7.1Start with melody notes as chord clues

Suppose we're in C major.

The scale is:

C D E F G A B

The diatonic chords are:

C Dm Em F G Am B°

Now ask:

Which chords contain a given melody note?

For C:

• C = C E G
• Am = A C E
• F = F A C

So if melody note is C, possible chords include:

C, Am, F

For D:

• Dm = D F A
• G = G B D
• B° = B D F

For E:

• C
• Em
• Am

For F:

• Dm
• F
• B°

For G:

• C
• Em
• G

For A:

• Dm
• F
• Am

For B:

• Em
• G
• B°

This is the first practical harmonization table to internalize.