LESSON
4
WRITING
MELODIES THAT WORK
DIFFERENT
KINDS OF MELODIES
Let me give you an
analogy that describes the kind of
problems
we can face as songwriters: Let's say that I were to compare two
different cars, a small Ford Focus and a big Humvee. There's almost
nothing the same about these two vehicles. And yet, underneath the
hood, you'll see that the basic workings of what a car is are present
in both... the steering mechanism, the fuel injector, the radiator, the
pistons, the spark plugs, and so on.
But if we compare two different songs, not only is the actual look of
the song different, but often the entire inner structure of
the song can be
different. Sometimes, there's barely anything the same about two
different songs, yet both can sell a million.
And still we keep
asking
ourselves this same question: What makes a good song? In the world of
fine arts, beauty is that aspect of life for which we constantly
search. And curiously, finding ultimate beauty just makes us want to
search all the more for it! In important ways, we are never satisfied
with creating beauty; we want to keep recreating it.
SO
WHICH MELODIES ARE THE BEST?
In
truth, the best melodies
are ones that click with all other
aspects of a song. It is
impossible to answer the question, actually. And just as with writing
lyrics, it's a good thing that it's impossible to answer, because as
soon as we think we have created a beautiful melody, we want to create
another one!
And sometimes what we're
after is not a beautiful melody,
but rather a melody that works.
Lyric
and melody
go hand in hand. Page
126 of "The
Essential
Secrets of Songwriting"
says,
"The shape of a melody must be planned with vocal range, harmony and
text in mind." You can come up with what you think of as a killer
melody, but unless it is enhancing other aspects of your song, it's
all for nothing.
Keep
in
mind that some of the
world's biggest hits are songs that have completely unremarkable
melodies. Tom Petty's Free
Falling
uses only three different notes, but
was hugely successful. Those three notes have an
almost hypnotic effect, and the constancy and reiteration of those
notes gives an air of endurance and dependability that goes hand in
hand with the lyric. It also makes it very easy to remember.
All
melodies are not created
equal. Some are verse melodies, others are chorus or bridge tunes. And
how you write one will help to make a listener keep listening, or could
turn them off completely. You need to structure your melodies. Structure
is what helps us
discern the beginning from the end.
And
about boredom... it's a
curious thing, but having elements in your melodies repeating endlessly
gives the same result as writing a melody where nothing repeats...
boredom. Good melodies are a balance between repeating elements and new
elements; enough new elements that can keep the listener intrigued, but
with enough repeating elements so that the listener doesn't feel lost.
ACTIVITIES
for UNDERSTANDING MELODIES
Try
the
following melody exercises. These won't result in songs... they're
meant more as ways of getting you to look at melody writing in a fresh,
creative way.
1. COMPARE MELODIES - LOOKING AT YOUR OWN MUSIC
Take a song that you've written, and compare the melodies of the verse
and chorus. The activities below will be addressed in more detail in
Lesson 5. But it's good to get familiar with your own music; answer the
following questions:
- Try to determine the
lowest and highest notes of the verse. Now determine the lowest and
highest notes of the chorus. Compare the two. In general, a verse should be
pitched
lower than a chorus.
- Is your verse melody
the same, or almost the same, as your chorus melody? If so, the lyrics
and instrumental accompaniment need to intensify for the chorus.
- Melody notes that leap
upward usually indicate an emotional intensification. Find the place in
your verse and in your chorus that feature the biggest upward leap. The
lyrics at that moment should reflect an intensifying of emotion.
...on
to Lesson 5 -
STRUCTURING MELODIES
Get Gary's songwriting
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I'd love to hear from
you! If you find these lessons useful, or if you have any questions,
please don't hesitate to write me (Gary Ewer): gary@pantomimemusic.com
©
2005-2008 Pantomime Music Publications
"The Essential
Secrets of
Songwriting
Online Free Songwriting Course" is the copyright property of Pantomime
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