The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

188 Par t 5:Embellishing

Two Ways to Enhance a Melody

Two notes sounded together make a harmonic interval; three or more notes

sounded together make a chord; and two or more melodies sounded together

make counterpoint. Intervals and chords are used to construct harmony; coun-

terpoint exists as separate melodic lines.

Another way to think of it is that harmony is a vertical (up and down) combina-

tion of notes, whereas counterpoint operates horizontally (side to side).

Harmony is vertical.

In reality, harmony and counterpoint are related concepts; both involve “vertical”

combinations of notes and both involve a “horizontal” movement of individual

voices or instruments. Still, harmony is more about singing or playing parts of a

chord; counterpoint is more about creating a second (or third or fourth) mel-

ody line—albeit one that adheres to the underlying harmonic structure.

Counterpoint is horizontal.

Technically, the study of harmony includes chords and chord progressions—basically,

anything that combines two or more notes simultaneously. Because we already

covered this basic material in Chapters 9 and 10, in this chapter we’re covering

the use of multiple voices or instruments to enhance melodies, based on the

underlying harmonic structure (chord progression) of a piece of music.

Note

This chapter presents har-

mony and counterpoint

from a popular music per-

spective. Classical musi-

cians have a much

different—and more

formal—take on these

concepts.

Note