Have an instrument nearby that is ready to go. Take your guitar out of
the case and leave it setting in a stand, ready to play. If you get a melody
in your head, force yourself to write it in the key you heard it in inside
your head. This will help keep your material from all sounding the same.- Sit at your instrument and just let your hands land on the notes.
If you don’t come up with something good right away, keep repeating the
mediocre things until they lead to something better. Trust your hands. If
you hear something unusual or dissonant don’t throw it away, work with
it. How will you resolve the ideas?- Try writing a few phrases of random notes keeping within a key
or mode.
Think of a specific instrument when you write. If it is a wind instrument,
remember that the musician needs to breathe. If it is a stringed instru-
ment, keep the bowing and picking in mind. Just fill up some measures
without thinking too much about how it might sound. Then try playing
what you wrote. Make adjustment where necessary.54 Part II: Melody and Development