Reharmonization

Reharmonization is the art of modifying the harmonic structure of a

music. To that end, musicians work on various concepts,
many of which we have already seen here on the site.

How to reharmonize
Speaking in a more practical sense, re-harmonizing is taking a finished song.
and change yourharmony, maintaining itsmelodyLet's say your
A friend arrives to show you a song he made. With concepts of
rearrangement, you can take his song and improve it, creating a
more complex and interesting structure.

Another use is to work on songs that are already very well-known.

For example, you might want to play a famous hit, but with a new
version, to demonstrate personality on your part. For that, it would be
it is necessary to re-harmonize its structure. Remember, however, that not
the more complex is the more beautiful. The main function of
re-harmonization is to provide a foundation for alternative ideas, as
the quality of these ideas will depend on the good taste of their composer.

How to work with reharmonization

Many arrangers and composers make a living doing this. People
they come to them with songs they want to record, making dry chords and
squares (which are the only ones they know). So the arrangers
they observe the intention of the "artist" and re-harmonize the music, improving it.
structure and enriching the composition according to taste and motivation
from your client.

You will notice throughout this study that any and all re-harmonization
it needs to be done considering the melody. It is what will tell us what we can
You should not do. This topic will emphasize this point a lot, showing how the
melody is the flagship and what we can invent as a base on top of it.

Types of rearrangement
So that you have all this coordination we talked about and learn well.
In this concept, we will show here 6 possible ways of reharmonization:

1. With the addition of notes to the chords.

2. With the substitution of the same chordsharmonic function.

3. With replacement of theGreek modeused.

4. With the use ofprogressions and cadences.

5. Withmodulations.

6. Withmodal loan agreements.

We will demonstrate each method separately, as each approach is

quite extensive. Let's go to the first case:

1) With the addition of notes to the chords:

This method is nothing more thanadd notes to the chordsfrom the music.
Many authors do not classify this increment as re-harmonization, but
here we will consider any change in harmony as
rearrangement (even if it is just modifying isolated notes in
chords).

Consider then that a song was formed by the following chords:

| G | D | Em | C |

One initial idea we could have for this song would be to add the
a seventh to each of these chords, formingtetradsinstead oftriads.
We would have:

| G7M | D7 | Em7 | C7M |

This structure would already give a new body to the song. But perhaps the singer
I didn't like this D7 saying that it was very aggressive. So
you choose to put a D9, which is much smoother.

| G7M | D9 | Em7 | C7M |

Since, in the D9 chord on the guitar, thenona(note E) entered in place of Tuesday

(F# note), we can take the opportunity to put the F# note on the bass.

Observe the D9/F# chord:

This would also create an interesting sequence in the bass of the music, which
it would be descending: G, F#, E:

| G7M | D9/F# | Em7 | C7M |

As we will have a return to G7M after C7M, and the fifth of G7M is the
note D, we can take the opportunity to add this note D to the C7M chord
(it would be the ninth of C7M) to make this structure more static. See these
two chords below:

C7M(9)

G7M
Notice how the note of the second string (D) did not change during the transition between
these chords on the guitar (on the keyboard we had 3 static notes). This technique
to try to keep some notes static during the chord transitions is
very commonly used, as it makes the harmony smooth. It's called a 'pedal note.'

Many composers argue that the fewer "punches" and exchanges

ofeighthsudden, the harmony will become more pleasant and smooth. We should
try to play nearby notes that move our fingers little.
keyboard, this approach is widely practiced in chords.

Keyboardists generally look for the bestinversionsthe shapes to be

press 'next', without jumping too much on the keys. It's interesting for you
think about theextension notes considering this. Try to make sure there is
little movement of the fingers with each chord change. Of course, not even
softness will always be your sonic goal, but when it is, remember
this.

Well, then compare our initial harmony with the final one:

| G | D | Em |C |

|G7M|D9/F#|Em7|C7M(9)|

This was just an idea. We could also think about putting in Wednesdays,
Fridays,invert some chords, after all, there will always be countless
possibilities for us to work. Just consider thetonalitywhat we are
and include the extension notes that are pleasing to your taste,
combining also the static effect that we mentioned and the movement of the
down.

