How to Harmonize Vocals with Keyboards

Depending on your expertise in playing the keyboard, finding and playing a harmony to the melody of a piece will vary in difficulty. The harmony of a song complements the melody. You can add harmony to a piece throughout the song or simply at points where you want more sound or to fill a blank space.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Listen to the music of a piece and notice what notes are most prominent in the vocal line. If there's more than one voice to the piece, one of those voices is already the melody and one is the harmony. Figure out which is the support line, and you've found the harmony.
2. Pick out each part on your keyboard. You can do this individually if you're just learning, or you can form whole chords based on the most prominent note of the piece. Many times in choral pieces, the soprano and tenor voices have the melody while the alto and bass provide harmony.
3. Start where the melody is and move your hand up or down two white keys, adding any necessary flats and sharps to make the harmony. Follow the notes precisely in order to play the melody. The purpose of playing a harmony along with the lead guitar or singer is to make the sound more full and vibrant. Playing a harmony adds other "voices" to the piece that may not be available, especially for a solo artist with a simple accompaniment.
4. Experiment with adding harmonies both above and below the melody line of the song. It takes a lot of practicing and mistake-making to be a successful musical artist. Give yourself time and keep trying.