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About melodies
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InnerAlchemy
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54
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 13:29
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I like melodies! Beautiful melodies that touch your heart and let your mind fly away... 
Ok, that is the theory...the truth is that I find it really hard to make a good melody.
I would appreciate any tips on that.
How do you usually create your melodies? Do they come in your mind naturally when you make music? I suppose that is how real musicians work but unfortunately this does not happen to me (maybe I just lack of musical talent, maybe I don't have enough practise...dunno)...so for me, it's more experimenting by playing on the keyboard. But the result is not really satisfying. So what would you suggest to train the ability to make melodies? Learn more music theory? Listening to other melodies? Learn to play a classical instrument?
Or maybe waiting for a melody-maker plugin to come? ;-) |
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Fragletrollet
Fragletrollet
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111
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1748
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 13:34
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Well, I just sit infront of the pianoroll an just spend some time with it. For inspiration try arpeggiators and in FL try the Randomizer. Then just improvise!
You could even begin with a melody from another song you like, and just change the melody from there. If you use some time on it, you will sit there with a totally new melody! |
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
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Posted : Apr 15, 2005 17:07
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"Talent" = patience and a willingness to learn.
First off: scales.
A scale is a series of notes which, when played together, will sound harmonious. For example, A minor is ABCDEFGA - the first note, called the tonic, is the foundation of the scale. Any basslines should play a lot of A notes. Any melodies that end on A will sound very satisfying. (not that melodies *have* to end on A, they could end on any of the above notes).
Here's a quick summary of how I might find a melody:
I tend to think of my melodies as sentences that last a few measures. I string different sentences together to tell a story.
I'll pick a starting chord by picking a note and then another note that seems to resonate with my heart, and then another note. I'll hold this down for a bit and see what kind of emotional response I have - then I'll look for another chord that reflects this emotional response. I keep doing this until I have 3-4 chords (or more, if I want a really long piece). If I'm in a happy mood this 'sentance' will tend to be something happy, if I'm feeling down it will feel down, etc. I *love* arpeggiators when I'm doing this as it sounds more interesting than just a held-down chord. I always use an arp to figure out my chords.
Let's say I'm writing a song on the A minor scale and find 3 chords that I really like, each one containing 3 notes. Say they looks like this:
Chord1: CDF (notice that the lowest note, the root note of the chord, is C)
Chord2: BDE (lowest note is B)
Chord3: ACE (lowest note is A - which is the root of this chord *and* of this particular scale)
(these should actually sound pretty decent as I'm using them in a song I'm writing, using a scale of A minor )
Right now this will sound pretty simplistic - I simply hold down CDF for a measure, then BDE for a measure, and then ACE for two measures.
But these notes form a... scaffolding on which you can build a melody.
Taking that same progression, I can play a quick ditty on the CDF chord, maybe something like C C F D F F C, all in the first measure. Then in the next measure I can play the same pattern, but using the notes from the BDE chord: B B E D E E B. Or I could play a different pattern, for more variety. Then I do the same for the last chord.
So my melody might look like C C F D F F C B B E D E E B A A E C E E A and sound pretty decent. Of course I could decorate this melody with extra notes, which may or may not be on the A minor scale.
This is a major simplification, and there's a lot more going on here... but it should hopefully give you some techniques to get started on melodies with.
Above all else - practice! You will develop an ear the more you practice. If you have a keyboard, throw on a cool patch, loop a section of drums and bass, and jam away on the keyboard. I find alot of my melodies by jamming - 99% sounds like crap, but that 1% sounds *so* good and that's what I keep.
Pick a scale (tons to be found online) and try playing melodies with those notes!
Of course, these aren't rules, just guidelines. I've probably said some things here that aren't true - I have no formal theory training and everything I know I've taught myself. So don't take what I say as absolute truth, merely suggestion.
peace,
-fuzzikitten |
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
603
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 17:18
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And some more ideas:
taking the following chord progression (which I've written here in the proper form as it would look on a staff, where CDF has the C on the bottom, then D above it, then F above the D. BDE has B on the bottom, then D above it, then E. ACE has A on the bottom, C above it, and E above that):
F___E___E
D___D___C
C___B___A
we can have a lot of fun.
What if we played a melody on one synth that hit the F note for a measure, then E for three measures.
Like: synth1: F F F F | E E E E | E E E E | E E E E (a *very* boring melody)
At the same time we play a melody on another synth that hits the D note for two measures, then the C note for two measures.
Like: synth2: D D D D | D D D D | C C C C | C C C C
At the same time we play a melody on *another* synth that hits the C notes for a measure, then the B note for a measure, then the A note for two measures.
Like: synth 3: C C C C | B B B B | A A A A | A A A A
If you see where this is going, you've got some Mozart in you...
