Melody Writing Secrets!
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Two Melodies!
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Using Motifs To Write A Melody!
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Developing Phrases!
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Summary!
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Modal Scales (Bonus Chapter) !
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Melody Writing Secrets! How To Write Memorable Melodies !
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Ever heard a totally mind blowing track on the radio? What was stuck in your mind after listening to it? The beautiful hi-hat sound? The really expensive guitar recorded through a 20,000$ amp? Most times, I would guess it was the melody. The melody is probably the most important and characteristic element in a musical piece. It gives the song personality, and makes it different. You have probably heard of «4 chord songs», hit songs who all are based on the same chord progression. What is the one main element that makes those hit songs different from each other, giving them an own character? Well, usually the melody.!
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In my experience, if the melody is boring, the whole song will be boring. I have heard music that is amazingly recorded and produced by extremely talented musicians, but there was just something lacking… Something really important, that eventually made me turn off the song all together. Looking back now, I realize that those songs lacked a strong and memorable melody. I have listened to a lot of music during my life, and composed a whole lot of tracks myself. That way I have experienced the power of well written melodies, and the destructive powers of bad ones. During the past years, I have frequently asked myself: What are the characteristics of a great melody? What is it that makes certain melodies so memorable? How can you really engage and touch the listener with an amazing melody? !
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I do not claim to have the final answer to this question, the absolute truth. However, after studying a lot of melodies in works by both great classical composers as well as in hit songs and film scores, I have found a few elements they usually have in common. Simple elements and techniques you can apply to your melodies to make them stand out. To make your melodies get stuck in the head of your listener for days. Elements that do not just apply to single genres, but music in general. All those tips will be revealed in detail
in this course, through written chapters, illustrations and audio examples. I hope this book will help you write some amazing melodies, and help you improve as a musician! !
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Two Melodies
! Let’s just start out by having a listen to two different melodies. ! ! Melody 1:
Melody 2:!
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Listen to them a few times. Which one do you like most? Which one do you consider to be the «best» melody? I guess most of you will answer the first one. But why?! Now, try to sing both of the melodies. Which one is easiest to remember?
Again, I guess the first one. I actually composed that melody in under a minute, only using the techniques and tips I am going to present in this book. Now, let me show you how I did it, and how you can start writing great and memorable melodies too! !
! ! Using Motifs To Write A Melody
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Lets start by looking at the use of motifs, and see how they are important building blocks in creating a great melody and composition. A motif is a short characteristic fragment of music, possessing a lot of the identity of the piece. Motifs create themes or phrases of music which then again creates a part of a song (verse, chorus etc), which together creates a whole song. I think the best example of a motif in use is Beethoven’s 5th symphony, with the four really characteristic notes, later known as the motif of fate. Take 30 seconds and listen to the beginning of it, and notice how the motif is presented, and later developed through the next bars of music. It is actually used 13 times during only 19 bars, and the entire first movement is built upon it!!
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Let’s have a quick look at the example. There are 4 notes, G-G-G-Eb. It is that simple. However, it is probably one of the most important pieces in the
history of classical music. Beethoven stated that the motif was fate knocking at the door. !
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Why should you use motifs in your compositions? If you listen to a lot of great music throughout time, a lot of them is built upon a motif. The motifs are quite powerful, because it gives the piece character and identity. When using the motif throughout the piece, you maintain this characteristic quality, while still developing the piece. It will have a feeling of unity and wholeness. ! Using motifs is also a great way to get out of the writers block. It may be really hard to just come up with a melodic phrase on the go, especially if you are on a tight schedule. With using a motif to begin with, you might quickly get ideas and get going. !
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Now, over to actually composing the motif. To get the most out of this tutorial, I encourage you to have pen and paper ready, or any other way to notate your ideas. As you have seen in Beethoven’s example, the motif may be ridiculously simple, and still create a masterpiece. Therefore, don’t necessarily try too hard to create the most advanced motif ever, but try to stay simple. Less is more. !
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I have a few methods of coming up with motifs, that I will explain here. Let’s say you have a specific theme in your head, that you want to compose about. Maybe you are even composing for a film or game. Take that word, pay attention to how it is natural to say the word out loud, listen to how it sounds. Then try to transfer this to music. You can also listen to the sound of birds, people talking, or almost anything else! Remember that the key to a good motif lies in the simplicity, so there is no need to be overly creative. If you are starting out, you may just stick to the key of C major or A minor, as I will do in this course. For this exercise, I made up a motif in about 10 seconds:
It is in a 3/4 time signature, with a duration of 2 bars. Your motif may also be one bar long, in another key, simpler, slower, faster, it is totally up to you. !
