Music Theory Monday | 17: Melody Making Basics
Added 2020-12-21 15:00:05 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone!
In this lesson, I get into the basics of melody making: building melodic phrases. Rules are meant to be broken pretty much all the time in music, but I lay down some nice simple guidelines for how to create melodic phrases using the Melody Quick Scratch Paper (attached below.) In this lesson, I was using an E Minor i - VII Jam track, which is linked right here and also attached below.
If you come up with some fun melodic phrases please share them on the community forum post for this lesson!
More from this series:
Other helpful links:
Scott's Recommended Lesson Plan
Searchable Lesson Archive
How to Join the Community Forum
Scott's Jam Tracks
SPJ Live YouTube Channel
Scott's Main YouTube Channel
Comments
I'm late to the game but would feel remiss if I didn't express my "thanks" for a lesson excellently taught. You have a unique gift; unique because countless of other online teachers teach melody but seldom does one lesson seem all that different from the other. Your material and creativity help clarify and simplify topics that really make a difference as far as getting past campfire songs. Thanks for your energy and passion!
Patrick Brain
2022-01-12 20:47:42 +0000 UTCMateus, yes. Absolutely. You gotta learn what notes you're singing. And if you have to come up with a melody by guitar and paper first, that is ok. The more writing you do, the easier it is to hear if the melody is working over the chords, and the easier it is to make one up or fix or change a melody. Absolutely ok.
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-05-12 22:45:22 +0000 UTC"CC iiiiiiiiii" 🤨 I did find a SPJ emoji 😀 Serious question though: Can I use this as one step before the BS lyrics, for turds and song writing stuff? Because I still don't know witch note I am singing, and I realised if I record Melodic stuff with my guitar is easier for me to try to copy the guitar with my voice. The paper doesn't work for me because I write without the knowledge how it sounds. Is that OK? Or strange? I just need to slide notes for my brain to understand that I don't need to change the "word" (BS meter) when I change the note. Hope you can understand the question, is kind of weird 🤨
DeDé
2021-05-09 19:22:00 +0000 UTCHi Dan - it’s part of my secret sauce! Something a friend and I made together.
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-03-12 12:50:33 +0000 UTCWhat is the software you use to record your guitar with the notes overlay? Or is that part of your secret sauce you don't want to share? :)
Dan Imperiale
2021-03-12 03:23:44 +0000 UTCHaha. The pandemic hair look
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-01-13 22:42:48 +0000 UTCWill learning more about music theory give me hair like yours? Loving the new look.
Kristofer Mc Cormack
2021-01-12 13:00:37 +0000 UTCThanks:-)
Tasha McManus
2020-12-23 04:03:01 +0000 UTCTasha! They are mainly guidelines - not rules. These guidelines help you hear how your melodies interact with the chords you’re playing. If you’re already writing and you love it, keep doing what you’re doing and don’t change a thing, but keep trying this homework! It will help you see what you’re already doing in a new light at some point. You’re not doing anything wrong, I’m trying trying to accommodate as many styles and genres and people as I can with this starting point.
Scott Paul Johnson
2020-12-23 03:59:31 +0000 UTCHm, I realize that the way I write doesn’t follow the rules. I guess I’ve just spent my life listening to ‘exotic’ music and I don’t hear it the ‘normal’ way. I’m feeling frustrated trying to do the HW. I CAN do it, but I feel unsatisfied with what I’m creating.
Tasha McManus
2020-12-23 03:33:15 +0000 UTC
