Q&A for How to Harmonize

The perfect 5th above (B) and below (A) harmonize best. Major and minor thirds above (G#, G) and below (C, C#) do also, depending on the other musical context happening. If you get deep enough into music theory, like Jazz prodigy and composer Jordan Collier, any note can harmonize with E.

Singing melody is singing the primary notes of the song. For example, if all instruments were taken away and all that was left was one singer singing the most important part of the song, that is the melody of the song.

Harmonizing is adding notes that complement the melody. Most harmonies follow the overtone series, using mostly perfect fifths, major thirds, and minor thirds.

Yes, you can. As long as the people you harmonise with have an idea as to which note to sing, it should be fine. The instrument is mainly there so that you don't mess up, when tuned it has perfect pitch and you can figure out from there, but it isn't a necessity.

Regardless of the notes others are singing, you can find other harmonizing notes to sing within the range of your voice.

It depends on your pace. Some people will accelerate at impossible speeds, but it might take others a little longer. Though you probably won't be the next Michael Jackson tommorrow, practice makes perfect.

For most choral songs, sheet music is normally included along with harmonies. If it dosen't, you would want to have a look at the key signature and use those notes in the scale to help find the harmonies, making sure that they fit in with the overall tone of the song.

You can listen to the given melody of a song, and carefully sing that note and sing up two steps. Then continue singing with the melody, but with the harmony that you've just created, which is a third; for example, the melody is on C, so you sing on E. One of the easiest ways to improvise harmonies is by singing an octave above or below, as it's the easiest to pick up by ear.

The G triad is G, D and B. A is the second of G, you should play G(9), but if you play this chord there would be two intervals of a second, which can be quite dissonant. It depends of the other notes of the melody line, but it is recommended that you play G(9).

Like you would in any other scale, just keep in mind that it has F# and C#.

A lower harmony would be either a base clef G, E, or even an octave lower C.

Tenor will usually be the lowest note, alto the middle note, and soprano the top note. You will likely be assigned a part before you start practicing or singing the song. If you are not assigned a part, then choose a part based on your vocal range: tenor, alto, or soprano.

If the song is in E major you can use C# minor scale, it depends on the chord that you are playing at the moment. If the compass's chord is D minor, you can use the E dorian, which is equal to D minor.

Harmonies aren't just about moving with the melody. Any note you hit needs to fit with the chord that's being played as well. If you listen to the music rather than the singer and improvise your own melody to the chord sequence, you may find it much easier.

Assign parts to the different harmonies. Some singers are better at reaching a higher register while others can sing the low harmonizations. In singing, the soprano can sing the highest registers while tenor and baritone singers typically sing the middle and low registers, respectively.

Yes, there are several apps that can help you develop your harmonization skills. Go to the app store and type in harmonization or harmony to find them. Some examples include Sing Harmonies and VocalizeU.

Yes. Regardless of which key the song is in, you can always harmonize up or down with the melody.

Absolutely! In fact, there are few hard and fast rules, and rules are made to be broken. Feel free to mess around with different combinations. For example, you may consider dropping the third of the Dadd2 to create a Dsus2 or even use something like a Cmaj (D Mixolydian mode). A good place to start is to find chords within (or adjacent to) the key you're in that also contain the melody tone you're working with.

No, just habits re: rock music. But general harmony, yes.

Yes, usually after a few years of experience or even a few voice lessons, this will really help.

Yes! Sometimes chords have "dissonance" in them, which is when two notes are only a half step apart from each other. Sometimes the dissonance resolves if there is a moving note, and sometimes it doesn't. Dissonance can make chords and harmonies sound super cool, so if you're wanting to put some in a song, then go for it!

This is not as easy as it might seem. the term for being able to sing two notes at once is called overtone singing, but it can take decades to master. Check out some of Anne-Maria Hefele's videos on YouTube. She is a professional overtone singer.

When you harmonise, do not have to choose a section. It should be harmonised the whole way through with small breaks while singing the melody.

It depends on the song! For an A# (or a Bb), if the chord is an A# or Bb chord, singing a D or F would be appropriate; for an F# (or Gb) chord, an F#/Gb or C#/Db would work; and for a D# (or Eb) chord, a D#/Eb or a G would sound pretty. Of course, these are only the notes that fall into the basic triad pattern and if you want to experiment beyond that, feel free!

In organ performance, block harmony means that close position chords are added below the melody in the right hand, and the left hand doubles the melody an octave lower, while in open harmony the middle note of the chord is played an octave lower creating an "open" space in the chord.

If you want to harmonize with singing, it works best if you are doing a duet with someone, because then one person can harmonize and the other one can try to keep the tune.