How to Harmonize Guitar Parts

Harmonizing guitar chords requires knowledge of music theory. Harmonizing guitar parts requires a basic understanding of music theory and the ability to listen to chords and make intelligent decisions based on what you hear. With the proper training, you can begin to expertly harmonic guitar parts for an entire ensemble. You simply need to take the main beats of the melody and determine what possible chord combinations you can use. There isn't one right and wrong chord you can use, so some creativity and individual preference will be needed to complete this task.

Analyze the melody to determine the names of the notes in the melody. Find the tonic of the melody. The tonic is the note that the melody revolves around. The first and last note of a melody are usually the same. You can use the first note to create the chord for the first and last bar of the music. Simply make the first chord a major triad, by adding a major third to the tonic and then a minor third on top of the major third.

Find the chord for the second measure by looking at the melody. If the melody has a C on the first beat of this measure, then build a chord on thirds. In this case, it would be a C, E and G, which creates a C major chord.

Move between chords by choosing chords that are not adjacent to each other. For instance, don't move from a C chord to a B or D chord. When moving from one chord to the next, it is best to use a common tone between the chords. Between a C and D chord, there are no common tones. For instance, C, E, G and D, F, A don't share any notes in common. However, C, E, G and E, G, B both share two notes. This makes the move from one chord to the next smoother.

Place a V chord as the second-to-last chord to ensure that you have a proper cadence. Step 5 Tips In addition to using common tones, you can use standard chord progressions. I - IV - V - I and I - V - I are the most common chord progressions. In the key of C, those chords would start on C - F - G - C and C - G - C.