Twin Guitar Harmonizer
This tool builds a twin guitar melody, as heard in melodic death metal and classic metal. You write the melody, pick a key, a tuning and a type of harmony, and get a second guitar that stays in key and can be played on the fretboard.
How to use it
- Pick a key, a tuning and a tempo. Enter the melody in the piano roll, click it out on the fretboard or type the notes as text, for example E4:8 F#4 G4.
- Pick a harmony: thirds, sixths, octaves, scale steps or contrary motion. Choose whether Guitar 2 sits above or below the melody.
- Press Create Guitar 2. Both parts appear as notation and tab. Play them together, or silence one guitar with Mute or Solo.
- Pick a note pair to see where the notes sit on the fretboard. Save the riff in your browser or export it as alphaTex.
What is a two-part guitar melody?
A two-part guitar melody is a melody played by two guitars at once, where the second sits a set distance from the first. The tool creates the second part, Guitar 2, from your melody, key and tuning.
You can enter the melody in a piano roll, click it out on the fretboard or type it as text, for example E4:8 F#4 G4. The time signature is 4/4.
Which types of harmony are available?
Thirds and sixths are the most common intervals. A third sits two scale steps from the melody, a sixth five. Octaves double the melody and scale steps let you choose a distance from 2 to 7 steps.
Guitar 2 can sit above or below the melody.
- Thirds: two scale steps, a soft and classic sound.
- Sixths: five scale steps, a more open and brighter sound.
- Octaves: the same note an octave away.
- Contrary motion: the part moves in the opposite direction to the melody and avoids parallel fifths and octaves.
How do I check that it is playable?
Both parts are shown as notation and tab, and you can see every note pair on the fretboard. Play the parts together, or turn off one guitar with Mute or Solo.
The tool warns when notes fall outside the key, outside the guitar's range or cannot be played on any string in the chosen tuning. The riff can be saved in the browser and exported as alphaTex.
Frequently asked questions
What is a harmonised guitar melody?
Two guitars play the same melody, with the second part sitting a fixed distance from the first, usually a third or a sixth. It is common in melodic death metal, heavy metal and hard rock and gives the melody a fuller sound.
How are notes outside the key handled?
By default Guitar 2 follows the nearest scale note below the melody note and keeps the same distance, so a chromatic step is followed in parallel. You can instead keep the part inside the key. The tool warns when the melody has notes outside the key.
What does contrary motion mean?
The part moves in the opposite direction to the melody wherever it can. The tool picks notes in the key and avoids parallel fifths and octaves.
Can I rehearse the parts with a friend?
Yes. Print the tab or open it on two screens and let each person play one guitar. You can also mute one part with Mute and play it yourself against the playback.
How do I make a twin guitar harmony for a riff?
Enter or click in the melody, choose the key and tuning, and choose thirds or sixths as the harmony. Press Create Guitar 2 and you get a second part that sits above or below the melody and stays in the key. Play both together, check the tab and mute one guitar with Mute when you want to practise your own part.
Related tools
- Scale Explorer: Scales with notes, positions, tab and sound.
- Harmony Explorer: Click a note and see which harmonies fit the key.
- Tab player: Open a Guitar Pro file, see tab and notation and play along at your own tempo.
- Interval Explorer: See and hear every interval from unison to octave on guitar.
- Fretboard Explorer: An interactive fretboard with notes, intervals and scales.
- Metronome: Click or drums with a bouncing ball, step sequencer, spectrum, fullscreen and tap tempo.