Why can't I come up with both a melody and a harmony?

Navyr

EDM Producer
I, and probably a ton of producers out there, have been working on a track for a while. I'm really great when it comes to making up new melodies or new rhythms and tracks, but for some reason almost every single time I work on a track, my work flow turns into this:

Listen to a recording of that catchy melody I thought of earlier.
Transcribe the melody into my DAW.
No inspiration for an actual rhythm or harmony comes to mind that could possibly go with it.

After a while of feeling frustrated, start over but with a really kickin' rhythm and groove track to really set the mood.
Go to write a melody and find that I can think of absolutely none that fit with it.
End up with a project full of dysfunctional tracks that I can't seem to do anything with.

What am I doing wrong? This isn't just a once or twice deal and I've sat with projects for weeks collecting dust because the moment I sit down at my computer to actually write something, nothing ends up coming to mind.

How is it that experienced producers just "know" how to find the right way of putting a track together? I've been writing music off and on for almost 3 years and this is a problem that I physically can't get past. It's frustrating enough that I've quit writing music for months at a time because I have absolutely no inspiration when it comes to writing a coherent song. I understand that "practice makes perfect" but only if the practice is perfect.

Is there any helpful tips anyone can give me about what kind of workflow you use when writing a melody, harmony and rhythm all together without it sounding like a disjointed mess? I'm well versed in music theory. Skilled using my DAW. Have several books on songwriting and even a lynda.com account. Why can't I figure this out?
 
The only answer I can come up with is just by making a lot of tracks :/


I remember band saying something about the difference between theoretical knowledge and applied knowledge.


Makin beats and messing with synths is easy for me, but theory isn't and playing the piano above beginner level isn't either :/
Just like how I know scales, don't know how to correctly apply that knowledge of scales.

Maybe because I learned the scales on mute lol.
 
Last edited:
I, and probably a ton of producers out there, have been working on a track for a while. I'm really great when it comes to making up new melodies or new rhythms and tracks, but for some reason almost every single time I work on a track, my work flow turns into this:

Listen to a recording of that catchy melody I thought of earlier.
Transcribe the melody into my DAW.
No inspiration for an actual rhythm or harmony comes to mind that could possibly go with it.

After a while of feeling frustrated, start over but with a really kickin' rhythm and groove track to really set the mood.
Go to write a melody and find that I can think of absolutely none that fit with it.
End up with a project full of dysfunctional tracks that I can't seem to do anything with.

What am I doing wrong? This isn't just a once or twice deal and I've sat with projects for weeks collecting dust because the moment I sit down at my computer to actually write something, nothing ends up coming to mind.

How is it that experienced producers just "know" how to find the right way of putting a track together? I've been writing music off and on for almost 3 years and this is a problem that I physically can't get past. It's frustrating enough that I've quit writing music for months at a time because I have absolutely no inspiration when it comes to writing a coherent song. I understand that "practice makes perfect" but only if the practice is perfect.

Is there any helpful tips anyone can give me about what kind of workflow you use when writing a melody, harmony and rhythm all together without it sounding like a disjointed mess? I'm well versed in music theory. Skilled using my DAW. Have several books on songwriting and even a lynda.com account. Why can't I figure this out?

expecting too much of yourself more than anything would be my opinion

the problem with harmonising a melody is at what level do you create the harmony i.e. note level, beat level, bar level, phrase level

then it comes down to identifying which notes are actually the active chord tones and which notes are serving as creative dissonance

see these posts to dig further into these ideas

https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ppreciate-any-help-given-435276/#post49586016

https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ign/secret-good-melodies-492502/#post49868321

https://www.futureproducers.com/for...gn/what-si-harmonization-487345/#post49843594

https://www.futureproducers.com/for...esign/countermelody-counterpoint-what-374547/
 
Yeah, just give it some time and more practice. Here's a bit about me that will be of interest to you:

4 years of mostly focusing on guitar playing followed by
7 years of mostly focusing on composing and
that last 1 of those 7 years I also focused a lot on lyricism

At both the [3 years since I first picked up a guitar mark] and the [3 years since I started mostly focusing on composing mark], I was much like you in that I often (this is how I described) "couldn't figure out how to expand it into a full song." Now, I can always expand stuff into full songs. I don't always do so because I find it's better to cut short or even ditch the ones with less potential (and because finishing every creative idea you start is impossible no matter which creative field you're in), but I never have the issues you described anymore.

In the grand scheme of things, 3 years isn't really that long. Most don't have success until they've been doing it for like 8+ years, maybe 10+ or 12+ years. Plus, a ton have friends to do one thing or another for them (like me - a composer/lyricist/guitarist who can't sing).
 
Last edited:
Back
Top