How to Play Harmonies & Melodies on the Guitar
Guitar harmonies and melodies make up a large chunk of what guitarists play in music pieces. Guitarists tend to play chords when harmonizing and play single notes when playing melodies. You can play guitar harmonies and melodies by identifying a musical piece's key and then writing your parts within that key.
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Instructions
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Playing Harmonies
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1
Determine the key of the musical piece you wish to play. You cannot write guitar harmonies and melodies without first knowing the key of the piece. Look for sheet music of the piece through your local music shop or online. The sheet music will display the key at the top of the page. Ask a musical instructor you trust to help you determine the music's key if it has no sheet music.
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2
Write out the chord progressions throughout the song. Music pieces use chord changes throughout the song. Sheet music often displays the chords above the staff lines. Ask a music instructor to help you determine the songs chords. Write the chord order for the entire song on a piece of paper.
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3
Write the harmony chords you want to play along with the main chords. Many guitar players choose to play harmonies a 3rd, 4th, or 5th above or below the original chords. These musical intervals harmonize very well with the original chord and they usually sound more "correct" than other intervals. Look through your music theory book for the section on musical intervals. This section will show you how to find the 3rd, 4th, or 5th chord from the original. Write the harmony chords above the original chords you wrote on the paper.
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4
Play the harmony chords along with the musical recording or in live performance. The harmonies should be played at the same points that the main chords are played.
Playing Melodies
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5
Identify the musical scale you wish to use with the piece. If the song is in G major, you want to use the G major scale when creating your guitar melodies. The song's key acts as the first note of the scale.
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6
Play through the song's scale (See Resources). Play each note in the scale on your guitar's fretboard. Continue playing individual notes within the scale until you feel comfortable with it.
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7
Experiment with your playing style within the musical scale. Try adjusting the speed and rhythm of your string picking. Play some notes soft and other loud as you move around the musical scale. Experimenting helps you brainstorm ideas as you develop a melody.
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8
Create a structured melody line on the guitar. When you begin playing something on the guitar that you like, repeat this piece several times so you remember it. Stop playing for a moment and think about how you could refine the melody. Start playing the part again and experiment with how you play it. Repeat the melody repeatedly once you are happy with the way it sounds. Repeat Steps 1 through 4 if you wish to create melodies in other musical scales.
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References
Resources
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