Goal
Reharmonize a melody without changing it, changing its emotional meaning and color. This lesson collects the advanced techniques and applies them to a public-domain melody: Ah! vous dirai-je, maman (the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star), in C.
Melody (2 notes per half bar): | C C G G | A A G – | F F E E | D D C – |
Version 0: original harmony
| C | F C | F C | G C |
|---|
Version 1: extended diatonic
| Cmaj7 Em7 | Fmaj7 C/E | Dm7 Am7 | G7 C |
|---|
- G G over Em7 = b3; A A over Fmaj7 = 3; F F over Dm7 = b3; E E over Am7 = 5; D D over G7 = 5.
Technique: substitution by thirds and a descending bass (C – E – F – E – D – A – G – C).
Version 2: secondary dominants
| Cmaj7 Em7 | A7 | Dm7 G13 | Dm7/G Cmaj7 |
|---|
- A A G over A7 = 1, 1, b7; E E over G13 = 13; D D over Dm7/G = root of the Dm.
Technique: A7 = V/ii tonicizes Dm7.
Version 3: descending chromatic bass and tritone substitutions
| Am9 Abmaj7 | Gm9 C13 | Fmaj7 Bb7#11 | Dm9 Dbmaj7#11 | Cmaj9 |
|---|
- C C over Am9 = b3; G G over Abmaj7 = 7; A A over Gm9 = 9; G over C13 = 5; F F over Fmaj7 = 1; E E over Bb7#11 = #11; D D over Dm9 = 1; C over Dbmaj7#11 = 7, which resolves to Cmaj9.
Technique: bass line A – Ab – G – C – F – Bb – D – Db – C, ii–V toward F (Gm9 C13), Lydian dominant (Bb7#11), chromatic approach from above (Dbmaj7#11 → Cmaj9).
Version 4: tonic pedal
| C Em/C | F/C C | Dm7/C Am/C | G7/C C |
|---|
Technique: everything over a C bass; the upper harmony moves, the center never changes (intro, ambient, gospel).
Version 5: minor and minor subdominant
| Am Em/G | Fmaj7 C/E | Dm7 Am | Fm6 C |
|---|
- D D over Fm6 = 6 (D); final C over C major.
Technique: you start from the relative minor and close with the minor plagal cadence (the negative image of the dominant).
Catalog of techniques
| Technique | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Diatonic / third-based substitution | first step, soft color |
| Secondary dominants and ii–V | to give direction |
| Tritone substitution | for chromatic basses |
| Modal interchange (iv, bVI, bVII) | for melancholy, film |
| Negative harmony | to invert the polarity of a section |
| Coltrane changes | for a 4-bar “journey” |
| Pedal | for stability and intros |
| Constant structures / planing | for a uniform color (house, neo-soul) |
| Chromatic bass lines | to link distant chords |
| Upper structure | for complex tensions on dominants |
The “Collier” method
Jacob Collier, in his vocal harmonizations, applies a useful principle: every note of the melody is seen as a possible tension of many different chords, and the succession is chosen according to the movement of the voices (as smooth as possible) and the emotional curve (more consonant at the beginning, more complex at the climax, then resolution).
Common mistakes
- Reharmonizing everything in a complex way: the melody gets lost. Alternate simple bars and rich bars.
- Ignoring the melody: every chord must be checked against the avoid notes.
- Changing the harmonic rhythm for no reason.
Producer exercise
- Take a simple melody (even this one) and write the five versions in five FL Studio patterns.
- Use version 0 in the first verse, 1 in the second, 3 in the last chorus.
- Hear how the same melody “tells” different things.
Related topics
Reharmonization (basic lesson), harmonizing a melody, substitutions (diatonic, by thirds, extended tritone, chromatic), negative harmony (applications), advanced pedal point.