Is there any specific way to making a good melody? I don't know, I've tried for hours on end before and I can't seem to come up with anything that sounds good enough.
It's a highly intuitive thing, composition.
But you can help yourself a LOT by learning some theory, just check some Wikipedia sections on music theory, spend some time understanding the basics, the mathematical element of music.
From there you can try analyzing existing melodies that you think are good. If you have a keyboard or something, you should with some practice be able to figure melodies out. Write them down, listen again and again, determine why certain notes strike your fancy.
Good melodies are phrases, all the notes derive from each other and are coherent, and some of the notes are emphasized.
Jolly good luck :)
Try this thread, I put a lot in there, as did others, about music theory. As for melodies specifically, its really hard to say. Do you play any instruments? That would help. Most of the melodies I write appear in my head first, so I can't say how I do it personally. Sometimes though I just go up and down a scale and/or do some mixed up appeggio so Its important to know lots of scales and chords (or how to make them at least). Don't know what else advice to give you besides that... good luck. I'll post more if Ithink of anything.
At 11/21/06 05:00 PM, Subsonic-Bang wrote: Is there any specific way to making a good melody? I don't know, I've tried for hours on end before and I can't seem to come up with anything that sounds good enough.
try listening to music you like and picking the melodies out of them, note how they are structured and what elements they contain, then try replicating a simlar style of melody just to get you going. There's no real secret to a good melody, just keep at it and you'll come up with something. Start simple is my best advice.
Hmmm. Okay, well I'll take your advice. But, before I start on my journey, there's one more thing I'd like to know. How exactly do people determine what notes are being used in a song that they didn't make? Because I have in mind what kind of melodie's I'd like to copy just to experiment with, but I really can't tell what notes are used and things like that.
Tips in no particular order.
- Don't be afraid to start on an odd note in a scale or of a chord. If you're playing a G chord, try having the melody start on D or maybe even F#.
- Chromactisize! Don't stay within the chord tones at all! One of the best known melodies in classical music doesn't have a set scale it follows! (Unless you count the chromatic scale!)
- Don't be scared to just try and sing out something that comes into your head with the chords. It will usually help you out. Even if you aren't a good singer, the human voice is amazingly expressive, and it can help you find amazing melodies!
At 11/21/06 05:20 PM, CyriltheWolf wrote: Tips in no particular order.
- Don't be scared to just try and sing out something that comes into your head with the chords. It will usually help you out. Even if you aren't a good singer, the human voice is amazingly expressive, and it can help you find amazing melodies!
yes
At 11/22/06 01:26 AM, m4ster wrote:
yes
Very constructive.
I'd also like to add that playing the same melody on different instruments can give very different results. For example, that easy to play but slightly silly melody you can play on the guitar may sound great as a synth line in your new happy hardcore song. Or whatever.
Conversely, keyboard melodies can often sound great when played on the guitar (or other instrument). It takes me by surprise sometimes. It is my feeling that all melodies sound good, you're just maybe not playing it on the right instrument!
Hi there my name is not Bill.
At 11/22/06 03:38 AM, curriemaster wrote: I'd also like to add that playing the same melody on different instruments can give very different results.
One technique I only recently started using is Call and Response. To have one melody play on one instrument, and then a similar melody on another instrument. Using this you can create some really catchy tunes.
Another technique I never conquered till recently was hitting two and sometimes more notes at a time inside the melody by itself. This can add a totally new element to the melody and emphasize certain notes. I know theres a word for this, can't quite remember and I was looking it up on WIkipedia. If you know the exact terms, help me out, I think heterophony, homophony and/or polyphony might be along the lines of what I'm talking about. The Super Mario Theme is a great example of this (as it is the song that showed ME both how to do this and a taste of its effectiveness=). On that same note (pun intended=) this technique is great for writing video game themes and if done properly can be used to sort of "rag" an otherwise boring melody.
These and some of the best techiques for writing melodies and music in general can be found in Jazz. Improvision is another one improtant skill... but aye shit I could just go on and on. I'm done... FOR NOW >=D
At 11/22/06 03:38 AM, curriemaster wrote:At 11/22/06 01:26 AM, m4ster wrote:Very constructive.
yes
actually it was constructive, because I agreed with him. Thus directing more attention towards that one tip.
Learn your minor scales... that's all I use and am able to create a wide range of catchy melodys, in any key, thanks to my own self taught minor scale knowledge. Then just learn how to make chords that work with your note arrangement.
i have two suggestions for you. First one: try setting some text to music. It'll help with note division and you'll have a good sense of phrasing. Then, take away the text and you're left with a melody that shouldn't suck too bad. Second one: Motivic composition. Take a motive and reiterate it in different chords and registers. A motive is a little one part blurb of music usually ranging between 3 and 10 notes.
