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In the realm of harmonization, something as humble as a single-note melody can be transformed into a symphony where multiple fingers dance on the keys in unison. Re-harmonization, on the other hand, takes an established song and gives it an entirely new life by substituting chords, thus infusing it with a contemporary and soulful essence.

If you possess even a smidgen of music reading knowledge or experience, you’re probably aware that playing music straight from a church hymnal can be rather dull and mundane. Have you ever been in a church service, observing the organist or pianist diligently following the written music, yet you knew in your bones that the beautiful sounds emanating from their instrument were not dictated by the ink on the page? They were re-harmonizing on the fly!

The process of re-harmonization is something that can happen almost instinctively once you grasp its inner workings.

Have you ever listened to a piece of music completely unfamiliar to your ears, yet instantly recognized the artist performing it? You could confidently exclaim, “Ah, there’s Stevie Wonder!” or “That’s definitely Ray Charles.” This keen ability stems from acknowledging the artists’ unique harmonizations. Musicians often have favored harmonizations, ones they frequently employ. These harmonizations become their artistic signature, defining their style and allowing listeners to identify them even without prior exposure to the specific song.

Traditionally, the art of writing harmony has been codified in a comprehensive set of formal rules. However, music meticulously harmonized in such a manner tends to possess a classical essence, with chords and their movements becoming somewhat predictable. This, naturally, stems from adherence to the established rules of harmony.

For centuries, musicians have painstakingly harmonized music through manual labor. Whether inputting notes or chords into a machine, like a computer, or meticulously penning them by hand, they rely on their command of musical theory or simply on what sounds pleasing to their own ears. It is a laborious undertaking, requiring simultaneous consideration of countless rules.

Harmonizers powered by automation have long adorned electronic pianos and keyboards. Various hardware and computer software exist to ease this harmonization process. However, the resulting harmonization usually lacks flair, sounding rather plain. The chords generated by these tools are typically limited to the confines of traditional major, minor, seventh, and diminished chords.

As a consequence of adhering to traditional rules, this harmonization often possesses a classical character, with somewhat predictable chord progressions. It lacks the raw vitality and soulfulness found in musical genres like soul, black gospel, and R&B.

When we delve into the realms of gospel and soul, we encounter a harmonization of the melody that liberates itself from the formal constraints of traditional harmony. The rulebook is cast aside. There is no formal instruction or written documentation to guide us here. It is through breaking these rules that we attain the enchanting sound and those splendid chord changes.

Two obstacles stand in the way of achieving that captivating sound.

1) Cease playing those basic chords (e.g. major, minor, seventh, diminished).
2) Abandon the traditional rules of harmony.

Now, let’s ponder a simple example. We are all familiar with the key of C, featuring the piano’s white keys and encompassing the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C.

You may have heard the notion that harmonizing a song requires employing the chords corresponding to the I, IV, and V of the major scale. In C, the I chord corresponds to the first note, C, resulting in a C chord. The IV chord corresponds to the fourth note, F, which translates to an F chord. Lastly, the V chord corresponds to the fifth note, G, thus yielding a G chord.

However, let me assure you that if you stick with these plain old chords, you’ll end up sounding monotonous and unremarkable.

In nearly every composition, you can identify a chord progression moving from the V chord to the I chord, commonly known as the V-I progression. In the key of C, this involves transitioning from a G chord to a C chord.

Allow me to present an example of this chord movement:

Chord Name/ Left Hand Notes/ Right Hand Notes
————————————————————
G Major / G / G B D
C Major / C / E G C
————————————————————
Well, that sounds rather uninspiring and ordinary.

Now, let’s revamp this movement by breaking some rules.
As an illustration, let’s accomplish two things:

1) Replace those basic chords with more advanced counterparts.
2) Insert chords that don’t even belong to the C scale between the G and C chords.

Here is our new chord progression:

Chord Name/ Left Hand Notes/ Right Hand Notes

1. G9sus / G / F A C D
2. G7b9 add 6 / G / F B E Ab
3. Eb 6,9 b5 / Eb / G C F A
4. Db7#9 / Db / F Ab B E
5. C 6,9 / C / E A D G

We have replaced the plain old G major chord with a G9sus and traded the C major chord for a C6,9. Both of these chords offer unparalleled beauty. As an additional flourish, we introduced a new V chord in the form of G7b9 add 6. Furthermore, we defied tradition by seamlessly inserting chords based on notes that don’t even exist in the C scale. Indeed, neither Eb nor Db belongs to this particular scale.

While we still maintain the V-I progression, transitioning from G to C, we have adorned it with captivating chord changes in between.

If you were to inform someone that you intended to utilize chords that aren’t part of the C scale, they might regard you with skepticism, assuming such an approach would lead to dreadful results. However, I trust we can all agree that the sequence presented above exudes exquisite beauty. And if we truly desire to elevate our sound to another level of sophistication, we could even incorporate some Gb and Ab chords, despite their absence from the C scale. This exemplifies an undocumented aspect of achieving that sought-after “sound” — utilizing chords based on notes that lie outside the song’s scale.

To attain that gorgeous sound you yearn for, you must defy the established rules of harmony and embrace an entirely new perspective.

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Ihab Salloum