Here is a summary of 17 scales which you can print for quick reference

Once you are totally familiar with the basic scales, you can start building chords on the scales. Start with simple 3 or 4 note chords, like triads and seventh chords, and experiment with different voicings. For example, a Cmaj7 can be voiced in multiple ways, as seen in this example.

The next thing to practice is moving a voicing up a scale. Pick a voicing and pick a scale, and then play that voicing from each of the 7 notes of the chosen scale. Here are some examples:

The reason this is a useful exercise is that you can use fragments of these chordal progressions to harmonize melodies, or create "harmonic fillers" to enrich the harmony of a song. For example, on the opening phrase of "For Heaven's Sake".

Another powerful technique that generates new chord voicings is the use of inversions. If we take the Cmaj7 (drop 2) voicing, shown in the example above, and shift each note to the chord factor directly above it, we get an inversion, as shown here. Please note that this is not the same as moving the lowest note to the top, as shown here.

For every triad there are 3 positions (inversions), and for every 7th chord there are 4 positions (inversions).

To summarize the main points covered so far: There are 3 basic ways to generate chord voicings:

Mastering the above three techniques leads to a vast number of chords and chord sequences that can be applied in many musical situations. However, there is something missing: appoggiaturas! Even though you may have a wide variety of chords to use on a tune, including substitute chords and passing chords, we are still within the realm of familiar chord structures. Introducing appoggiaturas brings a whole new meaning to harmonization, because it introduces notes that are totally unrelated to a basic chord voicing, but which immediately resolve to that chord, thus providing a very interesting tension-resolution device.

Here's the definition of appoggiatura:

An appoggiatura is a dissonant note (i.e. outside the chord), played on a strong beat, and resolving to an adjacent consonant chord tone. A classical example is shown here.

Appoggiaturas can also approach their resolution note from below. This means that for any given 4 note chord, there are 72 combinations of appoggiaturas, as shown here.

So, combining the 4 techniques described above - voicing, scale, inversion, and appoggiatura, we can create a formidable arsenal of harmonic devices that can find their place in numerous song harmonizations. Here is a set of examples:

Voicing	Scale	Inversion	Appoggiatura	See
Cmaj6 (drop 2)	C Major	Root	Alto from above	Score
Cmaj6 (drop 2)	C Major	Root	Soprano from below, Bass from below	Score

More soon....