Ever wonder how Boston, The Allman Brothers, Iron Maiden, and The Eagles wrote harmonized guitar parts? Or why Simon and Garfunkel sing the notes they do in songs like “Sounds of Silence?”

This video is an extensive demonstration of that process and all of the considerations one might take when trying to write harmony lines such as those. Below is a very basic summary of the concepts inside. 

Harmonized Thirds

Here’s a simple melodic line in the key of G. It goes up the scale a bit, then jumps back down and ascends again. 

A simple way to harmonize above this is with diatonic thirds, which you can think of as skipping over the next note of the scale. Here are the notes of the G scale, written in order. We can harmonize the first note, G, with the third note, B. Similarly, we can harmonize note 2 (A) with note 4 (C).

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

If we harmonize each note of our original lick this way, we’ll end up with the following:

Sixths

(At this point, things might get murky if you don’t know your formal intervals. I recommend you read the 2nd chapter of the Chord Progression Codex (for free!) to learn them.) 

Let’s take that harmony line that we wrote, which is a diatonic third above our original melody, and move it down an entire octave. 

If you calculate the distances between these notes, you’ll see that they’re actually sixths – not thirds. This is because thirds and sixths are complements of each other. When you invert a third, you end up with a sixth, and vice versa. 

It’s important to remember when you’re writing a harmony line that your melody line may not always want what ever is up a third! For example, if your original melody is voicing the 5th of a chord, then adding a 3rd above it will introduce some type of 7th quality to the overall sound that may not be desired. 

However, if your melody is voicing the 3rd of a chord, then harmonizing with it up a 6th will end up summoning the root note of the underlying chord. This is why you want to experiment with diatonic sixths just as eagerly as you would thirds. 

Fourths and Fifths

These two intervals are again complements of one another. If a third or sixth doesn’t sound good above or beneath your original melody, try one of these instead. 

There is a famous “rule” that you should not harmonize with parallel fifths. That restriction does not apply whatsoever to modern rock genres and can be safely ignored until you decide to learn counterpoint and similar classical theory. 

Use ’em all!

When writing a harmony line, I like to include combinations of everything we’ve discussed here. I also pay close attention to the motion of my harmony: are the two voices moving in parallel with one another? Or are they in contrary motion? Or oblique motion? 

Those are all concepts I cover in my other harmony lesson, found here. 

Learn More

If you enjoy my lessons or want to learn more about music theory from the ground up, you’ll love my Music Theory and Songwriting Course. It’s a complete guide writing, understanding, and creating modern music on any instrument. 

Music Theory and Songwriting Course FAQs

Probably! Only about 15% of this course is dedicated to the guitar, while the remaining concepts are taught in a way that can easily be applied to any other instrument. However, since all the theory taught is viewed through the lens of the guitar, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you own a guitar before pursuing this course to finish.
This is not a course on guitar playing or technique, but on theory and songwriting. The only skills you are expected to know is how to read guitar tablature, and the absolute basics of guitar playing (how to fret a note, open chords, etc)
I can confidently say that this method of learning will be more effective and valuable for many types of students. Since there is no wasted time or filler, it is more time-efficient than real life lessons where the teacher or student can get distracted. The printable materials are of a higher quality than most private lessons. And the ability to replay a lesson over and over is invaluable for students struggling to understand difficult topics.
Not quite- my YouTube channel explores more advanced topics without explaining the prerequisites. 95% of the content in this course is totally unique and unexplored on my channel, and is taught in a linear fashion as to make sure you’re totally competent by the end. There are only two lessons that include cross over with my YouTube channel. However, after some lessons, Design and Develop by Inbox Technologyyou are directed to specific YouTube videos I’ve produced to help expand on your understanding of the previous topics and to help weave my channel in with the course.
Nope! Once purchased you’ll have access for life, including any additional lessons or worksheets that get added in over time.
Currently, no. But I am working on getting a physical version of the course made instead of digital-only. Stay tuned!
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