Harmonising Licks

[Chang]

Hey guys just wanna clarify some doubts regarding harmonising licks like those u hear on iron maiden tracks.

Suppose we are in the key of C, and i play a lick tt goes C D E. So to harmonise the other guitar plays E F G right? Is this what u guys refer to as harmonising in minor 3rds or something?

How abt harmonising in 4ths, 5ths, 6ths or 7ths? I tried alittle but doesnt really sound tt pleasing compared to 3rds.

Also i got some info from guitar mags, and the way they harmonise is different. Instead of harmonising C D E with E F G, they play 5 frets higher to the original lick, aka F G A, or 7 frets higher aka G A B.

Does this 5/7 fret "rule" apply to every case, cos again i tried and it doesnt really flow sometimes.

Lastly, when harmonising, does the underlying chords matter as to which form of harmonising sounds better to the chords and which doesnt?

Thanks for any input.

 

[edo83]

I think if u harmonise C D E with E F G....it's major 3rd?

About those examples you've listed from magazines...let's see

C D E with F G A....that should be harmonising in 4ths
C D E with G A B....that should be harmonising in 5ths

Keep in mind that if you want to harmonise, it's not always with reference to how many frets to shift up. It does not always work in this way, your harmonised notes are always with reference to the intervals in that respective diatonic scale

Hope that clears up abit, and perhaps someone with more knowledge in this area chip in

 

[dhalif]

try putting theory aside.. and follow what you hear.. it'll sound purrrfecto

http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3RRGQM5CS7YVS2DQU89KDRDIT4

 

[Chang]

edo83: Yea, tt's something i realised. but the fact tt they explained harmonising by using the fret shifting "theory" kinda seems dodgy. Btw it was a featured band and they explained their techniques of harmonising this way. Weird.

Dhalif: Nice track!

But the thing is i've been putting theory aside too much. It's always good to know why something works and something doesnt ain't it?. Also i find it quite stale if everytime i wanna harmonise i can only do it in 3rds.

More importantly, do the underlying chords determine if we shld harmonise in 3rds 4ths or 5ths? Cos if i go by Dhalif's words, only 3rds sound good everytime. Others are just... bleah.

 

[thor666]

3rd and 5th tend to sound less dissonant than say, 6th or 2nds.

you can also try to harmonize in octaves.

it's going to be extremely hard to tell you what to harmonize in if your music theory is not solid enough. i've done both harmonizing in 3rds and 5ths before in a single song, so it really depends which context you are in during the song.

 

[Chang]

hmm try explaining further? we'll see if i can absorb the complexity of it all

 

[dhalif]

it really depends on the song man.. sometimes u puth 3rd or 4th or 5th sounds damn eurgh.. and really true you need to know what you're playing .. but at the same time you need to listen and know whats best for that piece of music.

 

[Chang]

Well then i guess its all up to the ears and the experience then?

 

[ShredCow]

Hmmm... 1 very good example of harmony is chords.

Check up extented chords like 9ths, 11ths and 13ths. Also try diminished, augmented and suspended (sus) chords.

Its the easiest place to start IMHO.

 

[thor666]

think of harmonization as chords moving very fast. if u harmonized in 3rds, it would be like playing chords without the 5ths (eg in the C major chord, the notes are C,E,G, so u're playing C and E only.) and on harmonization in 5ths, it would be like playing chords without the thirds (power chords kinda thing).

 

[Chang]

Yea thanks shredcow and thor666. I kinda got the concept after shredcow explained it more indepth to me.

But i wanted something more than tt. It's ok. I'll ask shredcow personally for more info.

 

[ShredCow]

So... when we meeting at Starbucks? Lunch? 8)

 

[foolscanfly]

Harmonizing in 3rds or 5ths are most common in metal. However, in order to start harmonizing, you'll need a solid foundation in your chords formation and progression in any particular key. For example, you'll need to know that in the key of C, the chords are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim. Having done so, you are ready to start harmonizing. As we all know that the Major chord is based on 1 3 5. So, its up to you to choose whether you want to harmonize in 3rds or 5ths. If you've chosen to harmonize in 3rds for the C major chord, you'll want to use the major 3rd instead of the minor 3rd (b3). If you've chose to harmonize in your 5ths, then it i'll be your power chord. Now lets move on to the next chord of the C major scale. We know that Dm comes right after C and that the minor chord is based on 1 b3 5. Therefore, you will want to use the b3 instead of the major 3rd. This works for the Minor scales too. It gets relatively easy once you get the hang of it, and theres like a specific patterns if you are on standard tuning. I hope i've some help to you guys, i'm self taught so what I've said might not be true. Adrian Smith and Dave Murray are rather fond of harmonizing in 3rds, 5ths and sometimes 4ths. So have fun harmonizing!!

 

[Chang]

Nowadays the way i approach harmonising would be by the notes in the underlying chords. This way it's possible to harmonise in any interval you like, as long as the underlying chords are "dense" enough. It also breaks out of the "linearity" of usual rock/metal harmonizing.