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Originally Posted by BuddyManx
Maybe this approach depends a little on whether you are trying to fit a solo to a chord progression or a chord progression to a melody. I would guess many melodies of songs are thought of before the supporting chord progression.
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I'm only talking about playing along to an existing chord progression, Buddymanx ... soloing, improvising, playing along.
The opposite process which you mention is 'harmonising' a melody line ... finding chords that will back the existing melody line. When you do that, you use those notes of the existing melody and add to them until you have the chord progression that you want to hear. There are always several possibilities and the composer settles on one of them ... so in that case, the melody started out as being a series of notes, most of which will become chord tones of the progression that is the result of harmonising that line. That is the nature of music ... melody loves chord tones, no matter which way you approach it. I don't know of any melody lines that aren't predominantly chord tones, nor does anyone else ... it's no longer music.