Harmonizing scales as chords on the guitar

by flogiston@gmail.com
There are endless chord voicing possibilities within any given scale -- just stack a chosen structure of diatonic intervals on
top of each scale step and voila! Unfortunately, instrument and player capabilities are not limitless, therefore not all
voicings are viable in every situation. Harmonizing scales as chords can yield very bizarre and big-sounding voicings,
which can be used in modal contexts of the base scale (minding the avoid notes, if any). For example, C melodic minor
scale chords could be used for:

add 9

Cm

7 add 11

7 5 9

Here's a set of voicing structures, which can be used to enhance the harmony and visualize scales on the fretboard in
non-trivial interval combinations. Occasionally, heavy finger stretching is involved. Make sure to test them in real music
situations, find out how each voicing sounds (not all of them are equally interesting) and experiment with your own
interval stacks!

C melodic minor harmonized as stacked 5th , 2nd and 5th

K

KKK
I

II

X X

iv

X X

X X

X X

X X

III

II
X

X X

X X

X X

X X

X X

KKKK
I

X X

II
X X

vii

IV

III
X X

viii

X X

xii

xii

X X

vii

KKKK

VI

X X

VII

X X

xiii

KKKK

KKKK

KKKK

VII
X

iv

C major harmonized as stacked 4th , 2nd and 3rd

KKK
K

viii

KK
KK
X

ix

ii

KKK
K

X X

VI
X

vii

viii

xii

KK
KK

V
X

iii

X X

vi

KK
KK

IV
X

iv

KK
KK

KK
KK

VII
X

X X

iii

KK
KK

viii

C melodic minor harmonized as stacked 3rd , 5th and 3rd

vii

xii

K

KK
K

VI

V
X

K
KK
K

K
KK
K

K
KKK

IV

III

ii

K
KKK

K
KKK

K
KKK

X X

xv

xvii

C major harmonized as stacked fourths

KK
KK

K

KKK
I

II

X X

IV

III
X X

X X

X X

II

X X

X X

III

vii

vii

IV

III

II
X X

X X

X X

viii

KKK
K

KK
KK

KK
KK

KKK
K

VII

VI
X X

X X

iii

C major harmonized as stacked 2nd , 5th and 2nd

X X

X X

ix

KKK
K

KKK
K

viii

KKKK

vii

IV
X X

X X

X X

KKK
K

KKK
K

KKK
K

KKK
K

KKK
K

X X

iii

C major harmonized as stacked 3rd , 4th and 2nd

VII

VI

X X

xii

KK
KK

KK
KK

KK
KK

KK
KK

KK
KK

V
O

X X

KKK
K

KKK
K

VII

VI
X X

X X

iii

Version 1 , January 29, 2010 , flogiston@gmail.com

Engraved with the great LilyPond!