All this theory stuff leaves me pretty bewildered, I must confess, despite years and at least one college MUS 101 course trying to sort it all out. I've gotten so I can pretty well muddle my way through a tune and develop at least acceptable chord accompaniments - this can be a challenge when trying to ressurect essentially unheard of for the past Century or so music from the tattered pages of dusty old scores and music books. There are some that require a chord change on every beat for the better part of the tune, and if there's a whole bar with the same chord, I start gasping for breath as if coming up for air from being swept under whitewater rapids! One example is "Weep Not for ME" from the 1850s, to the tune of "All through the Night". Another is the lovely 1860's "My Jesus, I Love Thee" - just not quite so bad.

What I've been doing lately - and studying the Justin HOLLAND 1880 "Method for Guitar" played a part in this - is trying to fingerpick the tune melodically, as Guitarists apparantly used to do back then(this is why you seldom see chord notation in sheet music prior to the 1950s). Every now and again, I'll get a bar or two to pick out just right, and look at my left hand... and VIOLLA! There's our chord!

I use Myriad Software "Melody Assistant" score composition and editing software, which gives you chords and tabs, if you want them (all for $18 US by the way)- but I almost always will "tweak" chords a fair amount from what the computer dictates before i am happy with the final outcome.

It's one of those eternal "art vs. science" controversies which, I suppose, Musicians will quibble over until the proverbial fat lady sings. But'cha know; as long as yer havin' fun and the audience ain't throwin' things at yer, you jest keep a' whailin' away at that ol' thing & beltin' 'em out, Deah... with whatever chords works the best for ye! Affectionately: Yer Auld Uncle Jaque