Am I harmonizing in thirds right?

[BalSagoth]

I am harmonizing in thirds, using the E harmonic minor scale. Here is what I come up with:


Original
E:------|--------------------|--------------
B:------|---------12---------|--------------
G:------|9-*-9-12----12-9----|--------------
D:-9----|--------------------|9-*-9---------
A:------|--------------------|--------------
E:------|--------------------|--------------

After Harmonization
E:------|---------11----------|--------------
B:------|8-*-8-12-12-12-8-----|--------------
G:-8----|9-*-9-12----12-9-----|8-*-8---------
D:-9----|---------------------|9-*-9---------
A:------|---------------------|--------------
E:------|---------------------|--------------


However, this sounds absolutely HORRIBLE. Listen to the MIDI here: http://www.atomic-design.com/_stuff/Harmonization.mid. It contains these exact notes.

Am I harmonizing wrong? Am I harmonizing correctly? Does some harmonization just naturally sound bad?

[Rayman]

Yes, you've done it correctly.

Here's the E harmonic minor scale, harmonised in thirds:


e|--------------------------------8-11-12--|
B|-----------------------8-10-12-10-12-13--|
G|---------------8--9-11-9-11-12-----------|
D|-------7--9-10-9-10-13-------------------|
A|--9-10-9-10-12---------------------------|
E|-11-12-----------------------------------|

[BalSagoth]

Does that "riff" sound okay, if it were in the context of a song?

[Rayman]

I think it sounds just fine. I can just picture the last notes ringing out with an ever wider vibrato, before launching back into some chunking riff in E. I don't know why you think it sounds horrible... Then again, I've got years of listening to Malmsteen behind me, so I'm very intimate with the sound of the harmonic minor scale, harmonised in thirds.

Most people's ears will initially reject the sound of a new scale. Same as most people's first ever sip of beer makes them think "Uggh!". Listen to Marty Friedman's 'Scenes' album if you're not used to exotic scales and feel like making your ears wince. Once you're on the third or fourth play through, it starts sounding really good.

[Jamezo]

Is this harmonisation?

From 'Every Time I Die' by Children of Bodom


E E E E E E E E E E E E S S E S S E
|---------------------|----------------------|
|----8-7----7---------|---7------------7-7-7-|
|--9-----9----7--9----|-----9-7-9-9-9--------|
|------------------10-|-9--------------------|
|---------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------|----------------------|
|
| E E E E E E E E E E E E S S E S S E
|---------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------|----------------------|
|--9------------------|----------------------|
|----9-9-9--7---------|---4-2-5-----5------7-|
|-------------9-10--7-|-2-------3-3-3--5-5-5-|
|---------------------|----------------------|


bear in mind this is in D tuning
if this is harmonistaion, how is it accomplished in this song?

[Rayman]

The definition of 'harmony', from www.dictionary.com:

1. The study of the structure, progression, and relation of chords.

2. Simultaneous combination of notes in a chord.

3. The structure of a work or passage as considered from the point of view of its chordal characteristics and relationships.

4. A combination of sounds considered pleasing to the ear.

The definition is very broad, so yes Jamezo - that tab you posted is harmonised. It's not harmonised in thirds though. The last four notes of the first measure are harmonised in sixths, the rest of it is doing different things.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'how is this accomplished?'. One guitarist plays the top line, the other guitarist plays the bottom line. If you want to harmonise something in thirds, record one line, then using the same scale, play the same thing starting two notes higher up in the scale. It's a very 80s guitar god kind of thing to do.

[deftones]

the midi file isnt working for me.

[Rayman]

Hmmm... it's still working fine for me...

[BalSagoth]

Alright, thanks guys. I'm trying to learn theory and sometimes I get nervous, so I need to verify.

[MadMattUK]

Anyone one got decent links on harmonized guitar?

I know guitar world used to have a marty friedman lesson on it online but theyve got rid of all their online lessons!!!!

[Jamezo]

here you go my man (http://guitarsecrets.com/harmonizing_triads.htm)

[MadMattUK]

cheers dude thats handy
:)