Melody Theory....???

C

Chew_Bear

New member
What makes a good or catchy melody...???

Because from what I have experienced/learned so far from playing with scales and notes inside Ableton's Piano Roll...

Seems like all there is to making a melody is...you can either:

A. Go up to whatever note you want (in scale/in head)

...or...

B. Go Down to whatever note you want (in scale/in head)

...or...

C. Repeat the same note again (in scale/in head)

So...If its as easy as just choosing one of the three options above for your next note/key....

Than why is it so damn hard to make a good/catchy melody...?

Also...How do you know if a melody is 'corny/cheesy' (i.e. too happy)...?

Should you try and change it...? If it works...cheesy can be good/ok than...?
 
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The mood of your melody mostly comes from the chords it goes with. Fitting melodies with chords isn't entirely straightforward: mostly you make the melody contain notes from the current chord, but you should also use some other notes 'in passing' between the chord notes. Sometimes you change the chord sequence by adding in notes in the melody that aren't in the chords to make more complicated 4 or 5 note extended chords. It's quite complicated and everyone has their own method: I posted the essence of mine on reddit recently here: https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/4qkvcc/i_wrote_a_long_post_on_music_theory_and_am/

There is a complicated bit of theory for writing melodies called Fux's laws of counterpoint, but most people don't bother with it unless they're serious classical composers. You can buy the book, it was originally latin and Mozart, Bach, Beethoven etc learned theory from it, now there is an english version but it's quite tough going especially if you're a beginner.

You will know if it's too cheesy... it's mostly personal taste but you will be able to tell if it sounds cheesy or not. As long as it doesn't, don't worry about it.

Mostly it's just a lot of practise... I find melody is the hardest part of music.
 
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Hello again Chew_Bear!

Yes, technically you're right: Writing a melody is as simple as choosing where your next note goes.
But you're forgetting a couple of parameters:

- How long am I playing this new note?
- Which pitch is the new note? (it's not just down, up or stationary, you can also jump of course)
- Do I pause before it (rests)?
- Which instrument plays it?
- How does it sound? (sad, happy, ...)
- How does it sound against the chord beneath it? (as scrapheaper correctly pointed out)
- Which dynamic is the note being performed at?
- If sung, what words or vowels are being used?
- What vocal effects shape the melody? (auto-tune, reverb, vocal twang, distortion)
etc.

All in all, there's thousands of parameters that determine what a melody is. This is why melodies
are so complicated. And yes, practice makes perfect.

I'm currently working on a program all about Melodies and Hooks in particular called the

Hook/Melody Master Files

It releases on July 13. You can preorder it on the page. It's a 1,5 hour video course and includes
countless examples and all the rules of commercial melody-writing (of which there are quite a few).

Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Friedemann
 
scrapheaper said:
....The mood of your melody mostly comes from the chords it goes with. Fitting melodies with chords isn't entirely straightforward: mostly you make the melody contain notes from the current chord....
Click to expand...

From your explanation and also from a workflow perspective...

1. What should you create first...??? The Chord Progression...or...The Melody...???

From what your suggesting...it seems like you should build your chord progression first and than create your melody second right...???

This confuses me because I know that a lot of producers have different workflows and start with various different instruments depending on what they feel or have in mind that day.

For me, for example...I just start with whatever I feel like I should be creating based on mood/feel/vibe...

My current workflow...

1. Make a drum beat

2. Pick a preset of a instrument/sampler/plugin that has a sound/timbre that I like.

(The sound can range anywhere in pitch/envelope/style)

3. Depending on the 'character/pitch/timbre' of the sound of the very first instrument I pick...I will than make a decision as to whether it should be a Main Bass, Supporting Bass, Main Lead, Supporting Lead, Pluck, Stab, Arp etc...and so on.

4. If I decide the instrument is going to be a lead...I will make a melody. If I decide its going to be a bass...I will make a bassline. If its a pluck/stab or any 'mid range-y frequency' type sound/instrument...I will make a chord progression.

Is this the right workflow or am I doing something wrong...???

I don't necessarily go straight for a main bass, a main lead or a main pluck. I just start with something I like and that interests/peaks my curiosity...and than go from there.
 
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On another side note...

1. The main Melody is basically reserved for the Main Lead Instrument...right...???

Therefore...

2. All other supporting instruments/sounds/roles...only play "slight variations" of the melody...in order to support/back up the lead melody...OR...just to fill up empty frequency range/sound space (e.g. Pad)...right...???

And also...

3. What frequency range does your typical lead instrument and melody plays at in modern western music...???

From all my years of listening to music and my little knowledge of music theory & audio engineering...

To me it seems like...most lead instruments that play the main melody...Play at higher frequencies...

So...Say 10khz and up right...(guessing/just throwing out a number here)...???

Or is it simply...you can have a lead melody/instrument play anywhere you want in the frequency range as long as it works for your particular song and musical style/genre...???

So for example...Can a lower pitched instrument like a bass guitar or synth be used as a main lead that plays the main melody...???

