How to Compose a Melody: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

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How to Compose a Melody: 15 Steps (with Pictures)
How to Compose a Melody: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

Video: How to Compose a Melody: 15 Steps (with Pictures)

Video: How to Compose a Melody: 15 Steps (with Pictures)
Video: 5 Simple Steps to Write Your First Song 2024, March
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Melodies consist of a progression of scaled tones. They are the "singable" part of a song, the main part that stands out among the backgrounds and flourishes. No matter what kind of song you're writing, you're going to need a melody. With a solid foundation in the fundamentals of music, and a few exercises and tricks, you'll find that composing a melody is easier than it sounds.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Acquiring Knowledge

Compose to Melody Step 1
Compose to Melody Step 1

Step 1. Learn about music theory.

If you want to write good melodies, it's good to know the basics about music before you start composing. Of course this is not mandatory, but the more you understand music, the easier it will be to understand musical concepts.

In this article we will use terms specific to the music field, as it is difficult to explain how to compose a melody without using these terms. Some will be explained, but others are too complex to explain in a single sentence. If you don't understand things like beats, metrics, and tempo, it's best to do some reading first

Compose to Melody Step 2
Compose to Melody Step 2

Step 2. Choose the type of music

The type of music is like the genre. All songs have a format, which determines which parts sound the same as other parts and when the changes take place. You must be familiar with this concept in popular music, with the idea of chorus and verse. However, it is not necessary to follow this format, but it works like a map, helping when composing your melody.

  • The most common song format is called AABA. This means that it must contain two "verses", one "chorus", and one "verse". In other words, a section that sounds one way, one the same, then another, and a return to the format of the first section.
  • There are many formats, however, so it's good to do some research to find out which ones you prefer. Some formats include AAAA, ABCD, AABACA, etc. Or, you can innovate completely.
Compose to Melody Step 3
Compose to Melody Step 3

Step 3. Study genre styles

Some genres have a certain style and if you want to achieve that "sound", you have to compose the melody within a pattern. Read about the genre you want to compose before starting to find out if there are any particular characteristics in terms of structure, note, or progression.

For example, the chorus progression in blues and jazz follows a particular form. Jazz makes heavy use of choruses, so it's best to research jazz before you start composing

Compose to Melody Step 4
Compose to Melody Step 4

Step 4. Think about the musician

No matter who is going to sing your song, they need breaks. The fingers need a rest and the singer needs to breathe. You have to understand how to insert rests into a song and then insert those moments. Try to spread these moments evenly and often to make the song easier to sing.

Compose to Melody Step 5
Compose to Melody Step 5

Step 5. Decode your favorite songs

This can help a lot in developing your songwriting skills. Gather some songs with good melodies and put them to listen. Usually when we listen to a song, we get lost in the melody, right? However, this time your task is to make a melody map, so be focused!

Write down the grade changes. How are they built? How do you feel about the tone? How does the melody fit the lyrics? What are the positive points of the melody? What doesn't work and could be better? Transfer these lessons to your melody

Part 2 of 3: Creating a base

Compose to Melody Step 6
Compose to Melody Step 6

Step 1. Try not to start with the letter

If you are a better lyricist, you may prefer to start with the lyrics. However, this is not recommended, especially if your musical knowledge is limited. If you start with the lyrics, you absolutely need to base the melody on the natural rhythm of the words and this can be very difficult for a beginner. However, if you want, you can start with the lyrics.

Compose to Melody Step 7
Compose to Melody Step 7

Step 2. Have fun

It may sound silly, but many of the best melodies were born out of piano play. If you have an instrument you can play with, give it a try. Play, create patterns, change until you find something that sounds good.

If you don't have an instrument, you can sing or use an instrument online. There are many free pianos on websites and mobile apps

Compose to Melody Step 8
Compose to Melody Step 8

Step 3. Transform a simple idea

Take a simple melody idea, like a three- or four-note progression, and turn this little project into a melody. For example, take a small group of notes you discovered playing on an instrument. Think where the melody should go from there.

Musically inclined people compose small pieces of music using this method, just as an artist creates an idea for a painting. If that's the case, always have a voice recorder or notebook handy (if you can write sheet music)

Compose to Melody Step 9
Compose to Melody Step 9

Step 4. Start with the chords

If you're used to chords, you can get an idea from them too. This is common for people who play piano or guitar, as these two instruments are heavily chord-dependent. Do the same exercise as in Step 1 with the chords until you find something that feels good.

  • You can find some sites to play chords if you don't have an instrument to work with, or don't know chords well.
  • Try humming along with the chords and find ways to make the arrangement more complex. Since you can only create one sound at a time, you'll have a melody sooner than you think. Don't worry about the lyrics just yet: professional musicians almost always compose the melody first, using nonsensical sounds in place of words.
Compose to Melody Step 10
Compose to Melody Step 10

Step 5. Borrow a part from an existing melody

Stealing someone's music might be a bad idea, but in the same way that we take a plant seedling to grow in our garden, you can take a tiny bit of other music and turn it into something completely different. If you take a progression of about four notes and make the necessary changes, your music will be totally original. Just remember that you must turn music into something totally different.

A good exercise is to take a melody part of a song from an entirely different genre. Let's say you want to write a folk song, Take the melody of a rap song. Want to write a country song? Take the melody of a classical song

Compose to Melody Step 11
Compose to Melody Step 11

Step 6. Create a motif

A motif is a set of notes that form a musical idea. Many songs take the motif and repeat the sequence of notes, with small changes, in order to create the melody. If you're working hard to compose a melody, this is a great option as you have to start with a lot of notes.

One of the best examples of this method is the Allegro con brio from Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. He took a basic structure and repeated it over and over to create one of the most iconic pieces in music history

Part 3 of 3: Doing something amazing

Compose to Melody Step 12
Compose to Melody Step 12

Step 1. Create a base from below

With the melody created, you need to write a bass part to accompany it. Yes, maybe you don't have a bass in your music (maybe you're writing for a trumpet quartet, for example). However, a bass base has a lot more than a bass. This base composes the entire background for bass instruments, acting as a spine for the music.

The base can be simple or complex, it can be fast or slow. In some genres, the base follows a pattern, like in the blues, where it is always a quarter-note scale. The most important part of this base is that it must fit and support your melody

Compose to Melody Step 13
Compose to Melody Step 13

Step 2. Add chords if you haven't already done so

If you didn't start with chords, add them now. Chords can be numerous or minimal, but they complete the song.

  • Establish what note your melody is written on. Certain chords go better with certain notes. For example, if your music starts in C, a C chord is ideal to start.
  • When to change chords will depend on your music, but try to mark these changes with meaningful sounds in the melody. Generally, the chord change happens on a negative beat at the beginning of the meter. You can also use chord shifting to shift the melody to another chord. For example, in a 4/4 song, you must have a chord on the negative beat and another chord on another 4, before changing the chord in the next meter.
Compose to Melody Step 14
Compose to Melody Step 14

Step 3. Experiment with other parts of the song

A melody takes up a large part of the song, but many songs have parts where there is a break in the melody, or the use of a second melody. That part could be the chorus or the bridge, or even another part. Melody breaks can add a little drama to the song, so if that's your goal, make a melody break.

Compose to Melody Step 15
Compose to Melody Step 15

Step 4. Test your music with other people

Play your music to other people and ask for their opinion. You don't have to accept every idea, but they can see (or hear) things you didn't notice. If many people give the same feedback, make the necessary changes to your melody.

Tips

  • Learn about intervals, phrasing and themes.
  • Listen to melodies from other composers. Pick a favorite and try to find out what makes it so good.

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