- Write a short melody of four to sixteen measures using only I, IV, and
V chords.
Now add a parallel harmony that stays within the tonality of the piece.
Notice the places where the harmony has to move (or not move) differ-
ently from the melody in order to keep peace with the tonality of the
music. - Write a two-part block harmony for a familiar song, or for the melody
you wrote for Exercise 1.
Try to write parts with the least amount of movement possible. Move
them only when harmony notes are doubling the melody (unisons are
not permitted in this exercise). - Come up with a simple chord progression and see if you can write two
distinct melodies that work with the chords. Try to fit them together. - Take a single melodic motif and see how many ways you can weave it
around itself.
Change registers, keys, and rhythmic phrasing as much as is required to
make a good fit. You might want to try this one with a friend. One of you
could sing or play the motif one way, while the other experiments with
the possibilities.- Try to write a harmony to one of your favorite melodies that moves in
different directions and at different times than the melody. - Pick your favorite exercise from this chapter and write a third melodic
part using any technique that you have learned.
Chapter 16: Composing for Multiple Voices 207