Harmonizing Lesson

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Paul Wolfe
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Harmonizing Lesson

Post by Paul Wolfe »

Here it is, as promised...

Harmonizing is playing two or more notes at the same time. In this lesson the term harmonizing applies to adding a second (or third) lead line or riff to the original lead line or riff.

Rather than jump straight into the theory, here’s an example that should be recognizable:

Play 4 times

Guitar 1
||----------------------|--------------------------||----|
||o---------------------|------------------------o||----|
||----------------------|--------------------------||----|
||----------------------|--------------------------||----|
||o-----4----5---4----|-2---------2-----------o||----|
||--2-2---2----2---2-|----5-4--5----5-4--0---||----|
|
|
| Guitar 2
||----------------------|------------------------------||----|
||o--------------------|-----------------------------o||----|
||------9---11---9----|-7----------7----------------||----|
||--7-7---7----7---7-|---11-9-11---11-9---------||----|
||o--------------------|----------------------11---o||----|



Sounds a bit strange, because we are not used to hearing the main riff from Crazy Train harmonized (unless you like the version with Brad Gillis in the band with LOADS of keyboards).

Okay, so Crazy Train’s main riff is in the key of F# minor (F# G# A B C# D E) which is the Aeolian mode of the key of A (A B C# D E F# G#). In order to explain the way I harmonized it, I have to throw in a little theory, so bear with me. Each note in the scale has a corresponding number:

1 = A
2 = B
3 = C#
4 = D
5 = E
6 = F#
7 = G#

For the record, each number (called degrees) has a corresponding mode:

1 = Ionian
2 = Dorian
3 = Phrygian
4 = Lydian
5 = Mixolydian
6 = Aeolian
7 = Locrian

The reason I said “Crazy Train’s main riff is in the key of F# minorâ€ÂÂ
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Ell
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Post by Ell »

That was very helpful, thank you very much. Not only the harmonizing part but the little bit about modes helped me as well, and the 2nd bit was the solo to a song with the initials PUTP :D
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Supernaut
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Post by Supernaut »

Cheers Rocky! This helps me quite a bit! It'll take me a few reads through to understand it properly but I'm sure I will in no time. Then I'll try it with something else.

And yea, so I can harmonize with guitar players without just doing the 8va thing, I want to use different notes as well. And also so I can help write harmonizing guitar parts and generally increase my theory knowledge.

thanks!
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

I'm glad it helps... this is just the tip of the iceberg where harmonizing is concerned. I'm going to write out something harmonized in Diatonic Fifths with an explanation as well as some other cool things you can do to add interest with harminization.
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Post by Supernaut »

Cool thanks. I re-read it and misunderstood it, but Ell steered me in the right direction. Now I know what you're talking about!
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Cool Lesson

Post by RR-ElectricAngel »

Great lesson. Gives me some great ideas on approaching a few songs I've been working on...
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Re: Cool Lesson

Post by Paul Wolfe »

RR-ElectricAngel wrote:Great lesson. Gives me some great ideas on approaching a few songs I've been working on...

Thank you.

I have read SO many articles which do things like, "Here's the C Major scale, and here is how to harmonize this scale." That is helpful, but sometimes it only helps you with one scale because the concept isn't presented creatively enough. That's why I thought that harmonizing the solo to Picking Up the Pieces would help with the concept and give you something familiar to play as you explore the concept.

I'm glad it was appreciated.
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

RockyRhoads wrote:I'm going to write out something harmonized in Diatonic Fifths with an explanation as well as some other cool things you can do to add interest with harminization.
I plan on harmonizing the solo to Look In Any Window in diatonic 5ths this weekend... I prefer Randy's Quiet Riot stuff to his Ozzy stuff these days. Probably because I haven't heard it over and over for 26 years :wink:

Anyway, I planned on getting this done a week ago, but it turns out that while I thought I had a cold, I really have pneumonia :? I love my life, really!
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Supernaut
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Post by Supernaut »

Oh that's charming....hope you get well soon!
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Supernaut
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Post by Supernaut »

By the way, I harmonized a few things to try it out and they sound good. I did the Crazy Train riff, For Whom The Bell Tolls and started doing the Crazy Train solo too. The tapping part sounds alright but it begisn to sound weird...
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Post by Paul Wolfe »

Supernaut wrote:The tapping part sounds alright but it begisn to sound weird...
Harmonizing is a great tool, but it needs to be used sparingly or it gets to be too much. It works best, in my opinion, in two guitar bands. It also works between bass and guitar. Then when you get a genius like Randy Rhoads, a single guitar player can use this tool to make his solos on record stand out by having a second, harmonized part faded back in the mix so you don't necessarily notice it, but you'd notice if it were missing.
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Ell
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Post by Ell »

I really dislike how all the modern bands harmonize, they never stop and with them it always sounds the same. Mick Ronson and Randy where brilliant at it and could make it sound so cool.
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Supernaut
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Post by Supernaut »

yea it's like everything...if you use it too much it gets boring!
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Paul Wolfe
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Re: Harmonizing Lesson

Post by Paul Wolfe »

I came across this harmonizing lesson by a guy who studied at GIT...

Here's another video along the same lines but he explains the importance of paying attention to the chords under the lead...

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I thought I'd share the links.
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Re: Harmonizing Lesson

Post by Geo Sav »

That's cool that you take the time to do that. I keep saying to myself I should put something up and I forget. Do you guys have to type all the lines in yourself for the fret board? Is there another way?
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