This is basically a thread in which all of us can give tips and tricks on harmonizing (or maybe even ideas). Post any devices that you find interesting, comment on any, etc.

I'll start with one that I use a lot:

I first got the idea to do something like this from Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé. Near the intro of it, the horns come in with this phrase (concert pitch):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j266/Bbclarinetist/Example1.png

Some of you may be wondering, why does Ravel use parallel 7ths? In fact, those are all inversions of sus4 chords. (F#sus and Esus.)

I use this technique to make things sound easier on the ears or in order to create new sounds. For example, I sometimes treat a 7th interval as a 2nd below the root. Example (of a Cmaj7 chord):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j266/Bbclarinetist/Example2.png

Then I just keep moving intervals around to experiment with sounds (Cmaj7 chord):

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j266/Bbclarinetist/Example3.png

There are an infinite number of possibilities that can be made. I also do this with 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths.

(more will be posted)

Interesting idea for a thread - I think I'll contribute a bit too :):

Something I've learned recently is the idea of using multiple conventional chord resolutions simultaneously to create a more expressive effect. Here's an example from Strauss' Salome - in particular the famous scene involving the head of Jochanaan, which calls for a very striking effect.

http://www.esnips.com/nsdoc/b47a64e1-c3b6-44b1-b298-b62a47b6494c

The snippet is a very abstracted in form, but presents the general idea harmonically. Basically, we are moving from the root position C#major chord to intermediate chord and then back to C#major, though with the notes on the treble clef completely doubling those from the bass clef (in octaves).

The chord doesn't much much sense as a whole, but if you were to look at the chords in the two staves individually, you might see that it's actually two "conventional" chord devices being used at once.

If you just look at the top half, it would be a half-diminished VII 7th chord - what you would normally get by playing a diatonic 7th chord starting from the leading tone. VII 7ths chord tend to lead back to the tonic chord, so in this case it is being used as a neighboring chord (though with some strange voice leading) between the C#major chords.

Looking at the bottom half, we have what's part of a class of 7th chords called common-tone diminished 7th chords, which is also being used as a neighboring chord. These are a little bit more complicated to explain, but for this particular iteration, the fifths of the chord is shifted both up and down a semi-tone, while the third of the chord is shifted down a semi-tone. Another way to look at it is having a diminished triad starting with the same root as the last chord (also in root position), but adding an extra minor sixth to the chord, as in an added sixth chord. If you have heard much Tchaikovsky, you may recognize that he uses this type of chord quite a bit.


But the particular chords don't matter really for the technique - the point is that you can try spicing up things up by using two (or more) different methods of getting to the same goal in tandem for an unique, but sensible affect.

Attached is the MIDI file for the snippet - first it plays just the top part, then the bottom, and then it plays both together.