Harmony Book For Beginners - online book

Scales, Intervals, Common Chords, Dominant Seventh Chord and Melody Making.

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HARMONIZING MELODIES
9.   A, the Fifth of the Chord, D, F#, A. Another chance for a Dominant Chord. Put the Root, D, in the Bass.
10.   B, Third of the Tonic Chord, G, B, D. Another chance for an Imperfect Cadence. G, B, D, in the Third Position, following the Dominant Chord (D, F#, A).
11.   D may be the Root of D, F#, A, or the Fifth of G, B, D. Let us select G, B, D, and make it a First Inversion, B, the Third, in the Bass, and D, the Fifth, doubled.
12.   C may be the Root of the Chord C, E, G; and this is probably the best to use. The Octave Position fits in nicely. Always look out for good motion in the Bass Part.
13, 14, 15. The final chords are always the easiest. Whenever possible, we end with the Perfect Cadence. 14 will give us the Dominant Chord in the Fifth Positon (D, F#, A; D in the Bass). 15 will give us the Octave Position of the Tonic Chord. Just right. Whenever it may be managed, the Second Inversion of the Tonic Chord is best to precede a perfect Cadence. We have it at 13: G, B, D; D in the Bass; T> (the Fifth) doubled. Here is the Exercise completely harmonized, according to the foregoing reasoning.
The above will amply repay the closest study and analysis. It is by far the most important thing we have done. This exercise cannot be made to sound better with the means so far at our disposal. The student must master every detail of its working out before attempting to go further. Make an ear test of it as well. Play each chord sep­arately, and consider its connection with the chords which precede and follow it.
The student is now ready to harmonize some melodies, reasoning them out and testing by the ear, just as in the preceding exercise.
Here they are.