At 11/21/06 05:20 PM, CyriltheWolf wrote: - Chromactisize! Don't stay within the chord tones at all! One of the best known melodies in classical music doesn't have a set scale it follows! (Unless you count the chromatic scale!)
Which one would that be, out of interest?
At 11/23/06 08:29 PM, WinTang wrote:At 11/21/06 05:20 PM, CyriltheWolf wrote: - Chromactisize! Don't stay within the chord tones at all! One of the best known melodies in classical music doesn't have a set scale it follows! (Unless you count the chromatic scale!)Which one would that be, out of interest?
I was kinda wondering the same thing... the only song I can think of is In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvar Grieg, which in contrary to what I was told years ago, is actually B minor.
What I like to do to spice up my melodies is if I have a series of notes that fits together but happens to be pretty boring, I add some more notes in the middle, such as the same notes but at higher or lower octaves. This works because since the notes fit together already, the same notes on different octaves will also fit together.
Also, melodies always sound better with background synths to complement them.
Wikipedia the shit out of music theory, you'l be fine. If you dont wanna do that, practice...Its easy you've allready been doing it.
they are turning us into terrorists
At 11/24/06 05:38 AM, chutzpah wrote: I was kinda wondering the same thing... the only song I can think of is In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvar Grieg, which in contrary to what I was told years ago, is actually B minor.
I thought it might be the 'Habanera' from Bizet's Carmen, or maybe the Dance of the Sabres by Katchaturian. But both of those follow a key.
I dunno what everyone else said cause I'm not gonna read 15 other posts, but I recommend you learn some good theory. See all my songs... well most of em' follow the minor scale of X note. I'd recommend most of all learning the basic scales, major, minor, pentatonic major, pentatonic minor, and the jazz scale (that ones good for Drum and Bass), trust me it'll take you places. Then from there on explore following the scales. I can't exactly tell you how to learn a scale, but if you play guitar, that's great cause it's alot easier to tab out a scale, I play, and producer, I learned the scales on guitar first, and then later took it up to my electronica production. Also, vary stuff, explore the program. Screw around with the arpegiattor when you make little ryhtms, and Arpeggiator is a classic for bass when it comes for trance and electronica. Start getting the idea of beats, eventually you'll develope nice patterns so when you combine it with sick tunes, you got yourself something good. And if there's any kind of music you're aiming for, Listen to alot of the songs of the genre, I mean, famous songs, not NG songs. Get a feel, study the basss and the lead. Notice that what really drices the song is the bass, since the lead is just a repetition that sounds good with the bass (I'm using trance and stuff, so gimme a break, that's how trance works) notice that you can vary the tempo through out the song, BOUNC3 does that in his famous Paradies on E. Also by listening to the music you like, you're training your ears, getting a feel. Ya catch' me? Neways good luck with the rythm and just keep practicing, getting inspired from other songs, etc.
Peace
<<Xylence>>
my alternative...(not that its really good )
u kno that song stuck in ur head since ur last shower? chuck that onto a paino scroll, edit a bit, and u should hav sumthin around ur basic melody~ or the start of it
:S "*sings in shower*"
cheerios
The best melodies are done where you subconciously steal something.
Listen to a lot of different music until you have it in your head. Leave it a few days until you can barely remember it, then stick the melody in as you remember it being. Chances are, although your melody was inspired by what you heard, it will actually sound nothing like it in comparison.
See here, I just post attached a little thing I made. The first part is teh trance melody from a song on a Pure Trance Cd, not sure which volume, and the second part is a little variation I made using the arpeggiator and harmonizing notes using the scale it follows plus extending and cutting some notes to make it sound better acording to my tastes, they sound pretty different, but just to give you an idea of what I mean and remember, practice.
Plug your midi cable up your ass and sperm, fart and poop on it. It sounds wonderful!
At 11/26/06 02:36 PM, DJ-Ravecore wrote: Plug your midi cable up your ass and sperm, fart and poop on it. It sounds wonderful!
loool funny
Sometimes the best melody is one you never think about. sometimes ive caught myself humming a tune that hasnt been done, so i wrote it down and then you can make that into a song. basically keep the melody in key, stray away from randomizing it, it should flow well and basically make you want to hum it
»» HouseMasta «« PM
HOUSEMASTER: "OHH FUK!!! TEH COMMUNITY CHEZZT FORCLOZD ON MA BEEEEEEF JEERRRKKEEE!!! j0 GOZ 2 JAYL!!!"
I always had a hard time thinking of a good melody myself. Whenever I am in school bored or not doing something I usually come up with something but I always forget it when I come home to put in on FL.
After all these excellent elaborating posts, you really start to wonder where the hell the original poster went.
And Ravecore, sorry that you have sperm coming out of your ass.
