How to Harmonize an Instrument with Keyboards

Video Transcript

"BEN ANDERSON: Hi. I'm Ben Anderson with Expert Village, and I'm here today to talk to you about harmonizing with different instruments using the keyboard. The keyboard--another role of keyboard could be to harmonize with different instruments and different instrument parts and melody lines that are already existing. For example, I play keyboards in my band and there's one particular song that we play where I harmonize with the bass line that's currently going on in the song. The bass line sounds a little something like this (plays bass line on keyboard). So, when I play it together, the two parts sound a little something like this (plays harmonies/counterpoint with bass line on keyboard). And the harmonies are really nice because it helps; again, fill out that empty space that would normally be there if it weren't for the keyboard. Harmonies are very important. You often times will hear different vocal harmonies, and the importance of them is that it adds so much more to the sound. If they weren't there, you would notice that they weren't there but when they are there, it makes a huge difference and it affects the quality of the sound that's being produced. Also when harmonizing with different instruments, it's important to think about the rhythm that's involved, that's being played in the song as well 'cause that can help determine what instrument you're going to harmonize with and what sound you will use to harmonize with. If you're harmonizing with the guitar, oftentimes you might use a more powerful synth like a lead synth sound, something that sounds (plays keyboard) something that sounds a little like that. Or if you're harmonizing with bass, you might want to use a sound that is a lot duller and a lot more muffled. That might sound a little better but it's always dependent upon what instrument you're going to be harmonizing with in order to determine what sound you're going to use for your harmony."