All of this can be taken into account when working with this type of
rearmonization. Consider that, despite some extensions
we will decharacterize some chords (depending on the context), any
extension can be valid as a surprise factor, as long as there is no shock
with the melody.

The next reharminization resource will be analyzed in part 2 of this topic.

(chord substitution).
Chord substitution -
reharmonization
Now we will consider another reharmonization resource: substitution.
of chords. If you haven't read our previous article, we suggest thatstart
around here.

How to substitute chords of the same

harmonic function
This strategy boils down to replacing one chord with another that has the
sameharmonic functionthat he. Let's work on this based on the song
I threw a stick at the cat.

C
I threw the stick at the cat

Dm
But the cat - to

C
Not Dead - defendant - defendant

F
Lady Chica – ca

C
He/She was amazed

G7
Watercress

C
Of course that the cat said: Meow!
Listen on Guitar Pro:[Link] open the file you need to have
the installed software)

First of all, let's summarize here the functions of each chord of thefield
harmonic of C major(what is the key of this song):

Tonic function chords: C, Em, Am

Dominant function chords: G7, Bm7(b5)

Subdominant function chords: Dm, F

We have already learned that two chords of the same harmonic function can be
exchanged with each other without modifying the harmonic feel of the passage.
So let's try some exchanges.

In the tonic function, we will replace the C that is above the letter "died-reu-
"reu" for Am, and the C that is on top of "admirou-se-se" let's replace with
Um.

In the subdominant function, we will switch the Dm and the F where they are.
they appear.

In the dominant function, we will put Bm7(b5) in place of G7.

Try playing and singing this song with these new chords:

C
I threw a stick at the cat

F
But the cat - to

I am
Not Dead – defendant – defendant

Dm7
Lady Chica – ca

In
He/She was amazed
Bm7(b5)
Watercress

C
Of the sprout that the cat gave: Meow!

Listen to how this new harmony turned out in Guitar Pro:rearmonizaçã[Link]

What did you think? Did you feel any problem? This is the proof that we can do it.
these exchanges with freedom. Of course, it's not always the best option.
sometimes the melody asks for something else. We have to always be attentive to the melody,
she is the one in charge!

Take songs you know and try playing around by swapping places.
chords of the same harmonic function. Practice this to expand your vision and your
listening. Besides the natural harmonic field, you can experiment with chords
twominor harmonic fieldsandmelodic minoralso. Check below the
options:
Replacement of the Greek mode
re-harmonization
The third part of ourstudy on rearrangement will show how
we can replace the gregorian mode of a song.

What is Greek mode substitution

Replace theGreek modeis to use chords of another Greek way instead of the
original chords (that is, it is to change thetonalityfrom the music).

For example, let's say a song is in the key of E minor

(MeWindSome chords that could be part of this song are Em,
G, Am, Bm, C, etc. All belonging to theharmonic field of E minor
(My oil).

If we were to change the chords of this song to chords that belong to the
harmonic field of C major, such as Em, Dm, F, among others, and
if we continued starting the song in E minor, this key would leave
I would be my eolium and would become [Link], because Mi would be acting on this.
harmony as the third degree of C. Therefore, we would be changing the
tonality from E minor to C major.

As we are starting in E and assuming that E is the resolution chord

from the music, saying that the key is E Phrygian is equivalent to saying that we need to
emphasize the notes of the E chord in the resolutions of the solos, because the music
resolve in Mi, without forgetting that the key is C major.

And how to choose the Greek mode for

replace?
First of all, it is important to know that we can choose any mode
grego, as long as the melody allows. Now we are really getting into this
the question of analyzing the melody. This will be easy to understand when we see the
example below, still in the song 'I threw a stick at the cat'.
The notes of the initial melody of this song are: G, F, E, D, as you can
see in the Guitar Pro file we showed earlier.

Since the initial melody revolves around G (analyze the first and
secondcompassesto check), we can start the song with any
chord that contains the note G as a chord note. This concept is new and
extremely important for us to workre-harmonization.

