Chapter 8:Melodies
to master a single melodic line before you start stacking multiple notes on top
of each other.
That said, after you’ve read Chapters 9 and 10, you’ll probably want to return
to this chapter and apply what you’ve learned. That’s because one very useful
approach to composing melodies is to come up with a chord progression first,
and then add a melody on top of that. Of course, you can’t do this until you
learn about chords.
After you’ve read Chapters 9 and 10, you’ll better understand how to create—
and resolve—harmonic tension in a melody, using certain chords. For example,
you’ll discover that the most common chord progression is I-IV-V, or some
variation of that. (In the key of C, the chords would be C Major, F Major, and
G Major.) The IV and V chords (the V chord, especially) are used to create ten-
sion; you often end the first part of your melody with the V chord. You resolve
tension by getting back to the I chord, which is the reason you almost always
end your tunes with the I chord. When your melodies follow these chords, you
establish the kind of tension and relief that makes for a memorable melody.
Your melody needs to fit within the chord structure of your song, as you’ll also
learn in Chapter 10. This means that, within a specific measure, the main notes
of your melody probably should fit within the three main notes of the underly-
ing chord. For example, if you have an A minor chord, the main notes of the
melody accompanying that chord should probably be A, C, or E—the three
notes in the chord.
Again, you’ll learn more about chords and progressions in the next two chap-
ters, so be patient—it will all be explained, in due course!
Follow the Form
Most songs follow some sort of established song form. That means that your
melodies should fit within that form, as well.
You’ll learn more about song forms in Chapter 11, but here’s a brief example: A
lot of popular songs are divided into verses and choruses. The verse is the first
melody, which is repeated throughout the song. The chorus is a second melody,
often the main melody (containing the hook), which is played between verses.
So a typical pop music song form might look like this: verse-verse-chorus-verse.
That means you’ll need to write two melodies for the song, which must be
related in some way.
After you read Chapter 11, you should return to this chapter to apply what
you’ve learned about form to your basic melodic skills.
Follow the Words
Another factor that can drive a melody is the presence of lyrics. If you’re writ-
ing an instrumental, of course, you don’t have to worry about following the
words. But if you’re writing a popular song, you have to deal with both music
and words—and how they fit together.
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