KS3 · GCSE · A Level · Listening

Harmonise the Melody

Give a melody its harmony. Choose one chord per bar, hear your accompaniment and discover more than one way to make it work.

Choose your challenge

DifficultyMode — Practice or Test/HomeworkMelodiesTempoPermitted playbacks per melody in Test/Homework

Listen → choose a bar → add a chord → hear it together. The first chord is given. Start with the notes in the melody, then think about where each chord leads. In later levels, weak-beat passing notes can sit between chord notes.

Learning guide · need a hand?

Harmonise the Melody: a quick guide

Your goal

Give a melody chords that sound good underneath it. Each bar has one chord. Listen first, select an empty bar, then choose a chord from the buttons.

Try an example

In C major, I contains C–E–G and V contains G–B–D. If a bar uses B and D, try V. A bar with just G could suit either chord: listen to what comes before and after it.

Easy to mix up

There is not always one right answer. A chord needs to support the main melody notes and connect to its neighbours. Several chords may work: a G melody note can fit either C major or G major. Later levels include passing notes: a weak-beat note between two chord notes need not belong to the chord.

A tip for your next go

Try the final two bars first, then work backwards. Use Hear my chords + melody to hear your choices. In Test/Homework, this uses the same playback allowance as Play melody. After the final melody, open your results and send the homework code and numerical mark to your teacher.