Keep this well: the chords that form a melody need to contain in
if you have the notes of this melody. This may seem a bit obvious, but it isn't, as it opens
surprising possibilities, as we will see soon.

Our song starts like this:

C
I threw the stick at the cat

Since we want to change the Greek mode, let's choose the mixolydian mode.
to test the theory. The key of this song will then no longer be C
ionic and will change to D Mixolydian. In other words, the field
The harmonic of the music will become F major, and C will therefore be the fifth.
gray (V7) of this field.

Thus, we begin with:

C7
I threw a stick at the cat - to

Can we do this? Yes, we can, because the melody of this section is in the note G, and
G is part of the C7 chord (it is the fifth of C7). So let's proceed.
We can think about putting the F chord right after to close.
acadenceV - I (C7 - F), like this:

C7 F
I threw the stick at the cat - to

But we have a problem there! The melody in this part is still in G, and the
The F chord does not have the G note! How are we going to work around this problem?
Well, we can add to theextension9th to the F chord (because the ninth of F
It's the note G). Cool, then we stick with:
C7 Fadd9
I threw a stick at the cat - to

Fadd9 chord:

The melody of the next section 'But the cat-to...' is in the note F. We can
thinking about placing the Bb chord here (since the note F is the fifth)justaof the Bb.
Moreover, Bb belongs to the harmonic field of F major, according to
we want). Result:

C7 Fadd9
I threw the stick at the cat - to

Bb

But the cat - to

The melody now goes to the note E in 'didn't die-die-die'. The chord F7M
it contains the note Mi (which is the major seventh of F). So it's a good idea to do:

C7 Fadd9
I threw the stick at the cat - to

Bb

But the cat - to

F7M
Not Dead - defendant - defendant

We don't need to replace the next chord, which is Dm7, because Dm7 belongs
to the key of F major and the melody in this passage is in A (which is the fifth
just of King). So we are left with:

F7M

Not Dead - defendant - defendant

Dm7

Dona Chica - ca

The melody now goes to G in the section 'He was amazed...'. We can put
the Am7 chord, which belongs to the key of F and contains the note G in its
structure (Sol is the seventh minor of A).

F7M

Not Dead – defendant – defendant

Dm7

Dona Chica – ca

Am7

He was amazed

In the next section ("from the yell..."), the melody goes to the note G, so nothing
prevents us from placing the Gm chord (which also belongs to the key of F)
greater).

Dm7

Lady Chica - ca

Am7

He was amazed
 Gm

Watercress

Soon, now the song ends with the note C. So let's finish with the
Fadd9 chord, because the note C is the perfect fifth of Fadd9.

Our final rearrangement was:

C7 Fadd9

I threw the stick at the cat

Bb

But the cat - to

F7M

Not Dead - defendant - defendant

Dm7

Lady Chica – ca

Am7

He was astonished.

Gm

Watercress

Fadd9

Of the sprout that the cat gave: Meow!

Listen:rearmonizaçã[Link]

Notice that we managed to reharmonize this song by changing the Greek mode.
from Ionic D to Mixolydian D. We could try to do the same for
other ways; however, it is necessary to assess whether the melody would allow this.
We could not think, for example, about transforming this song to C.
Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian nor Locrian, for in these modes C is minor (it has a
minor third), given that the melody is passing through the note E, which is the third
major of Dó. Did you notice how important it is to always think about the melody?

It is at this point that the musician begins to understand the root of the matter, that the

chords only exist to accompany a main melody. Everything revolves around

I will be back!

Very well, we will continue our study in part 4 (modulations and chords
of modal loan)!
Reharmonization with
modulation and AEM
Now that we have explored the concept ofsubstitution of the Greek modewe will go
move on to the last three items we mentioned about reharmonization:
use ofcadences,modulationsemodal loan chords(AEM).
We will first address modulations and AEM, and then finish the study.
with the cadences.

The idea we will use for the modulations and AEM will be the same idea that
we apply the substitution of the Greek mode: think about the melody.

