How Do I Harmonize Chromatic Shite?

[BahamaDada]

Hello again!

As a big fan of 80s Metal I like to harmonize a lot of lead parts. When there's a tasty lead part - what could be better? Correct, a harmonized part to it.

And I am pretty lame on that. Most of the time it's a "normal" harmony. Is it a 3rd? Can't remember. Iron Maiden stuff.

Anyway I have a question regarding harmonizing melodies, that have chromatic notes in it.

Listen to this: (SORRY, IT'S LOUD)


It's a riff in Am. Just a Slide from G to A and then a D-A#-A run at the end. D and A are not problem. They are part of the A minor scale. But what about that A#. Which harmonized note is that?

So the question is: D - A# - A --> F - ? - C

 

[HomespunEffects]

Make it a dominant 7 chord and call it a Tritone substitution.

 

[BahamaDada]

Make it a dominant 7 chord and call it a Tritone substitution.

What would that mean in the riff above? What note would the "?" be?

 

[HomespunEffects]

Yikes, I really misread that question.

 

[HomespunEffects]

I would try C# as it’s between the 3 of the A and 1 of the D or just use the D as it’s the 3 in a tritone substitution.

 

[ctreitzell]

A#? what the?
I should think your riff is in Dm if you have a Bb...Dm myx?

chromatic lines?
easiest is octaves...and next any perfects
but what is the sound you are hearing in your head?
I often lean on b5s, but the harmonies could be anything

arranging is an artform, so get busy trying things out to arrive at what you want

 

[maguchi]

Hello again!

As a big fan of 80s Metal I like to harmonize a lot of lead parts. When there's a tasty lead part - what could be better? Correct, a harmonized part to it.

And I am pretty lame on that. Most of the time it's a "normal" harmony. Is it a 3rd? Can't remember. Iron Maiden stuff.

Anyway I have a question regarding harmonizing melodies, that have chromatic notes in it.

Listen to this: (SORRY, IT'S LOUD)


It's a riff in Am. Just a Slide from G to A and then a D-A#-A run at the end. D and A are not problem. They are part of the A minor scale. But what about that A#. Which harmonized note is that?

So the question is: D - A# - A --> F - ? - C

A#? what the?
I should think your riff is in Dm if you have a Bb...Dm myx?

chromatic lines?
easiest is octaves...and next any perfects
but what is the sound you are hearing in your head?
I often lean on b5s, but the harmonies could be anything

arranging is an artform, so get busy trying things out to arrive at what you want

You could call it a Bb instead of a A# and it would be the flat VI of the scale, either a Bb major chord or a Bb augmented chord with the notes Bb D F# work there, and both those will resolve to the next chord, an A.

 

[ctreitzell]

You could call it a Bb instead of a A# and it would be the flat VI of the scale, either a Bb major chord or a Bb augmented chord with the notes Bb D F# work there, and both those will resolve to the next chord, an A.

seriously?!? I know my music theory thanks, hence my statement

Why in the world would you use an F# in a b diatonic key?
Harmonic/ Melodic minor would bring #s into a b key...

If OP's piece is in F major (a b key),
then we refer to all the "black" keys as bs
thus your F# is enharmonically Gb...

There is no A# in the key of A minor;
OP said his piece is in Amin
The A minor key is the same notes as C major (no bs or #s)
A# can be an accidental...in CM/A-
but A#/Bb is essentially putting into The key of F major
Key of F major has one b: Bb

 

[ctreitzell]

OK, now I have listened to OPs upload and learned what is going on

this riff is in F# Minor (A major notes);
it is not in Amin
and not any out of key chromatics in that audio example

Maybe @BahamaDada you are tuned to Eb?

In Standard tuning we have
F#-G#
C#-A

So all arranging "could" be in the key of Amaj /F#min

 

[Sascha Franck]

When there's a tasty lead part

But this isn't a lead part to start with...

 

[BahamaDada]

OK, now I have listened to OPs upload and learned what is going on

this riff is in F# Minor (A major notes);
it is not in Amin
and not any out of key chromatics in that audio example

Maybe @BahamaDada you are tuned to Eb?

In Standard tuning we have
F#-G#
C#-A

So all arranging "could" be in the key of Amaj /F#min

You could be right. Maybe I grabbed the Eb guitar that evening. But I always think in terms of 'E" even when the guitar is tuned as Eb or even D.

