One of the quickest and easiest ways to write your own great piano music is by harmonizing a melody. Here are a few tips to show you how to do it, either with a melody of your own, or with one you particularly admire.
Before you can harmonize a melody, you've got to have a melody to start with. I've chosen a simple tune that might come straight out of a Bach choral.
Whenever it comes to writing music, simplicity is the key (no pun intended). The melody occupies the first 2 bars of the piece, and here are those two bars on their own (see nearby image).
Once you've got your melody, it's time to add some more notes. Do this by simply adding the OTHER TWO NOTES required to turn each melody note into one of the primary chords.
For example, my tune is in the key of G. So my first melody note (G) has the notes D & B below it to complete the G chord or G triad in first inversion. The 2nd melody note is A, with the notes D & F# added to make the D chord in root position.
When you have your chords in place, remove the MIDDLE NOTE from the chord and place it an octave below. For instance, my first chord is G in 1st inversion, and the middle note is D just above middle C. I've taken this middle note D out of the chord and placed it an octave lower in the bass clef. Now you can see how the chord is starting to spread itself across the piano keyboard.
Next, put one more note in the mix. Simply add the ROOT of the chord (G for a G chord, D for a D chord, C for a C chord) in the bass, BELOW the existing bass clef note. And voila! You've got a 4-part piano piece in four simple steps.
To give your harmonized melody some variety, you can add a simple cadence to the end of the phrase. I've used a Half Cadence or Imperfect Cadence for my tune, which is what you get when the chords move from I to V, or from tonic to dominant. It uses the same chords as before, but this time the 3rd- and 2nd-last chords are inverted. I've used the G chord in its second inversion moving to a D chord in its root position.
Now that you've got the basic chords in your mind, you can experiment by making small, subtle changes.
The melody I've used for this exercise is kept very simple on purpose. But even that you can enhance by making the rhythm more interesting. I've done it by changing some of the quarter notes to dotted quarter notes, as in the nearby graphic.
We'll continue our experimentation by adding chords, but this time we'll assign the chords completely to the left hand. That helps the melody stand out more, and also shows you another way to harmonize a tune. Notice how the chords in this instance follow the rhythm of the tune exactly.
If you feel like being more adventurous, you could try adding broken chords instead of solid ones. The broken chords are still just the three primary chords G, C & D, but with the addition of a D7 chord (the dominant 7th) at the very end for variety. With a bit of imagination, the possibilities are endless!
9. Give it a Go!
Even using just these simple techniques you can see the incredible transformation that has taken place. Our plain and simple melody has become a unique and interesting little musical idea, ready to be expanded into a longer piano piece.
It's exactly the same technique used by composers all the way back to Bach. Take a look at the score for his "Prelude in C" for instance, which is almost completely made up of arpeggios. And what are arpeggios? Broken chords, of course!
I hope this example gives you the courage to try and create your own piece. It might take a bit of practice, but if you persist you'll get there in the end. Good Luck!
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