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The following lesson page is an excerpt from Jody Fisher's book,
Mastering Chord/Melody,
available on-line from P.J. Ballantine.
Please check out the book for more great lessons like this. |
Recognizing Chord Tones
A chord/melody arrangement allows you to play the melody with chords. Usually the melody will be the
highest note in the chord, and the tones underneath produce the harmony. Not every note in the
arrangement needs to be harmonized. Some players lean toward heavy harmonization, and others prefer
a more sparse approach. Ultimately, it is a matter of personal taste.
One of the first skills that needs to be developed is the ability to recognize chord tones in a
melody. In the following example, melody notes that appear on beat 1 or beat 3 are all chord tones.
Measures 1-5 show just the melody, followed by one possible harmonization in measures 6-10:
© 2000 by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
