Harmony in music is when different musical notes are played or sung together at the same time. It’s really important because it helps create the feelings and structure of popular songs. By learning about the main types of harmonies, you can enjoy and perform music even more.

1. Diatonic Harmony

Diatonic harmony uses notes from a specific scale, like the major or minor scale. In Western music, about 80% of popular songs use diatonic harmony. This type of harmony includes chords that naturally belong to a certain key.

• Common Chords: Major (I), minor (ii, iii, vi), and dominant seventh (V7) chords are often used.
• Example: In a song in C major, you might hear C (I), Dm (ii), Em (iii), F (IV), G7 (V7), and Am (vi).

2. Chromatic Harmony

Chromatic harmony involves notes that aren't in the main scale, which makes the music sound richer and sometimes more complicated. About 15% of popular music uses chromatic chords.

• Common Techniques: These include borrowed chords, modal interchange, and leading-tone chords.
• Example: Playing a Bb chord in a C major song can create some surprising tension.

3. Functional Harmony

Functional harmony is all about how chords connect and lead into one another. This type of harmony helps create movement in music and is found in about 70-75% of popular songs.

• Chord Progressions: Common patterns like the circle of fifths and descending bass lines are often used.
• Example: The I-IV-V-I progression, like C-F-G-C, is a classic example.

4. Non-functional Harmony

Non-functional harmony doesn’t always feel resolved and is often found in unique and experimental music. It makes up about 5-10% of this genre.

• Characteristics: This type can have unclear chord progressions and may use dissonance.
• Example: Using parallel chords without traditional endings can create a differentkind of feel.

Conclusion

Learning about these types of harmonies can help you enjoy and perform popular music more fully. By understanding how diatonic, chromatic, functional, and non-functional harmonies work, musicians can express a wide range of emotions through their music.