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how to harmonize chords from MIDI melody?

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hello,

 

i have just downloaded Harmony Navigator 2 and am in demo mode.

 

I would like to import MIDI melodies and have HN2 suggest chords to accompany. how can I go about starting this process?

 

I have found that in order to import MIDI files, the program must be in advanced mode. I am able to Import MIDI files, but how can i get chord progression suggenstions?

 

also, I know that my melody could be in lots of different keys, I think F Major sounds right. how do i get HN2 to experiment with this?


Mo., 22.08.2011 - 18:28 Permalink

Hi,


There are 2 situations for a melody to work with .... standalone instrument or with accompaniment instruments.
You can add a new instrument and put this in the "protected mode" than you can also add a basis accompaniment too


When you start HN2 it opens with a melodyinstrument protected ..so it is here working as a stand alone instrument and if you rightclick on the instrument ..you can import a midi file for the melody


 


Suppose you do have a melodyline than you can go to the harmonizer(Harmonizer tab) in HN2 to get chords( harmonize ) the melodyline and in the progression editor (progression tab) you will see chords added and these chords you can use for other instruments


 


as example 


Take the example melody.mid in HN 2 as exercise(import this) and default the progression editor has 8 measures and after harmonizing the melody ( you must select Rendered notes in the harmonizer! otherwise the melodytrack will not be harmonized...choose Harmonize knob with the right short possible chord duration= menu Shortest( is how many chords in a measure) )


 


Although you have harmonized the melody you will not hear anything..still only the the melody


So the harmonizer came up for 8 measures with a CHORD PROGRESSION ..and i you add a chordal instrument( gitaar,keyboard, piano,etc..with these 8 harmonized chords than it must sound good?  


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What i did else more?.. i add a  premanufactured Example(=phrase) for a particular instrument  ( i can choose from Arps, Bass, Drums, guitar, etc) and harmonize this new instrument with the chord progression from the melody


 


On this way i can add one after one .. to a maximum 7 instruments with premade patterns for composing.


I can also add a accompaniment pattern at once to the melody (BEWARE for this!: you must set the melody instrument in the "protectedmode" otherwise it will be replaced)


You can setup a song with songsection ...and go further with composing   


 


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The melody is the most import part of a composition so i you make a intro section and a verse section and get a melody for this songsections than you can harmonize this and add instruments 


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You ask also about your music in Fmajor .. i think if your melody must starts with a f note ..than the harmonizer must come up with a progression what starts with a F chord
I am not sure about this.. how about a experiment?


 


Well i made a melody pattern from quarter notes and starting on a f note , but the harmoniser is interpretate this as a estimate dominating Cmajor scale from the the melody notes ..so what about the F major scale ?


The upper part of the harmonizer shows the chord progression in the editor (tab).. the lower part shows the harmonized chord progression


You can choose the Rendered Notes box with a tickmark and the melody with the tickmark and if you than use 


the knob Harmonize and look at the lower harmonized progression in the harmonizer..than it is a Cmajor starting progression, BUT if you don't use the Rendered notes tickbox ,than the harmonizer comes up with a progression what starts with a F chord progression


 


You can bring the harmonized melody progression from the harmonizer to the chord progression editor by the Apply knob.


But before to make this definitive..you can also toggle between the 2 chord progressions in the harmonizer..and give in by hand some chords in the progression editor for instance the same as the lower progression and decide to chance it to your personal taste ( for this untick all instruments after you first came up with the melodychord progression (lower)) 


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note: i don't know yet the use of the rendered notes tickbox?..his purpose?
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I add also a second 2e instrument (premade phrase)


 


With my selfmade melody of 4 bars starting  on a fnote and added a 2e instrument HN2 came up with a nice sounding piece of music !


The difficult part is to compose the music exactly what you have in mind ,but with starting first with a melodyline you get inspiration and use the premade phrases.
You are working here with premade phrases in HN2 and i you want really piece of music that has a desired note structure what you like than you must import this and there is a workaround for HN2 for using custom phrases  ( you can make a library of midifiles)  


 


It is not so easy to work with HN2, because the documentation is not telling you all functions in the program..so you must experiment to find out..for me it is a ridicules situation.


For instance i don't know 2 parameters of the thumbnail of a figure to chance this: trim? and Paste Rhythm .. perhaps it is somewhere written in the manual? 

Mo., 22.08.2011 - 23:57 Permalink

Constructing a melody in Fmajor and harmonize this.
- Fmajor has 1 b ..so what tones has this scale ?.. the b-note will be lowered with a half step ..you get the Bes note


f-g-a-bes-c-d-e-f 
The scale is named after the groundtone and the notes you can use for a melody in Fmajor


( the last note of the melody must be a f note will it be a Fmajor scale)
Suppose you do have a melody in Cmajor than you can transpose this to a Fmajor and harmonize this


Than say that you want to harmonize this melody?..what chords do you can aspect when you harmonize this in Harmony navigator2


Well what  chordtype what stand on every  note of the scale .. F-Gm-Am-B-C-Dm-Edim-(F)


 


The harmonizer in HN2 will also determine the scale of your melody (for your personal confirmation)  


Is it possible to chance your melody scale in the harmonizer?


 


 

Sa., 27.08.2011 - 22:17 Permalink

Again i looked at the harmonizer and the question came up : can i harmonize a arpeggio melodyline in 1/16 notes ?  


I did it again and now HN2 came up for the 3 notes under the melody note with a chordprogression


As we know there is more than one answer for harmonizing a melody ..there are more than one chord progressions possible


Important is to follow the voice leading rules..


But for he right voice leading for the other 3 voices under the arpegio melodyline you must use the suggested chords and add a bass and the harmony fill for the inner two notes