do what works for you - I offered the above simply to help you perceive the issues of using a limited set of notes and how you can still transform you melodic intent and mood
Hey BC since where on the subject I remember a couple post back you said some of your darkest work came from a major arrangement do you think you could elaborate on that maybe some intervals that give you that darker sound? If you have the time I know your busy...
In my opinion dude.. there's no right way to make melodies. Do it all by ear.
Sure, the music theory wont hurt to learn, but you just gotta play around with the sounds and figure out what sounds good.
If there was a universal way to make melodies, every producer would sound the same. Don't be scared to think outside the box.. its all about originality, creativity, and innovation.