How to harmonise solos ......what gadgets ? Tips

Dominic · January 2022

You know those typical late 80s Spandex/hair solos where the guitar is playing a harmonised solo ?
I know Brian May did it with some kind of delay .
I assume that you choose an increment / degree to suit .......to give you a diad .....maj or Minor 3rd I guess ?????
Is that right ?
Then there must be some kind of pedal that puts the second note on top as you play .....am I right ? I had a go with one once but it sounded rubbish and often went wonky although I kept to scale and nothing outside.
Is there a definitive pedal for this .....a best tracking and easiest to use .......can it be done properly live or is it a retro production thing to get it right?
Any tips for how/what to play once you've got the gear to do it ?

viz · January 2022

There are pitch shifters that play a set pitch (like a major 3rd) above or below, and there are harmonisers, where you type in the key you’re in and the interval you want (eg 3rd) and they will play the correct type of third - major or minor. All the fancy ones will do both - Axe, Helix, G-system, etc.

in terms of what material is good for 3rd harmonising, scalar music works best, where each note is only a 2nd or maximum a 3rd away from the preceeding one. Like The Trooper, Boys are back in Town, etc. Study those tunes and you’ll find the defining factor is that they’re scalar melodies. It wouldn’t work so well with, say, Somewhere over the Rainbow.

Dominic · January 2022

Thankyou viz
So I'm on the right track

Danny1969 · January 2022

The harmoniser in the Line 6 stuff works well with typical 3rds, so tell it the key and it will harmonise fine on for those Iron Maiden type fixed third lines. I use a Pod Go for one band and use the harmoniser for a couple of songs and it's quite convincing.
Unfortunately the best lines aren't fixed intervals, take the verse of Hotel California, One guitar goes down chromatically every 2 bars, one guitar stays on the same note for 8 bars a couple of times and there's no harmoniser that will do that. Some of the Lizzy harmonies are like that too

Roland · January 2022

Some harmonies you can play yourself. On Bad Company’s Feel Like Makin’ Love Mick Ralphs would play the lead line, and Paul Rodgers the harmony. The story goes that when Geoff Whitehorn replaced Mick he surprised Paul by playing both lines at the same time.

viz · January 2022

Roland said:

Some harmonies you can play yourself. On Bad Company’s Feel Like Makin’ Love Mick Ralphs would play the lead line, and Paul Rodgers the harmony. The story goes that when Geoff Whitehorn replaced Mick he surprised Paul by playing both lines at the same time.

Brown Eyed Girl’s a classic for that.

By the way, it's much easier to do major/minor 3rd harmonisation on the 2nd and 3rd strings, than on the 1st and 2nd. So, for Brown Eyed Girl for example, in G, starting on the 12th fret with a little 2-string barre on 2nd and 3rd strings, than it would be to start on 7th and 8th fret on the 1st and 2nd string.

Roland · January 2022

It always surprises me when I see bands play Brown Eyed Girl without the harmony. It’s one of the easiest harmonies to play because there are no bends to contend with.

Danny1969 · January 2022

Roland said:

It always surprises me when I see bands play Brown Eyed Girl without the harmony. It’s one of the easiest harmonies to play because there are no bends to contend with.

I always assumed it's not a lead and harmony part recorded separately, it sounds like double stop thirds to me, very popular back in the late fifties and early sixties to ape the lap steel Hawaiian sound ?

I've seen so many people cock that intro up, it's one of those riffs that are so simple but get one note wrong and it really stands out as it's just the guitar on it's own.

I can play both parts on Boys are back, Rosalie, don't believe a word and quite a few other Lizzy songs using basic double stops in thirds

CaseOfAce · January 2022

Danny1969 said:

Roland said:

It always surprises me when I see bands play Brown Eyed Girl without the harmony. It’s one of the easiest harmonies to play because there are no bends to contend with.

I always assumed it's not a lead and harmony part recorded separately, it sounds like double stop thirds to me, very popular back in the late fifties and early sixties to ape the lap steel Hawaiian sound ?

I've seen so many people cock that intro up, it's one of those riffs that are so simple but get one note wrong and it really stands out as it's just the guitar on it's own.

I can play both parts on Boys are back, Rosalie, don't believe a word and quite a few other Lizzy songs using basic double stops in thirds

yep... it's just double stop 3rds..
I don't even think of it has a harmonised line....

I am surprised no effects manufacturer has yet come up with a pre set 100 or so harmonised patches effects pedal for popular songs that use intelligent harmonies... I'd buy it just to get hotel California duties...?

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How to harmonise solos ......what gadgets ? Tips

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