A Simple Way To Sound Complicated On Guitar - Chord/Melody Arranging
by Simon Candy
In this video, I sit down with music theory expert Tommaso Zillio from Music Theory For Guitar.com to discuss and demonstrate ways in which you can play the chords and melody of a song on one guitar.
You learn a step-by-step method for creating arrangements of songs on guitar where you play both the melody and chords at the same time.
• Step 1: Chords And Melody
Learn the chords and melody of the tune in isolation
• Step 2: Bass
Play the melody with the root notes of the chord only
• Step 3: Harmony
Add the harmony to vary the texture of the arrangement
• Step 4: Arpeggiation
Arpeggiate the chords to fill out the arrangement
• Step 5: Reharmonisation
Spice things up with some reharmonisation and chord substitution
Watch the video below to learn more:
Auld Lang Syne
• Melody
In creating a chord/melody arrangement on guitar you must know the melody in isolation and know it well.
Here is an excerpt of the melody from our tune Auld Lang Syne:
• Bass (Root Notes)
Next, add the root notes of the chords to the melody to begin creating an accompanying part:
• Chords
You can now fill the space between the root notes and the melody with the harmony (chords) for a fuller sound:
• Arpeggiation
Once the chords and melody are in place, it is much easier to arpeggiate the chords.
This can give your chord/melody arrangement a feeling of development, especially if you have previously only been plucking the chords:
• Re-harmonisation
A cool way to continue developing your arrangement is to re-harmonise the melody. There are many ways you could do this, here is one:
Learn how to create your own chord melody instrumentals on your guitar in 5 easy steps