Workshop 11 — “Body and Soul”: Chromatic Harmony, Delayed Resolution, and Hearing the Melody as the Top Voice of the Chords
This workshop is about one of the hardest ballad skills:
How do you keep a melody completely clear while the harmony underneath becomes chromatic, dense, and emotionally unstable?
The main lessons are:
- chromatic reharmonization without losing the tonal center
- delayed resolution
- altered dominants
- melody notes as upper tensions
- voice-leading through dense chords
- distinguishing structural harmony from passing color
- making chromatic harmony sound inevitable rather than “advanced for its own sake”
We’ll treat this as a slow-ballad / reharmonization laboratory.
11.1First principle: chromatic harmony must still have directionIf you simply add:11.2Start with a plain cadenceIn C:11.3First chromatic versionDm7 → D♭7 → Cmaj711.4Second versionDm7 → G7♭9 → Cmaj711.5Third versionDm7 → G7♯5♭9 → Cmaj711.6Fourth versionDm7 → A♭7 → G7 → Cmaj711.7Structural versus passing harmonyThis is a major concept.11.8Same with chromatic dominantsSuppose:11.9Melody must stay above the harmonic complexityIf the melody note is G and your inner voicing contains:11.10Melody-first voicingSuppose melody = G over G7♭9.11.11Melody as 9, 11, 13, altered tensionFor any chromatic chord, ask:11.12The melody can justify the altered chordSuppose melody A♭ occurs over G.11.13But do not force every melody note into a named extensionSometimes the melody is simply:11.14Example suspensionBass C.11.15Delayed resolutionThis workshop relies heavily on:11.16Another delayed resolutionG7 → C11.17Resolution is optional if color becomes stableA dissonant note can stop behaving like tension if the new chord accepts it as an extension.11.18Voice-leading chainTake:11.19Chromatic inner lineOver a slow phrase, create:11.20This is the “line first” methodInstead of asking:11.21Chromatic bass methodLikewise, choose bass:11.22Parallel movement is sometimes fineIf upper voices all move downward chromatically with bass, you may create planing.11.23Level 1 — melody onlyPlay the melody alone.11.24Level 2 — basic shellsUse only:11.25Level 3 — classify each chord’s functionFor each important chord, say:11.26Level 4 — melody as extensionFor every long melody note, identify:11.27Level 5 — one color note per chordDo not jump to maximum extensions.11.28ExampleG7:11.29Altered dominant vocabularyA dominant can include:11.30G7♯9G B D F B♭/A♯.11.31G7♭13G B D F E♭.11.32G7alt concept“G7alt” broadly means:11.33Altered scale previewG altered:11.34One altered-note drillOver G7, play only:11.35Level 6 — tritone substituteG7 → C11.36Melody compatibility checkIf melody = A over G7:11.37Level 7 — backdoor cadenceInstead of:11.38Hear the borrowed-minor connectionFm7 comes from C minor.11.39Level 8 — passing diminishedTry:11.40Diminished symmetryC♯°7:11.41Level 9 — inner diminished motionInstead of striking the diminished chord as a block:11.42Level 10 — bass inversionsUse inversions to create:11.43Slash chords are arranging toolsDo not think slash chords are exotic chord types.11.44Level 11 — long-note reharmonizationHold melody G.11.45Restrict the exerciseBetter:11.46Level 12 — counterpointIf melody holds:11.47Counterpoint versus reharmonizationSometimes inner-line motion implies chord changes.11.48Level 13 — rubato and chromatic harmonyChromatic harmony becomes more effective when you give the surprise a little time.11.49But do not telegraph every surpriseIf you slow down before every substitute chord:11.50Level 14 — pedal disciplineChromatic harmony requires cleaner pedal.11.51Chromatic half-step clashes need clarityIf previous chord has A♭ and next has A natural:11.52Level 15 — density hierarchyA useful rule:11.53ExampleCmaj9: full.11.54Level 16 — melody projection through chromatic chordsPractice a phrase where RH contains:11.55Exercise: chromatic cadence with top noteChoose top melody E.11.56Common-tone reharmonizationA melody note that stays fixed can glue together chromatic chords.11.57Level 17 — arrangement architectureA chromatic ballad needs contrast.11.58If everything is chromatic, nothing sounds chromaticThis is fundamental.11.59Level 18 — melodic paraphraseOver richer harmony, keep the melody more literal at first.11.60The recognizability budget againIf you change:11.61Level 19 — introA chromatic-ballad intro might use:11.62Better intro principleTake a chromatic line from the tune itself.11.63Level 20 — endingOptions:11.64Final 6/9 versus maj9C6/9:11.65Practice loop 1 — simple vs altered dominantPlay:11.66Practice loop 2 — one melody noteHold melody G.11.67Practice loop 3 — chromatic bassPlay:11.68Practice loop 4 — inner chromatic lineKeep bass C.11.69Improvisation drill — targets onlyOver a reharmonized phrase:11.70Improvisation drill — altered dominantOver G7alt:11.71Improvisation drill — tritone subOver:11.72Improvisation drill — backdoorOver:11.73Ear drill — identify cadence typePlay randomly:11.74Ear drill — structural versus passing chordPlay:11.75Ear drill — melody extensionPlay Cmaj7 in LH/RH.11.76Advanced exercise — reharmonize one phrase three waysVersion A: functional.11.77Advanced exercise — remove chordsTake your richest version.11.78Advanced exercise — melody + bass onlyPlay your reharmonized version with:11.79Advanced exercise — one inner voice onlyAdd a single middle line.11.80Full arrangement planchromatic inner-line motif.11.81The main danger of this workshopYou may discover that you can now make almost any chord lead to almost any other chord.11.82A useful three-question filterBefore keeping a chromatic chord, ask:11.83Another filterCan you sing the chromatic voice created by the reharmonization?11.84Another filterDoes the substitute make the destination clearer or less clear?11.85The mature reharmonization mindsetBeginner:•Homework — Workshop 11Practice:•Workshop 11 mini-test1. What is the first question to ask about a chromatic chord?