Apologies for all the newbie-ness, questions and TL;DR.
 
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Also for all the newbies that are reading this thread...(don't know if this will help though)...

But from my own observations...If your melody is too corny/cheesy/happy...I have found out that...

1. Longer/drawn out notes tend to make the melody happier.

Therefore...Make Shorter notes for a sadder feel/vibe.

2. Big jumps/variations in the notes of your melody tend to make it happier/'uppity'.

Therefore...keep your notes closer together with minimal jumps/variations for a more sadder melody.

3. Having a progression that has a lot of upward movement tends to make it happier/uppity.

Therefore...make progressions with more downward movements for a more sadder melody.

To all the pros/veterans (scrapheaper, HolisticSongwriting etc.) in this forum...

Does this sound right...??? And/or is mostly agreed upon and is the same observation/theory you will hear from most pro producers in the music industry...??? If not...is my observation flawed and/or lacking...??

Thanks.
 
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melodies dont have to be complicated, just make sure you pick the right sound for it. if a chord progression doesnt fit the mood of the track youre trying to make then change it.
 
Chew_Bear said:
Also for all the newbies that are reading this thread...(don't know if this will help though)...

But from my own observations...If your melody is too corny/cheesy/happy...I have found out that...

1. Longer/drawn out notes tend to make the melody happier.

Therefore...Make Shorter notes for a sadder feel/vibe.

2. Big jumps/variations in the notes of your melody tend to make it happier/'uppity'.

Therefore...keep your notes closer together with minimal jumps/variations for a more sadder melody.

3. Having a progression that has a lot of upward movement tends to make it happier/uppity.

Therefore...make progressions with more downward movements for a more sadder melody.

To all the pros/veterans (scrapheaper, HolisticSongwriting etc.) in this forum...

Does this sound right...??? And/or is mostly agreed upon and is the same observation/theory you will hear from most pro producers in the music industry...??? If not...is my observation flawed and/or lacking...??

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I haven't found this myself but because people have different definitions of happy music it could be true for you.
 
Well a melody can be anything really. You mentioned plucks, stabs, arps, basses. Those are useful categories for organizing your sounds but they can all be melodies. the most important thing is rhythm. Starting with a drum beat can be a good idea because you now have a rhythmic foundation. I would recommend jamming along to your drum beat live on a keyboard or something, even if you just use one or two fingers, to get a sense of how rhythm is primary. Don't be afraid to play very simply. After you've found a melody you like, record it and loop it. Now quickly choose another instrument and play along/record over the first part. Keep doing this until it sounds too busy. Remember you can play very simply. After a while you will have inadvertently created both melodies and chords, chords occurring where the notes of the melodies play simultaneously. Now you can copy/paste the whole thing, choose a few things to keep the same, and then jam new melodies in place of the old. Keep doing this until you've had enough. At the end you should have enough material to rearrange and craft together a coherent song. It doesn't have to be great, you just gotta finish the process. I think this will give you a more immediate understanding of how it all works.
 
Hello again, Chew_Bear!

1. Longer/drawn out notes tend to make the melody happier.

Therefore...Make Shorter notes for a sadder feel/vibe.

--> Not correct. Listen to Uptown Funk, which uses almost exclusively short notes. Doesn't sound sad to me. :) Whether something sounds sad or happy is mostly dependent on note choice (this is something I cover in my Hook/Melody Master Files). If anything, shorter notes sound happier, because they sound jumpier, less slow, drawn-out.

2. Big jumps/variations in the notes of your melody tend to make it happier/'uppity'.

Therefore...keep your notes closer together with minimal jumps/variations for a more sadder melody.

--> Half-right. Replace sad with "introverted" and happy with "extroverted" and this would be correct. But keep in mind that many other factors play into something sounding happy or sad.

3. Having a progression that has a lot of upward movement tends to make it happier/uppity.

Therefore...make progressions with more downward movements for a more sadder melody.

--> Yes, in general, lines that go up (ascending base line) sound happier than those that go down. This goes for both chord progressions and melodies. Similarly, melodies that descend sound sadder (examples: Adele's "Someone Like You", Beyoncés "Listen")

1. The main Melody is basically reserved for the Main Lead Instrument...right...???

--> Right. Most of the time, that's the vocal but it may be a solo instrument as well (such as a guitar solo or keyboard riff)

2. All other supporting instruments/sounds/roles...only play "slight variations" of the melody...in order to support/back up the lead melody...OR...just to fill up empty frequency range/sound space (e.g. Pad)...right...???
--> This depends on the style. In classical music yes, in Pop music mostly no. Read this post in this forum before you read on. Most instruments serve pad or pluck functions. Thickening of the vocal melody seldomnly happens, it's most often independent of the music in this way. Other melody instruments (e.g. saxophone) usually are silent while the singer is performing.

Hope this helps :)

Best,
Friedemann
 
Personally I don't think there is such a thing a melody. It's just a simplifying crutch. Probably more to do with performance than anything else. Having a star of the show.
 
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