How do I find chords to go with my melody in music I write

Finding chords for your melody, steps to follow:

1. Try to transpose the melody to a scale you know well.
2. Try to find your bass notes first.
3. Start with the root note (of the scale).
4. Many progressions start or end with the root note (tonic).
5. After finding a fitting bass progression, build chords on it.

1. How do I choose chords for my melody?
2. Can a melody have chords?

How do I choose chords for my melody?

Sing your melody over and over, and establish the key.

For example, if your melody starts with the notes C and E, it's an easy choice to strum a C chord as your harmony. Other chords would work with those two melody notes: Am, Fmaj7, or even Dm9. Familiarity with the melody is a vital step.

Can a melody have chords?

Diatonic chords

Say your melody comprises the notes in a C major scale (C—D—E—F—G—A—B); each one of those notes is the tonic, or root note, of its own chord. These chords are called diatonic chords, and they play an integral part in assigning chords to a melodic note.