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Now that the motif is composed, it is time to develop it into a melodic phrase. The freedom is endless, but I am going to show you a method that a lot of popular songs and pieces use, that you may start out with. My guitar teacher at high school taught me a method of improvising blues during a class. If you just play random notes in a pentatonic (blues) scale, it will become confusing, and if you just repeat the same short bending motif again and again, you will bore the listener to death. This method was a way to maintain a structure while playing, while still engaging the listener and making it interesting. He called it «presentation, repetition, variation and destruction.» What it basically means, is that you present the motif one time, then repeat it once. Then you make a little change to the motif, before you «destroy» it with something completely different. Not with me yet? Well, just relax and let me explain a little better.!
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Listen:!
Take a look at the picture above. Here I have used my motif, an developed it using the technique I just presented to you. Presentation, repetition, variation, destruction. What you may notice, is that I have changed the order a little, and you are totally free to do this! Now, let me explain how I have used the technique: The first two bars are simply the motif I created in the last exercise. The next ones (Variation), are quite similar, but the ending is a little different. Instead of going up, then down, it is going down, then up. The point of the variation is to create something that is familiar (similar to the main motif), but still fresh enough to be interesting. !
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Afterwards, I have just repeated my motif. As you see, there is a small alteration to the ending, as I have added two 1/8 notes. This is an example of how you can break these rules freely, as long as you follow the main structure. It is not a completely similar repetition of the main motif, but close enough. For the destruction part, you can use your imagination to create a fitting ending to your phrase. It does not have to be related to your motif at all, the idea here is to bring in something completely fresh. There are no rules, just try to make it feel natural. !
As I just mentioned, feel free to experiment with the order of the 4 elements (Presentation, variation, repetition, destruction). I have changed it here to «Presentation, variation, repetition, destruction». You may also use «Presentation, variation, destruction, repetition». Experiment, and find what’s best for your motif. A lot of songs use this «formula», for example (don’t hate me for this) Justin Bieber’s «Baby» at the chorus. First the theme «baby, baby, baby ooh» is presented, then varied by altering the last note. After that it is repeated, before it is «destroyed» by adding an ending to the chorus. If you listen to a lot of popular and classical music, you might realize that this kind of structure is really common.!
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Let’s just have a quick look at another example using motifs in the same way. If you are familiar with epic orchestral trailer music, I bet you have heard of Two Steps From Hell. We are going to have a quick look at the motif used in the main theme of their most popular track, Heart Of Courage:! This motif is simply made out of one rest three notes playing the beginning of
the A minor scale, A, B, C. Here you can see the entire theme:! Take a few seconds, and just look at how the motif is used to compose this theme. Do you see how the motif’s rhythm is repeated 3 times, with just a minor alteration in pitch from time to time? In the last bar, the motif is «destroyed» by something completely new (but that still is not too far away from the motif, resulting in a feeling of wholeness), consisting of four notes
playing a scale in a downwards motion. This is another great example of how a ridiculously simple motif can result in a extremely successful and popular theme. !
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Another tip I have for writing melodies, is creating a clear «top point», a climax for your melody. As a main rule, your melody should not just go up and down randomly, without any clear direction. Let me try to explain by looking at the phrase I made out of the motif in last exercise.!
Do you see how the presentation motif is moving slightly in an upwards direction? Afterwards, the variation is moving downwards, as a small contrast. Then the repetition is moving the phrase upwards again, until suddenly, we reach the highest note. It is a C, an octave over the beginning note of the phrase, creating a climax to the melody. Do you see where it is placed? It is not in the beginning, not in the middle. It is more towards the end, taking the listener on a short journey before we reach the top. Afterwards, the
destruction part is taking the listener safe back to the beginning note, ending the phrase.!
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Let us go back to the «Heart Of Courage Example for a moment, and have a look at the top point in the melody.!
Do you see any similarities to the way I have used my motif above? Here you see that the melody is reaching the climax at the first note in the last measure. This is an F, the highest pitch in the entire theme, functioning as a top point. When writing a melody, try to create such a top point, a climax to capture the attention of the listener. I find this easy to do in the destruction part, as you have the freedom to do whatever you wish there. Use your imagination, experiment and find the solution that works best for you!
Remember, there is no right or wrong when it comes to composing. The tips I am giving you here are only guidelines, and a way of composing that MIGHT work for you, especially if you are stuck with the writers block. Never use this as an ultimate manual for composing, but mix it with your creativity, and you might get some great results!!
Developing Phrases!
Okay, so now you have a musical phrase ready, consisting of the beautiful motif you just created. This is your melody, your «main theme». Congratulations, you are one step closer to composing your piece! The next step now, is to expand on that phrase, and create an entire song section. This might be the opening of an orchestral piece, verse of a song or whatever else you want. !
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You have just created a short musical phrase, and are ready to create your song section. Usually, it could consist of 2 or 4 phrases, like popular songs have a tendency to do. Just as with the motifs, it would be a bad idea to repeat the same phrase 4 times, just as it would be to completely change it
every time. Remember that the listener should be engaged, and feel that the melody and song section is a wholeness. So, how can you do this?
