In music, if you look at the melody line and see it as a horizontal line (from start to end), then the harmonies can be seen as going vertically, adding the the piece of the music as opposed to lengthening it (Jamini, 2005, p.147).
If you listen to any song, you'll be able to hear harmonies (whether it from a solo artist where they sing on top of their lines when recording or even in more common choirs and acapella groups where the sound is intensified by the union of voices all singing slightly different notes).
In popular music, chords are known by their "root" notes then any another characteristics (such as sharps and flats).
When creating a harmony, the easiest way to do it is by using a chord as the foundation (for example "C major").
C major is made up up of its root note (C), the 'third' note above (E), then the 'fifth' above the root (G), creating a C major triad. Creating a harmony based on C major is as easy as someone playing/singing each note on top of the chord. You can also 'stack' on what you already have, with the "seventh" note above the root (which in this case would be B), which creates almost dissonance.
When performing live, it's hard to create a harmonies when you're on your own unless you have a backing track or a loop pedal however for me, it's not something that I'm going to be doing.
I was inspired however when I was listening to a live performance that Ed Sheeran did where he got the audience to participate and sing along with him
He tells the audience to sing along to the bit in the chorus and explains before he starts the song, what they're singing.
Although he doesn't necessarily do anything harmony wise with the audience, it helped me to figure out a way I could create a harmony in a solo performance when not using a backtrack/pedal.
Using people in the audience would not only help to make the piece sound more pleasing to the hear, but also a performer, it's important to connect with the audience through stage presence and body language.
I've been looking at how to incorporate it as part of my piece and as I'm doing a narrative style song, it makes it tricky at what I am able to do, as it has to simple enough for people to pick up on the spot. Also, it makes it musically challenging as I have to be able to correct things if people don't sing the right notes halfway through so I'd have to adapt on the spot (however I find that improvisation comes naturally to me)
One of my aims with guitar is to improve my finger picking skills, something I have struggled with until recently, where I pushed and challenged myself to learn new pieces that didn't have any strumming in it at all.
I have achieved a lot in a short amount of time by constantly practicing and am getting better with being able to sight read tab as well as play more and more complex pieces, however I still feel like I can challenge myself further.
The style of fingerpicking that I'm most familiar with, is known as "Travis picking", first coined by Merle Travis, a country and western musician. His son described his new style as unique hearing "rhythm parts, melodies and chords all wrapped up in one" (Gold, 2006). Adapted for the steel strings of an acoustic guitar, the method is the simplest, especially for beginners who are just starting out. "Pattern picking is the use of 'preset right-hand patterns[s] while fingerpicking, with the left hand fingering standard chords." (Traum, 1974) As the finger picking pattern never changes, as well as the chord shapes, it makes it simple and helps create create a fuller and richer sounding piece, potentially changing a song on the guitar with rock undertones to something more like a ballad.
To make things a bit more interesting, when reading tab, it is common for some notes to be on the off beat (as in one and two and three) which is known as syncopation. Syncopation adds to the existing melody and can be used in various ways to add a spin on the existing sound. You can combine the picking style with techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs to make the sound more dynamic and interesting to listen to, something I've started to do. One example is when I recorded an acoustic version of The 1975's Sex last year - adding hammer-ons and pull-offs when finger picking the C chord. This helped to make the piece more unique and gave it more of a melodic sound, something I wouldn't of considered beforehand.
The way that I taught myself to finger pick isn't what is considered the "standard way", as I got into the habit of primarily using my thumb to picks the strings. It's a bad habit as the thumb should only pluck strings E, A & D. In an attempt to break my out of it, I looked up guitar tabs to try and practice the way that accomplished finger pickers such as Mark Knopfler finger pick.
Hallelujah was originally sung by Leonard Cohen in 1984 however it was made famous by the version done by Jeff Buckley, released posthumously in 2007 as a single. Buckley used "his voice to careen between glory and sadness, beauty and pain... It's one of the great songs" (Tyrangiel, 2004). Buckley's version of the song does have a more complicated intro however when I practiced it, I focused on the main melody, concentrating more on the placement of my right hand fingers.
While listening to the song, it's clear to see how Buckley's version of it is "one of the most beautiful pieces of recorded music" (Q, 2007). The crescendo of the verse complimented by the haunting sounds of the guitar help create a tranquil sound. That, coupled with the almost ghostly-like singing of 'Hallelujah' also help to creative a narrative, painting a picture in the head of what is being said (another reason why I chose this song, as it's something I hope to produce as a songwriter).
When practicing the song, I didn't really concentrate on my voice (and the only reason I sung along was to start to practice using the guitar to help the vocals and lead into the lyrics). When it came to the actual learning of the piece, it was easier said than done. Although I used the Travis picking style, as the song had Gs, Cs Ems and Ds in it, the actual finger plucking part was something that I had to really practice, especially considering I could only use my thumb for three strings.
The most complicated part was trying to get the piece to flow, especially the transition from 'you don't really care for music, do you? to 'It goes like this, the fourth the fifth'. I tried to slow the piece down by the end of the first part then lead into the second part at a faster tempo to help with the crescendo of the dynamics as well as creating a varied sound, putting and emphasis on the actual storytelling part of it (as singing at one level is boring - as is reading in the same tone). I also tried to emphasis the placement of 'Hallelujah' along with the two notes I plucked on the guitar, helping to synch up both voice and guitar, creating a sound which is easy on the ears.
If I were to do this again (even after my many failed attempts beforehand), I would focus on the quality of the song as there were some notes that I missed out or weren't played because I was slightly muting the strings (at the 'It goes like this...' part). Also doing the whole song as opposed to the first verse and the chorus would be good for me as it would push my guitar playing skills, especially when it comes to different techniques. Adding a hammer-on or pull-offs to put a spin on it would help make the version of the song more personal to me as opposed to just copying Buckley's version.
