Melody Writing

Kier1234657

New member
Hey, I was wondering if anyone had any good tips about writing melodies and how to write melodies that sound different from previous ones you have wrote. This is something I find difficult
because I try to write different melodies all the time and end up binning most of them due to them sounding so similar to each other or just because I don't like them.
 
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I hate to reveal this,

1. Going up and down in a melody is very effective. Keep in mind it's different from going up a scale.
2. Avoid basic rhythm
3. Have more small leaps, and spice things up with big leaps now and then.
4. Fit small moments silence in your melody
5. Avoid the melody ending up in a completely different place from where you started.
6. Utilize 3 or 4 notes in different rhythm and order to start. Creates familiarity.
 
Things I do:

Hum something, then learn to play it as my imagination is more developed than my playing.
Pick a scale and noodle.
Start with arpeggios of chord sequence and add/subtract notes and change rhythm/cadence from there.
Get inspired by someone else's melody, changing the pitches and rhythm/cadence.
If using MIDI, copy/paste from another track, even drums, pitch to usable octave and see what that sounds like.
 
Sometimes it helps me to have a simple chord progression, it makes it easier to come up with melodies. Also I suggest you do some ear training so you understand what's happening in melodies when you hear them, it will give you a much deeper understanding.
 
I like to play around with the position of a melody over a beat. You can stumble upon new (related) melodies this way that click because the same notes are used, but in different places. I also like to take sections and bump them up or down so many notes (7 is a magical number in this regard).
 
Hum something, then learn to play it as my imagination is more developed than my playing.

This is super important IMO.

Michael Jackson came up with a lot of his songs by humming all the instruments in his head / singing into a tape recorder and then translating them to his music.

He explains in this video: YouTube

basically he says don't try to write a hit song, let it create itself in your head naturally.

Personally I use an Ableton Push sometimes, there is a "Scales" function which keeps all the notes you play in key
 
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