reharmonizes

Reharmonization, with the verb form reharmonizes, describes the practice of changing the harmonic accompaniment beneath a melody without altering the melody itself or its overall structure. The goal is to produce a different emotional character, color, or texture while preserving identifiable melodic material. The technique is widely used in jazz, but also appears in pop, film scoring, and traditional/classical arrangements as a way to refresh familiar tunes, create variation in repeated sections, or tailor a harmony to a performer’s voice or a particular groove.

Common approaches include chord substitutions and color changes. Diatonic substitutions swap chords within the key to alter voice-leading; modal interchange borrows chords from parallel keys or modes; secondary dominants and ii–V progressions reinterpret scale degrees as temporary tonics; tritone substitutions replace a dominant chord with its tritone counterpart. More colors come from diminished sevenths, altered dominants, chromatic mediants, and extended chords (ninths, elevenths, thirteenths). Pedal points or reimagined bass lines can keep a stable anchor while the upper voices move. The result ranges from subtle lift to lush, complex textures.

Effectiveness depends on the melody, groove, and context. Reharmonization can clarify or obscure melodic contours and requires careful voice-leading to preserve coherence. In jazz, players may imply reharmonizations spontaneously; in arrangements, composers plan them to suit mood or tempo. Studying classic examples and practicing with play-along tracks helps performers understand how substitutions change color and tension.