Rhythm and melody serve as the foundation of a memorable song, but it is harmony that truly amplifies the song's emotional impact. In today's discussion, we will delve into the art of composing a harmony to project emotions within a song.
Harmony arises when multiple notes are played together, often in the form of chords. These chords can be produced by a single instrument or by a combination of instruments. For instance, a guitar player can strum the Dm chord alone, but the same chord can be achieved when a bass plays the note D, a cello plays F, and a flute adds A. By intertwining these musical elements, harmony takes shape and enhances the emotive quality of the composition.
💡Learn more about chords in our dedicated article ''Music theory: chords''.
What is harmony?
Harmony is a whole universe but these are its most common forms:
- Diatonic harmony: All the notes and chords employed in a composition belong to a single scale. This cohesive alignment creates a sense of unity and familiarity, allowing the listener to perceive a clear tonal center.
- Non-diatonic harmony: Some notes or chords deviate from the main scale. This deliberate inclusion of contrasting elements, such as encountering a Bb7 chord within a song in Ab, adds tension, color, and a touch of unpredictability to the music.
- Atonal harmony: There is no tonal centre, resulting in a more dissonant and abstract musical landscape.
How can harmony guide the audience's emotional experience?
Before creating a harmony, it's important to determine the emotions you want to convey in your composition. Here are three essential questions to consider:
- What is the main emotion driving my composition?
- Is there a specific story or message I want to convey?
- What emotional response do I hope to evoke in my listeners?
By answering these questions, you can have more clarity about your intentions while composing.
💡 Tip: You can add this info in your score using the annotation tool in Flat, which is a good way to keep it in mind throughout your composing process.
How do I choose the harmony for my song?
It is vital to consider the complexity of the story behind the composition and the tensions you want to create when choosing your song's harmony. Here are some examples:
- If your story is simple and you want to evoke a single emotion like happiness, go for diatonic harmony in C major.
- If your story is more complex and requires a broader emotional range, a good choice is non-diatonic or atonal harmony. Diatonic harmony in C major is straightforward and perfect for conveying joy and positivity. Non-diatonic or atonal harmonies go beyond traditional tonality, allowing you to explore different emotional landscapes.
Remember, the harmony you choose has a significant impact as it evokes certain emotions in your audience.
💡 Learn more about how to choose the right scale for your composition in our dedicated article.
Integrating harmony and melody
One question I often get is whether to start composing with the harmony or the melody. The truth is, it doesn't really matter. What's important is finding a nice way to integrate them. Some of my songs began with a chord progression I liked, others started with a melody that came into my mind. In my experience, the melody often guides me towards the appropriate harmony, and vice versa.
Let's put all this information into practice. Remember that song I mentioned in the article on how to create a memorable melody, the one I'm composing for a friend? Well, in this particular case, I started with the melody.
The story I want to share is a simple one about two lovers reuniting after a long separation. The emotion I want to project is pure joy. Given these factors, I've decided to use diatonic harmony. Since the song is in G, the chords I can use include G, Am, Bm, C, D7, Em, and F#dim.
And this is what the song sounds like:
Now let's tackle another important question: How do we choose the chord progression? That will be the topic of our next article.
See you soon!
If you liked this article, check out the other articles in this series: