reimagine familiar melodies.

Melodic Tone Harmonization

A single melodic tone can be harmonized in numerous ways, serving as different chord members (root, third, fifth, seventh, etc.). For example, the note 'E' could be the root of an E major chord, the third of a C major chord, or the ninth of a D minor seventh chord. When reharmonizing an entire melodic line, the arranger must consider how each melodic tone interacts with the chosen harmony, managing potential dissonances and ensuring smooth voice leading.

Consider a melody with the notes Eโ™ญ โ€“ F โ€“ G. If originally harmonized with an Eโ™ญmaj7 chord (Eโ™ญ โ€“ G โ€“ Bโ™ญ โ€“ D), reharmonizing with a D7 chord (D โ€“ Fโ™ฏ โ€“ A โ€“ C) might create significant dissonance, as F clashes with the Fโ™ฏ (a semitone difference) and G clashes with the A (a major second difference). While skilled musicians can leverage such dissonances, careful consideration of voice leading and harmonic context is paramount.

Jazz Reharmonization Techniques

Contemporary Jazz Harmony

In jazz, reharmonization often involves updating the chord progressions of existing standards to sound more modern. This is a cornerstone of jazz improvisation and arrangement, with pioneers like Art Tatum, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans significantly advancing the practice.

Tritone Substitution

A prevalent technique is tritone substitution, where a dominant seventh chord is replaced by another dominant seventh chord located a tritone (three whole steps) away. This works because the crucial third and seventh intervals of a dominant chord are the same (enharmonically) as the seventh and third of the tritone-substituted chord. For example, a G7 chord (G-B-D-F) can be substituted with a Dโ™ญ7 chord (Dโ™ญ-F-Aโ™ญ-Cโ™ญ/B), as B and F are enharmonically equivalent to Cโ™ญ and F.

This substitution is highly effective in jazz standards that frequently use the II-V-I progression. A progression like Dm7 โ€“ G7 โ€“ Cmaj7 can become Dm7 โ€“ Dโ™ญ7 โ€“ Cmaj7, introducing chromatic bass movement and a richer harmonic color.

Functional Substitution and Bluesy Sounds

Beyond tritone substitution, jazz harmony simplifies functions to tonic, subdominant, and dominant. Chords can be substituted based on these functions (e.g., substituting the ii chord for the IV chord). Replacing a major chord with a minor seventh or dominant seventh chord can create a "bluesy" effect. The common II-V-I turnaround can be elaborated with preceding chords or substitutions, adding chromaticism and harmonic sophistication.

Advanced Concepts in Harmony

Planing

Planing involves sliding a chord or a set of chord tones up or down, chromatically or by a tritone, while maintaining its voicing and structure. This technique is used by improvisers and arrangers to create harmonic movement and interest. For instance, a F7 chord could be planed up to Fโ™ฏ7, creating a semitone shift in all its constituent notes. This can be further embellished, for example, by adding a seventh to a planed dominant chord to create a ii-V-I turnaround, even if it doesn't resolve to the original tonic.

A common progression like Cmaj7 | Am7 | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 can be reharmonized using planing and substitutions. For example: E7 | A7 | Bโ™ญm7 Eโ™ญ7 | D7 F7 | Aโ™ญmaj7 Dโ™ญmaj7 | Cmaj7. This demonstrates chromatic movement and substitutions, creating a more complex harmonic landscape.

Multi-tonic Systems

Inspired by theorists like Joseph Schillinger and Nicolas Slonimsky, multi-tonic systems explore the octave divided into equal parts, creating multiple tonal centers. John Coltrane famously utilized this concept in his composition "Giant Steps," which features rapid modulations through three tonics based on the B augmented triad (B, G, Eโ™ญ). This approach, often referred to as "Coltrane changes," involves complex sequences of dominant chords and ii-V-I progressions resolving to these distant tonics.

Coltrane's "Countdown," a reharmonization of Miles Davis's "Tune Up," exemplifies this. The original D major key progression (Em7 โ€“ A7 โ€“ D) is transformed with rapid shifts: Em7 F7 | Bโ™ญ Db7 | Gb A7 | D. This intricate harmonic structure requires advanced improvisational skills and often necessitates melodic alterations to fit the new harmonic framework.

Foundational Music Theory

Functional Harmony

Classical and jazz harmony often simplify tonal relationships into three core functions: tonic (home), subdominant (leading away), and dominant (leading back). Understanding these functions allows for strategic chord substitutions, as chords with similar functions can often replace each other without disrupting the overall harmonic flow.

Harmonic Rhythm and Voicing

Harmonic rhythm refers to the rate at which chords change within a piece. The way chords are voicedโ€”the specific arrangement of notes within the chordโ€”also significantly impacts the overall sound and texture. Sophisticated reharmonization often involves careful consideration of both harmonic rhythm and voicing to achieve desired effects.

Global Harmonic Traditions

While Western music theory heavily influences concepts like harmonization and reharmonization, diverse musical traditions worldwide employ unique approaches to harmony and melody. Exploring these global perspectives enriches our understanding of musical structure and expression.

References

Source Material

The information presented on this page is derived from scholarly and encyclopedic sources, providing a foundation for understanding musical harmonization.

  • Porter, Steven. Harmonization of the Chorale.
  • Schonbrun, Marc. The Everything Music Theory Book: A Complete Guide to Taking Your Understanding of Music to the Next Level.
  • Buckingham, Bruce, and Eric Paschal. Rhythm Guitar: The Complete Guide.
  • Wyatt, Keith, and Carl Schroeder. Harmony and Theory: A Comprehensive Source for All Musicians.
  • Levine, Mark. The Jazz Theory Book.
  • Wright, Rayburn. Inside the Score: A Detailed Analysis of 8 Classic Jazz Ensemble Charts by Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones, and Bob Brookmeyer.
  • Griffin, Farah Jasmine, and Salim Washington. Clawing at the Limits of Cool.

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References

References

  1.  Wright, Rayburn. Inside the Score: a detailed analysis of 8 classic jazz ensemble charts by Sammy Nestico, Thad Jones, and Bob Brookmeyer. New York: Kendor Music, Inc., 1982. pp. 45 รขย€ย“ 109.
A full list of references for this article are available at the Harmonization Wikipedia page

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Disclaimer

Educational Context

This page has been generated by an AI for educational and informational purposes only. The content is based on publicly available data and aims to provide a clear, structured overview of musical harmonization.

This is not professional music advice. The information provided herein is not a substitute for consultation with qualified music theorists, composers, arrangers, or educators. Always seek the guidance of experienced professionals for specific musical endeavors or academic pursuits.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any inaccuracies, omissions, or actions taken based on the information presented.