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Get Started in Songwriting: Harmony

by Sam Inglis

Harmony is one of those musical terms that can be intimidating for the uninitiated, but at the basic level, it's something we all understand. Whenever you accompany yourself with simple chords on the guitar or piano, you're adding harmony to your song. And although it's possible to get a lot more theoretical and complex, you don't have to.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that there are lots of possible harmonies, or chord sequences, that will fit any given tune. These can change the effect and impact of the song radically. Choose a chord sequence consisting mainly of major chords, and it will tend naturally to feel upbeat and cheerful. Conversely, minor chords will bring the mood down. Slightly jarring chords that don't sit naturally with the tune can make an interesting alternative to the obvious ones, helping to stop your song slide into predictability. Repeating the same chord over and over again will result in a very different mood compared with constantly changing chords, even if the melody is identical. And there's no reason why you shouldn't combine these approaches within the same song, to add contrast between verses and chorus for instance.


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Get Started In Songwriting: Teach Yourself

Get Started In Songwriting: Teach Yourself
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