Harmonize

Reharmonising a melody

A melodic tone can often be harmonized in a variety of different ways. For example, an E might be harmonized with an E major chord (E – G♯ – B). In this case, the melodic tone is acting as the root of the chord. That same E might be harmonized with a C major chord (C – E – G), making it the third of the chord. This concept extends to ninths (E would act as the 9th if harmonized with a Dm7 chord – D – F – A – C – E), ♯fifths (E would act as ♯5 on an A♭ augmented chord – A♭ – C – E), and a wide array of other options.