There are some common terms used in discussions of melody that you may find it useful to know. Below are some more concepts that are associated with melody.
A melody that stays on the same pitch gets boring pretty quickly. As the melody progresses, the pitches may go up or down slowly or quickly. One can picture a line that goes up steeply when the melody suddenly jumps to a much higher note, or that goes down slowly when the melody gently falls.
Such a line gives the contour or shape of the melodic line. You can often get a good idea of the shape of this line by looking at the melody as it is written on the staff, but you can also hear it as you listen to the music.
Arch shapes in which the melody rises and then falls are easy to find in many melodies. You can also describe the shape of a melody verbally. Another set of useful terms describe how quickly a melody goes up and down. A melody that rises and falls slowly, with only small pitch changes between one note and the next, is conjunct.
One may also speak of such a melody in terms of step-wise or scalar motion, since most of the intervals in the melody are half or whole steps or are part of a scale.
A melody that rises and falls quickly, with large intervals between one note and the next, is a disjunct melody. Many melodies are a mixture of conjunct and disjunct motion. A melody may show conjunct motion, with small changes in pitch from one note to the next, or disjunct motion, with large leaps.
Many melodies are an interesting, fairly balanced mixture of conjunct and disjunct motion. Range refers to the distance between the highest and lowest notes found in a given melody. When a piece of music has wide range , there is a great distance between the highest and lowest pitches heard. This is an example of a melodic sequence : a section of melody which is repeated but starting on a different step of the scale.
The rhythm of each bar is the same, but the melody is in sequences, with each bar starting one step down in the key of G major, starting on the dominant note, then C bar 2 then B bar 3. There are several types of sequence which you can use to generate new melodic phrases, so let's look at them in more detail. In the instrumental question, you are given an opening to adapt and create the rest of the composition from. In the vocal question, you will have to invent your own opening, but you will then need to adapt it to create the rest of the melody.
See Lesson 11 for basic information about progressions and cadences. Although you are only writing a single line of music, you should keep in mind the chords that could accompany your melody. Your piece should be constructed in two halves of exactly the same length. At the end of each half, you need to use notes which fit an appropriate cadence. Make sure the notes you have chosen for your melody fit the cadences at these points.
For the rest of your composition, you will write something that sounds great if your harmonic structure is good. Each bar of your composition should fit with a chord which exists in the key of your piece. Work out which are chord notes and non-chord notes in exactly the same way as you do when working out cadences.
Chords I and V should be used at the start of a composition. In the instrumental composition, you will be given the opening, so you don't need to worry about this. However, if you choose the vocal composition you should remember to use I and V straight away. G-B-D-F in the key of C major. In a minor key, you need to base your chords on the harmonic minor scale.
This means that chord V is always a major chord e. E major in the key of A minor. Chord VII also uses the raised leading note in a minor key e.
G -B-D in A minor. Here's a summary of the recommended chords to use in a major and minor key:. Here is an example of a composition with a strong harmonic structure. The key is B minor. The melody begins with chords I and V, the first phrase ends with an imperfect IV-V cadence, and the end of the piece uses a perfect V-I cadence. Non-chords notes are marked with an X remember, non-chords notes are an interval of a 2nd away from the previous chord note: see the lesson on progressions for more info.
The harmony changes at least every bar, sometimes it changes with each beat of the bar e. My best tip is to keep in your mind that a little goes a long way. Adapt the opening melody without changing it drastically add just a few performance directions to the player - but be sparing. Keep it clean and simple, but make sure you do add some directions, which are both relevant and meaningful.
Get into the habit of hearing music in your head. Start off with just bars, and build it up as you become more confident. Choose music that moves in small steps, not in big intervals, and without lots of accidentals.
Notice how the D is very prominent and drives the melody forward. This is one of my all-time favorites. The main melody is based on chords, and gives off a trance feel but acts as a pop song and does it damn well. There are three things I do to find inspiration for melodies:. Some people like having a visual counterpart to audio. I find looking at photos and scenery, even just walking outside can trigger ideas for a melody.
The human voice has pitch, birds chirp with a certain pitch. Take time to just listen and find the melodies that are being composed in everyday life. Listen out for them in:. You can find rhythm from external sounds just as you can find pitch. So you can find contour, pitch, and rhythm from simple things around you. Note: want some foley and noise samples to get inspiration from? Check out our free foley pack. So why not use your mouth to write your own melodies?
Just record your voice and start transcribing it to MIDI. I personally love to play melodies on both piano and guitar. Melody Generators can be great creative tools to inspire your workflow.
They can come up with basic ideas that you can use and transform into something completely new. Pretty average overall, but there are some great moments in there I could use and transform into something amazing. You should now have a better idea of how to go about writing melodies and also finding inspiration for them.
Melody writing will always be a challenge, but it should be enjoyable. Take the knowledge that you have and put some practice in. Learn how to master the fundamentals of electronic music production with the best roadmap for new producers.
Free Masterclass. Sam Matla September 9, But melodies are hard to write. If so, this is the article for you. The yellow highlighted notes constitute a melody while being part of the chords.
0コメント