But this isn't a lead part to start with...

Nobody claimed it is. It was the first thing, that came to my mind, that had a chromatic note in it.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Nobody claimed it is. It was the first thing, that came to my mind, that had a chromatic note in it.

Well, you were talking about harmonized leads. So it's possibly a decent idea to start with a lead line which could then be harmonized.

 

[jay mitchell]

The riff is in phrygian mode. I don't have a guitar handy, nor do I have perfect pitch, so I'm not gonna guess what the absolute tonal center is. Assuming that it's A for the sake of explanation, the key signature would have one flat (F). The Bb part could be harmonized with a Maj7#11 chord or variation thereof, e.g, leave out the M7 tone and play 1-5-3-#11 in order from low to high. That is an easily-played fingering. You could also replace the 3rd with the 9th and make the fingering even easier. The A is a minor (could add the 7th), as is the D (ditto). You probably don't want to add a ninth to the A. In phrygian mode, that would be a minor ninth (Bb), which would sound pretty weird over a minor chord.

 

[ctreitzell]

the only way that riff is in a flat key is if we say the lowest note is Gb;
So Gb min relative major is Bbb?!? Bbb=A natural
No, just no...it's F# minor

Phrygian? The second note would be a half tone- it's not;
F#-G# is a whole tone
It is natural minor (Aeolian)

It's a sharp key

 

[ctreitzell]

You could be right. Maybe I grabbed the Eb guitar that evening. But I always think in terms of 'E" even when the guitar is tuned as Eb or even D.

You must have played that on an Eb tuned guitar

Well, if you tell the piano player that riff is in Gmin, you guys gonna be playing some m2 nightmare goop
it could be interesting

...just like me talking earlier about what you explained was in the key of F major

because you aren't transposing

anyway, regardless of going all over the shop in this thread, I should have listened first

when I played along in standard, your riff is in F# minor :-)

 

[jay mitchell]

the only way that riff is in a flat key is if we say the lowest note is Gb;

Wrong. Read on.

Phrygian?

Yup.

The second note would be a half tone- it's not;

You have misidentified the tonal center. It is the second note, not the first.

I just picked up a guitar to check. The tonal center is Ab (and the tonality is minor), so the OP had to be playing a guitar tuned down at least a half step. My post above is correct. If you want absolute tones, transpose down a half step.

F#-G# is a whole tone

Correct. IOW, the interval between the seventh degree and the tonic in Phrygian is a whole step. If you want to notate the riff without accidentals, the key sig would be the major key a major third below the tonal center.

 

[ctreitzell]

Wrong. Read on.

It's music, "wrong" is not a term I would use, nor agree to use
you have used that term, I understand your standpoint

Ab as the tonal center...
phrygian mode
My first thought then is G# is the third in Emajor scale

Notes of the riff:
Gb Ab Db Bbb

well, double flat isn't really diatonic
so, shall we connect the dots?

Fb (root) (crack tastin pretty sweet right now)
whole
Gb
whole
Ab
half
Bbb
whole
Cb
whole
Db
half
Ebb

I don't see it with these double flats..what does that give us enharmonically?
Fb=E
Gb=F#
Ab=G#
Bbb=A
Cb=B
Db=C#
Ebb=D

All the notes of A major (3#s); regardless of mode
E major would be fine to with this riff...D or D# hasn't been established by the op riff afaiaa...again, regardless of mode

 

[jay mitchell]

Ab as the tonal center...
phrygian mode
My first thought then is G# is the third in Emajor scale

To recap: the OP was thinking "A." I began with that assumption, but after first listening to the clip. That's important. My answer was that phrygian mode encompasses the entire riff diatonically. Using A as the tonal center, the key sig that would result in no accidentals is F. Nothing you have posted negates that in any way.

I later listened with a guitar handy and immediately recognized that the guitar in the clip was tuned down a half step. That makes the tonal center a half step lower than A. Call it G# or Ab, in 12TET it's the same pitch.

OTOH, you began by arguing F# as the tonal center. It's not; it is a leading tone. If you're going to notate the riff in the actual key, then E would be the key that will result in no accidentals. None of your other verbiage is relevant. FYI, your analysis is missing some tones that are present in the riff.