Page 85LinearStepwise, risingLinear Melody
Some melodies lie within a narrow range. Imagine writing a song in C major in which you used only the notes C, D,
E and the B below C. The entire melody would be spanned by no more than two-and-a-half tones (full steps). This
might work, but it runs the risk of not sustaining our interest. Narrow-range melodies are sometimes the result of
vocal limitations. Partly for this reason they are more common in male singer-songwriter material. As mentioned in
section one, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen have written many songs that exhibit linear,
narrow-range melody. In Springsteen's case, it comes as a shock when he does a non-linear melody, as on 'Sad Eyes',
where the chorus has what is for him an unexpected and beautiful melodic leap. It might be argued that The Verve's
'History' and 'This Time' are both flawed by melodies which spend too long on a single note.
For a different perspective, listen to the chorus of 'I Want You Back', where "Won't you please help me" is sung on
the note C. This works because each note is harmonized with a different chord: