An Eye-Opener To Harmony (Pop Music)

You'll need a guitar or piano for this activity. However, I would strongly encourage picking up the guitar because it is very easy to learn and more suited to pop music than the piano. To prove my first point, I could already play bar chords after only 3 months of practice, and also I did not need to attend a single guitar lesson or course.

Below are two parts of a complete phrase. Try singing each part with either of the suggested chord combinations. Feel free to experiment with other chords if you wish.

1. Introduction

a) C, F
b) A min, F
c) A min, G
d) C, D min
e) A min, D min

2. End-of-phrase

a) G, F
b) A min, F
c) F, C
d) F, A min
e) G, A min

You'll realize that all suggested chord combinations go well, not to mention that there are still other possibilities. Now, try singing the entire phrase with chordal accompaniment.

Indeed, this shows how easy it is to harmonize a tune. For a start, all you need to do is to come out with a simple phrase and find the right harmony for it!