How to use chords with a leading melody:

How to use chords with a leading melody:

A very interesting way to harmonize and create new ideas is to use melody structures within chords. Meaning, to play chords in such a way that when you move from one to the other you create a single line melody pathway within them.

This is a very handy trick to master because it makes your chords sing beyond what they usually cover. For instance: let’s say you want to accomplish a simple melody such as “Twinkle, twinkle little star” but with chords in the key of C. The melody by itself would be: C, C, G, G, A, A, G. If we harmonize this with chords then it would sound a lot fuller, but exactly how?

I like to visualize the simple melody first and then add the chords last that complement the melody and the bass. It is important to know the bass because we need to know where we are going structure wise. If we play “Twinkle, twinkle little star” like I said above, then the bass would be: C, G, F and C: Like this:

For less experienced players look bellow:

For every two notes in the right hand, we will play one note in the bass/left hand.

Right Hand: C C / G G / A A / G

Left Hand:    C   / G     /F       /G

If we were to harmonize this with chords to achieve this leading melody effect then we would use mayor chords on the right hand always making sure that the leading melody stays on the outside of the chords or played with our pinky finger. Like this:

Notice how the chords harmonize the melody without affecting the main melody.

Now we will use one of my songs so that you can see this applied in a more advanced manner.

The song is titled: Despertando, listen to it from 0.58 – 1.02

https://youtu.be/bvc0gbAIeFw?t=58s

This song is in the key of C and I was trying to move one half step up for the Chorus (C# - C Sharp) to make it sound stronger and higher. I achieved this effect by adding a 4 chord progression using the leading melody effect within chords I explained above.

This is what the progression’s main melody looks like:

Now let’s examine this progression with the chords and the left hand. These are the chord names:

1^st chord = A/B or B11th

2^nd chord = F#add9th/A#

3^rd chord = F#min9th

4^th chord = G#7^th#5#9

Looks like this on the staff:

As you can see, this chord progression was harmonized according to the main melody I wanted to play, thus making the chords sound tight and harmonious.

Thank you for reading, hope this was helpful.

Carlos Camilo 

(Author)(pianist/singer/arranger/producer/composer from Miami,FL).

www.carloscamilo.com