noob question about harmony

[felipescalador12]

Hello guys so I play guitar have some knowledge on theory play some piano but still a little bit lost on how to apply it correctly

In guitar what I used to do was jam along the modal jam tracks my teacher gave me..
for example he gave me a E dorian backing track and I just jam with the Edorian along the neck..

I understand chord structure.. how to construct chords from scales etc..

But still cant make something sound good

I am stuck with harmony I see in electronic music there are multiple lines playing at the same time which make everything sound full and complex.. lets say a synth bass, guitar, drums, piano, keyboards and voice all at the same time..

How can you achieve this??

ex. Choose a scale "C major" build a progression of C major example

C - Dmin- F- C

a simple I - ii - IV - I

now how could I harmonize?? just jam with the c major scale in guitar??

how about then I want to add bass. just use the same C major scale to jam over?
same applies for the rest of the instruments?

I guess I should not play different chords over that progression since it will mess everything up??

I hope it makes sense

as always any help is greatly apreciated

[Khazul]

Well I have next to no music theory, but if Im stuck and need to actually think about it (usuall if coercing an actual or implied chord progression I dont like in a remix job into something I do like to the genr I targetting..) - I tend to extend chord downwards, for example - take an Am, add an F below and you have an F7 something. Add the D below and you have a Dm9 something.

At times extending chords that way can make for very interesting basslines if you use them in the right place - ie so just because you have an Am - it doesnt mean you have to plant a bass note on the A - plenty of options, especially if you look at the chords of a progression or melody as the develop through phrases.

Similarly, extending chords upwards can add alot of interest as well - Am Am7, Am9 with open 7 etc. These can often make good dominant notes in harmonies etc. But pass through less relaed notes as well to get the desired feel too.

Counter point stuff can be interesting as well - simulataeous and different but related melodies that join to make up chords in the right scale at times - planting the right bass note in mighht complete the right chord at the right time to sound good etc...

(Sorry I dont know correct names for musical chords structure, just know what they are if that makes any sense - hazards of randomly self learned by trial and error music theory I guess...).

The other thing - what works on the often simpler timbres of synths ofen doesnt translate very well to richer sonds like guitars/piano etc except as passing notes due to the way harmonics interact. Hence why alot of electro sort of gets away with really bloody aweful progression and harmonies that simplyu dont work at all with anything except those sepcific synth sounds.