What a lot of great music does, is dividing phrases into question and answer roles. I am going to show you a quick way to use your main theme to create an entire song section, using question and answer roles. To understand this, some basic music theoretical knowledge is recommended. I am going to explain the basics here. Those of you with theoretical knowledge may skip this.
It is best to sit by the piano or guitar to fully understand this. Take an instrument of your choice, and play the C major scale (C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C).
Play from C to B, and stop. Do you feel how the B really wants to go to C? Because of this, the 7th step on the major scale (B in this case), is called the leading tone. Listen to it a few times. Now, let’s look at the three main chords in the key of C Major.
The most important chords in C major, are those on the 1st, 4th and 5th step. Those are called the Tonic, Sub-Dominant and Dominant chords. In this case it is C Major, F Major and G Major. If you are able, play them a few times and listen closely. Do you recognize anything while playing the G chord? Do you feel that it leads back to C Major again? Now, take a look at the three notes
making up the G major. Do you recognize anything? If you look closely, you can see that the B is the third in the G Major, the most characteristic note. As we experienced, this note leads back to C. Therefore, G Major has a tension that will be released by resolving to the chord of C Major. Now, let us use this tension to our advantage! !
! Remember me talking about question and answering roles? Take a look at my song section, made up using my main theme:!
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I have repeated the theme two times. The first time it has a questioning function, and the last time an answering one. Do you see which chord I have used in the ending of the first phrase? G Major (G,B,D), with the melody landing on the D. As I just said, this creates a tension that needs to be resolved. This tension has a questioning function, needing an «answer». Therefore I have landed on the note C, the root note of C Major (C,E,G) in the last phrase. This is resolving the previous tension, and creating an answer. This technique is used in everything from Mozart’s music, to popular music today. To do this yourself, try to land on the dominant chord in the first phrase. Make the melody rest on one of the notes in this chord, here G,B or D. In the
second, answering phrase, land on one of the notes in the tonic chord, C major (C,E,G). Experiment until you are satisfied!!
! ! ! Summary! !
Now we have looked at how to use motifs to create interesting and memorable themes. We have also looked at how you can enhance the impact of that theme, by creating a climax or top point for your melody. Both those techniques are very effective, and used by a ton of huge songwriters and composers around the world. From Beethoven, to Justin Bieber, to Thomas Bergersen from Two Steps From Hell, motifs play an important role in the impact of their melodies. We have also briefly looked at how you can use your theme to create two phrases as building blocks for a song section. This is done through giving them roles as questions and answers, a technique used in various genres throughout history. !
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All these tips and techniques can be applied to your melodies, to make them stand out to your listener. And a melody that stands out, will make your composition or song stand out, being remembered by your listener. However, I can’t stress enough that these are only guidelines, one of MANY techniques and ways to write melodies. There is no right or wrong way, only the way that works best for you. Try to apply the information of this book to your melodies, and experiment with it. Use your creativity, don’t be too bound to rules and formulas. I hope the information presented in this course will help you improve as a composer and songwriter. Please send me melodies you have written using techniques from this book, as it would be really interesting and fun to see your results. Also, give me feedback on the information in this book, so we together can improve the course for future readers. Good luck! !
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Modal Scales (Bonus Chapter) !
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Some of you might get tired of just working with the major and minor scale, and may want to spice up your composition skills a bit with some fresh scales. In this chapter we are going to have a brief look at modal scales. New scales might give a whole new character to your melody, making it stand out from the rest. But first, what is a modal scale? !
This scale should look familiar to you. It is the C Major scale, and can be played on a piano using only white keys, from C to C. !
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Now, what happens if you play from D to D, E to E, F to F etc, using only white keys (the same as in C major)? This is called the modes of C. Let me explain how they work. !
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In the C major scale, we have 7 notes. C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. This means that we have 7 modes of C, 7 different scales based on each of those notes. From A to A, G to G etc. ! Those seven modes have their own names:
1. Ionian (C to C)! 2. Dorian (D to D)
3. Phrygian (E to E)
4. Lydian (F to F)
5. Mixolydian (G to G)
6. Aeolian (A to A)
7. Locrian (B to B)!
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All of those are based on each note in the C major scale.! Now, let us see how they look. !
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1. Ionian (C to C)!
2. Dorian (D to D)
3. Phrygian (E to E)
4. Lydian (F to F)!
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5. Mixolydian (G to G)!
6. Aeolian (A to A)!
7. Locrian (B to B)!
! You might see that the Ionian (C to C) is basically… the C major scale, and this is true. The same goes for Aeolian, which is the same as the A minor scale. The rest of them might be foreign to you, though. The best way to experience how those scales work, is to sit down by the piano, and play them. Notice how they feel, what kind of emotion they evoke. !
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To learn more about scales, check out my «Music Theory In 5 Minutes: Scales» course!
