Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 7 – Harmonization

Welcome to the class!

The tools of the trade!

Download some staff paper to take notes.

Let’s do a quick review – sort of.

Download and use this to follow along, if you want. Not required.

We’ve touched on this in other classes, but I really want to nail it down because we are going to need it.

First, let’s look just at our triads and make sure we are confident in how we name these inversions.

The “Chordal 7th” is something we need to start paying attention to going forward.

Some of the very obvious resolutions have some weird voice leading problems.

Some of these are painless, and some of them are tricky.

Just to make things a little more complicated…

Watch out for some odd doublings in these inversions!

There are a few layers to figured bass.

“Realizing” is the word we use for translating figured bass into full notation.

Let’s look at some Bach!

Now let’s look at how Bach did it.

If you can remember these basic rules, you will have this mostly down.

Your first worksheet for this class – be sure to check your work!

Before we get to realizing full harmonizations, we need to do a little more work on phrasing.

A new wrinkle! The Pre-Dominant.

Let’s see what we can do with the ii and the IV.

A few examples looking at Major keys.

Next, let’s see what happens to this in a minor key.

This is a trick move to make, but one we sometimes have to do.

In the minor key, we are faced with a tricky doubling on the ii chord.

We can sneak a few more 7th chords in now – here is now.

Here is your second worksheet – be sure to check your answers!

In order to do this, let’s come up with a method that will work over and over.

Step 1 – find your cadences.

Don’t worry – we didn’t forget about this!

Step 2 is to outline what you want the harmony to be.

Step 3 – write in the soprano and bass lines.

As the final step, connect the dots by finishing the inner voices.

Let’s harmonize a familiar tune.

Ok, let’s try it! Start with finding the cadences.

Next, let’s see what we want the harmony to be.

You know the drill: Step 3 is to figure out the bass line.

Connect the dots!

Don’t forget to check your work!

It might go without saying, but sometimes in needs to be said.

And let’s be sure to not forget everything we know about voice leading.

I’m posting a few different things here for you to practice with.

Third worksheet for practice!

Here are some more melodies for you to practice with.

There is much more music theory to explore!

That’s it for now!