Building Better Melodys

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daviddavid123

New member
Whats up everybody! I've been making beats for about 2 years and I love it. But I've hit a wall with my melodys. Drums make sense to me (not saying I'm the best at drums, they're just coming more easily) but my melodys are weak. I know theory, but I find my self lacking in creativity in all aspects. What sounds to use, how to play melodys off each other, how many layers to use etc. Even when I get a good melody going its never full and layering sounds just makes it weaker. could anyone give me advice for layering intsruments, making melodys, counter melodys etc. My production influences are Hit Boy, Metro Boomin, Sonny Digital etc. so I don't need crazy theory, just advice for more solid melodys.
 
I suggest listening to music that emphasizes melody for inspiration. For me, listening to jazz improved my creative process greatly. I began memorizing the heads of different jazz tunes I liked and working to understand not only how those melodies affected me, but how I could replicate that same effect for my own music.
One of my favorites is Stolen Moments

 
Well put, I completely agree. I also suggest having a keyboard always on (seperate from your midi/controller) next to you when you produce.
This way regardless of what your doing with your computer and controller. You have some keys next to you to reference and play with.
Also, when you are listening to your influences, go ahead and try to find the keys that are in tune with the track. After that find some chords in the track with your keyboard.
This can actually be alot of fun when you get in the zone. I like using good electric piano or rhodes sounds so you can play under the tracks.

Hope this helps. Im actually want to hear what everyone else does.
 
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Orphan Collective said:
Well put, I completely agree. I also suggest having a keyboard always on (seperate from your midi/controller) next to you when you produce.
This way regardless of what your doing with your computer and controller. You have some keys next to you to reference and play with.
Also, when you are listening to your influences, go ahead and try to find the keys that are in tune with the track. After that find some chords in the track with your keyboard.
This can actually be alot of fun when you get in the zone. I like using good electric piano or rhodes sounds so you can play under the tracks.

Hope this helps. Im actually want to hear what everyone else does.
Click to expand...
I do the same, but with my guitar. Some of the best advice I got was "if you can hear it-you can sing it, and if you can sing it-you can play it."
It also helps to have some harmony to work with. I can write melodies easily when I have a nice tasty chord progression going on.
 
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to which i would only add

listen to bacon fat (with a version of confinement loaf included - the change to stolen moments is poorly handled by whoever edited this video version) and stolen moments by zappa

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bandcoach said:
to which i would only add

listen to bacon fat (with a version of confinement loaf included - the change to stolen moments is poorly handled by whoever edited this video version) and stolen moments by zappa

​
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHHAAHA, nice!
This remind me of the Bee Gees awesome cover of Giant Steps

 
whoever did this parody is very funny indeed - staying alive was not written until 77 and this is supposed to have been recorded in 72

ps Stolen moments starts at 1:30 in the zappa

taken from the "Broadway the Hard Way" cd featuring some of the best band you never head in your life

Frank Zappa – guitar, producer, main performer, vocals
Kurt McGettrick – baritone saxophone
Scott Thunes – bass guitar
Albert Wing – tenor saxophone
Ed Mann – percussion
Chad Wackerman – drums
Ike Willis – guitar, vocals
Eric Buxton – vocals
Paul Carman – alto saxophone
Walt Fowler – trumpet
Mike Keneally – synthesizer, vocals, guitar
Sting – lead vocal on "Murder By Numbers"
Bruce Fowler – trombone
Robert Martin – keyboards, vocals

Walt and Bruce are the sons of Bill/William Fowler, a jazz educator and writer for keyboard magazine on music theory and harmony and composition. I was friends with William for a few years when I was living in the outback of Australia, exchanging compositions and ideas via a few different sites back then - was in awe when I discovered exactly who my friend Bill was and even more in awe of the positive comments made about music back then (turn of the millenium). Great man, miss him very much

his thoughts on creating great melodies are essentially the same as pumpthrust offered "if you can sing it you can play it", something which we both agreed on back then and still agree on now
 
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Pumpthrust said:
I suggest listening to music that emphasizes melody for inspiration. For me, listening to jazz improved my creative process greatly. I began memorizing the heads of different jazz tunes I liked and working to understand not only how those melodies affected me, but how I could replicate that same effect for my own music.
One of my favorites is Stolen Moments

Click to expand...


Did you succeed?

 
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