How To Harmonize Like The Pros

In this video I am going to show you how the pro’s use harmony and show you a few examples. After watching this video, you will be able to create your own harmony lines and understand how others work.

So what do we mean by the term Harmony?

A guitar harmony is any guitar line played simultaneously with the melody. It doesn’t repeat the melody exactly, but rather complements it. It follows the same rhythm and fits over the same chords, but its notes are different. While a song can only have one main melody, it can have any number of harmonies.

The Basics Of Harmony  01:12 On The Video

Let’s use the C major scale as an example.

Going from C to E takes us three notes—C, D, E—so we call that interval a third. The distance between C and G would be called a fifth. Going from C to the next C takes eight scale notes, so we call that an octave.

The most popular interval used to harmonize for guitarist is the 3^rd 

Now it not as simple as merely playing the same lick 3 frets higher as we can see in the video. 

If I play  a  line like this B C D E F G F E D C B  you can see a similar patter of half tone followed by  2 notes adjacent and the 2 fret higher the next note on both string.

Now if I move up to the 3^rd note in the scale from the B I have D now to play the line diatonically I have to play this shape across the 2 strings.

We can also create a harmony using the 5^th interval.

Public Enema Number One 05:10 On The Video

So let’s look at the example I used at the start of the video, I am sure if you’re a Maiden fan like me you will recognize the song Public Enema Number One.

The song in in the key of Em so the notes are

E  F# G A B C D E

So the harmony notes are started 3 notes higher

G A B C D E F# G

All is quite straight forward but you have to watch the bend as its now a full tone bend to  the E

Maiden typically play their harmonies in this fashion. To fatten them up they sometimes add the lower octave of the harmonized line.

Boys Are Back In Town  12:27 On the video

Now we are going to look at Probably one of the greatest rock guitar harmonies ever recorded. the Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy.

The section I am referring to is the closing outro section and just to remind you how good it is here is a quick snippet from the Phil Lynott Tribute concert from 2005.

In the studio recording they are using 6 guitars tracks to create the incredible harmony.

The song in in the key of A, however they do tune down a half step. But for all sense and purpose they are playing in the A scale positions.

The method they use is to create the melodic line is based on the 1^st 3^rd & 5^th notes of a A major triad.

The lower line is simply this which is on the 5^th note of A major as Phil is playing the A note This riff is played throughout the section.

E      F#     A      B

The band then play a series of melodic lines starting on the A note,

A        B        C#      E      D

The shifting to the C# which is the third interval

C#    D        E         A      F#

Then to the E which is the 5^th interval

E       F#       A        C#     B

The finally to the Octave A note

A        B        C#      E      D

In the studio the added even more by playing the octave of the C#

If you were playing this with a mate then on plays the 2^nd line and you play upward through the positions.

Black Dog  20:54 On the video

Finally not all harmonies are strictly diatonic, one that stands out in the closing verse section from Black Dog by Led Zeppelin.

This is based on the 4^th interval of the key of Am

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  A

D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D

However Jimmy used the C# in stead of the C Some people love that others have mixed opinions.

All tablature and backing tracks used in the lesson are available on my Premium Channel