Definition of Harmony
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harmonic objects such as chords, textures and tonalities are identified, defined, and categorized in the development of these theories. Harmony is broadly understood to involve both a "vertical" dimension (frequency-space) and a "horizontal" dimension (time-space), and often overlaps with related musical concepts such as melody, timbre, and form.
A particular emphasis on harmony is one of the core concepts underlying the theory and practice of Western music. The study of harmony involves the juxtaposition of individual pitches to create chords, and in turn the juxtaposition of chords to create larger chord progressions. The principles of connection that govern these structures have been the subject of centuries worth of theoretical work and vernacular practice alike.
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Questions people ask
Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.
- How is counterpoint different from harmony? · Music SE
- Understanding minor key harmony · Music SE
- When singing, how to avoid being distracted by vocal harmony or other vocal lines? · Music SE
- What is the best way to learn to sing harmony? · Music SE
- Do capable harmony singers sing in just intonation or tempered tuning? · Music SE
- Harmony in Phrygian : What chords are tonic, subdominant, and dominant? · Music SE
Frequently asked questions
What is Harmony?
In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harmonic objects such…
Sources & credits
- Wikipedia: Harmony – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric J. Rowley – Public domain