(I do realize I can let the notes that are the same in consecutive chords ring out but I am presenting it as such for demonstration purposes)
I cannot seem to get out of this habit — the question is, is it even a habit that I should be looking to break? Should I be looking for just one or two chords that will fit the entire melody rather than having 8 chords in 1 measure?
You can certainly do whatever that your creative sense is telling you I would say though that having a chord change with each note of the melody, especially if you do it often, will wear on the ear quicker and can make a piece sound unsettled or a bit chaotic. You could hold a chord and make some of the melody notes into passing tones or different chord extensions like 7ths, 9ths, 11ths or suspended 2nds of 4ths for example.
The main thing is to look at your melody notes and decide the “flavor” or emotion you are trying to convey and decide which chords to use for any given note of your melody, as any note could have any number of possible solutions. Just your first note, C#, could possibly be used with C#m, C#sus2, F#m, D#dim7, Amaj. You could even go outside the key and use some borrowed chromatic chords like C#maj or F#maj.
in my opinion, it’s best not to overthink the chord progression and focus instead on the overall texture. Trying to throw in a very fanciful chord sequence for the sake of innovation will usually detract from the intended effect of the melody.
There’s nothing wrong in going with just tonic and dominant if they’re best suited to the melody in question. You could throw in the odd 6th or 4th chords into the mix baseed on root and fifth chords. That’s worked for me before.
I would say though that having a chord change with each note of the melody, especially if you do it often, will wear on the ear quicker and can make a piece sound unsettled or a bit chaotic. You could hold a chord and make some of the melody notes into passing tones or different chord extensions like 7ths, 9ths, 11ths or suspended 2nds of 4ths for example.