So let's go:

We already know that the initial melody is in the note G. This note is the major third.
of the Eb7M chord. So this means that we can use Eb7M for
começar essa música! Viu só como esse conceito de melodia e acordes abre
many horizons?! Our music started to begin with:

Eb7M

I threw a stick at the cat

Since the note F is the melody of the next passage, we can think about the chord
Dm7(b5), because F is the minor third of D. Also note that Dm7(b5)
belongs toharmonic fieldfrom Eb, then we continue in this key.

Eb7M

I threw the stick at the cat

D minor 7 flat 5

But the cat - to

In the next passage, the note of the melody is E, so we can experiment.

put the Cmaj7 chord there. From here on, we will continue the song with
chords of the key of C major (the original of the song). This means that
We made a modulation! We moved from the key of Eb7M to C major.

The melody allowed that easily. Cool, and what type of modulation was it?
Is it? It was a modulation for thetom homonym! Eb7M is thegreater relativeof
D minor, that is, this means that before we were in D minor and now
we went to C major. Our song became:

Eb7M

I threw a stick at the cat

Dm7(b5)

But the cat – to

C7M → modulation

Not Dead – defendant – defendant

Lady Chica – ca

Em7

He/she was surprised

G7

Watercress

C7M

Of the sprout that the cat gave: Meow!

Very well, let's put an AEM in this play. The melody in the excerpt
"Dona Chica-ca" is on the note B. This note is the minor third of the chord.
F#m7(b5), then we can use this chord. The song would be:

Eb7M
I threw a stick at the cat

Dm7(b5)

But the cat - to

C7M-> modulation

Not Dead - defendant - defendant

F#m7(b5) –>AEM

Dona Chica - ca

Em7

He/She was amazed

G7

Of the watercress

C7M

Of course that the cat said: Meow!

Listen:rearmonizaçã[Link]

Okay, and if someone asked: "Where did the chord F#m7(b5) come from? After all, this
the chord does not belong to the harmonic field of C major.” Our response
It could be: He is a modal loan chord of theLydian mode!

Explanation: F#m7(b5) belongs to the harmonic field of G major. This

it is equivalent to saying that F#m7(b5) belongs to the harmonic field of C Lydian.
Therefore, this chord is being borrowed in this way.

Very well, we have already included modulation and AEM in this song. Now it's time for
let's finalize this topic by adding cadences to this reharmonization that
We did it! Follow this on the part 5of this topic!
Reharmonization with
harmonic cadences
Continuing ourstudy on rearrangement, we arrived at the cadences! No
excerpt 'But the cat did not die-reu-reu...', right after Dm7(b5) comes the
C7M chord, right? So let's try putting a G7 before C7M.
to close aprogression II – V – I:

Now, right after F#m7(b5) comes the Em7 chord, so we can

add a B7 to close another progression II – V – I:

With that, F#m7(b5) becamesecond degreeof Em7. But F#m7(b5)

was already acting asAEM, so now it is a double function chord:
AEM and second credential.

Well, before F#m7(b5) there is the chord C7M. This chord F#m7(b5) only has
a note of difference of the chord F7M. Compare below:

Notes of F#m7(b5): F#, A, C, E

F7M Notes: F, A, C, E

So we can think that F#m7(b5) is acting as F7M and, in this case,

The fifth degree of F is D. Therefore, we can place a C7 right after.
from C7M to emphasize this transition:
Another progression II – V – I that we can make is with the chords Em7 and Dm7
in the next passage, placing an A7 between the two:

The final section is already a progression II - V - I, so let's not change it.

Great, let's see how our final rearrangement turned out:

Listen on guitar pro:[Link]

This harmony became very interesting, as we had a sequence of three

cadences II – V – I, which go from the section 'Dona Chica-ca' until the end of the
music (we call this cadence II – V – I extended). This made it so that
a little children's song started to look like jazz!

Cool, so now that you have learned how to do a

Reharmonization, it's time to stimulate your creativity and start reharmonizing.
songs that you know. The more you train, the more ideas will arise.
There are many resources, aren't there?!