All three look like:
synth1: F F F F | E E E E | E E E E | E E E E
synth2: D D D D | D D D D | C C C C | C C C C
synth3: C C C C | B B B B | A A A A | A A A A
Golly, CDF -> BDE -> ACE is our chord progression played with three different synths!
the possibilities are... endless.
Now go write some kickass music!  |
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
40
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603
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 17:25
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One last note: knowing theory is completely unnecessary for writing good music.
Music theory is retrospective - it is a science for talking about music that has *already been written*. You don't need to know it to write good music.
But for some people, like myself, it helps. I am extremely self-conscious about my music and for years it has crippled what I could write ('cause I always thought it was crap). Learning theory gave me a way to build my confidence. |
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Colin OOOD
Moderator
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Posted : Apr 15, 2005 19:36
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Quote:
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On 2005-04-15 17:25, fuzzikitten wrote:
One last note: knowing theory is completely unnecessary for writing good music.
Music theory is retrospective - it is a science for talking about music that has *already been written*. |
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I disgree - once you know about eg. related keys or scales it can really help give you an idea of the possibilities available, and a sound knowledge of the rules will enable you to write melodies that 'work' straight away with no difficulty. It also enables you to make melodies or chord sequences that break only specific rules, for maximum effect.
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Contact for bookings/mastering - colin@oood.net |
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
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40
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603
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 19:42
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you disagree that knowing theory is unnecessary for writing good music?
What about all the great tunes written by folks who don't know theory?
Maybe I was too dismissive of theory (not my intent). I was just trying to make the point that knowing about theory/scales/modulations/etc etc can take music further, but that it's not a requirement.
EDIT: I am certain that learning theory *will* improve someone's music though, for just the reasons you list - knowing the rules and how to break them. |
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InnerAlchemy
Started Topics :
6
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54
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 19:45
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Thanks for that detailed explanation!
Actually I've been to a music theory class to learn more about that. So I know how to build chords and I know all these different scales. This helps a bit but on the same time it kinda blocks me somehow...
Building melodies out of chord progressions sounds like a good idea....I will try that. I tried simple chord progressions for pads but the result was always too cheesy for my ears. But maybe these progressions where just too classical... |
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fuzzikitten
Annunaki
Started Topics :
40
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603
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 19:49
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I like to think of 'cheesey' as 'innocent'.
When I first started writing music it was all, er, 'innocent' - especially my chord progressions. But then I was learning, and my first musical expressions were very simplistic and childish as would any child that was learning music.
Over time they matured.
I have also found that context is extremely important. Certain melodies/chord progressions might sound cheesey by themselves, but in the context of the song and the other melodies/sounds might sound very dramatic.
It's kind of like cooking: if I serve you a twinkie on the finest china, it will look a lot better than filet-mignon on a styrofoam plate (even if the steak in actuality tastes better).
How you present it is just as important as what you present!
...
I'm very talkative today, aren't I? Pardon my effusiveness - it's friday and I'm looking forward to writing music this weekend.
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InnerAlchemy
Started Topics :
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Posted : Apr 15, 2005 19:50
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I am certain that learning theory *will* improve someone's music though, for just the reasons you list - knowing the rules and how to break them.
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Yup, I think so too but its so damn complicate...so many rules, so many scales, so many chord types....it confuses me and makes me think too much when making music. But without thinking about it the results are not satisfying neither...shit, I'm stuck in a vicious circle ;-) |
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Ronaron303
Started Topics :
6
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157
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 20:16
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Quote:
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On 2005-04-15 19:50, InnerAlchemy wrote:
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I am certain that learning theory *will* improve someone's music though, for just the reasons you list - knowing the rules and how to break them.
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Yup, I think so too but its so damn complicate...so many rules, so many scales, so many chord types....it confuses me and makes me think too much when making music. But without thinking about it the results are not satisfying neither...shit, I'm stuck in a vicious circle ;-)
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Well , if you realy want to move things on with melody and composition technic and you know simple theory ,then start to learn contrpoint
and you will get what you want ,otherwise ,wait till the fealings will come out from you(sorry, i mean ,till you will be able to judje your creations)
Cheers. |
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br0d
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
12
Posts :
355
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 20:17
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You either know theory explicitly by studying it or you know it implicitly by listening to other music and being influenced, but palatable and tonal music is not created in a vacuum by 1 million monkeys on typewriters, it's created by people who understand the history of popular tonality, whether schooled or not.
If you want melodies coming out your yin yang, take up jazz improvisation on some instrument. |
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Ronaron303
Started Topics :
6
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157
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 20:20
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Quote:
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On 2005-04-15 19:42, fuzzikitten wrote:
What about all the great tunes written by folks who don't know theory?
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The Beatels knew theory . 
Cheers |
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Colin OOOD
Moderator
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Posted : Apr 15, 2005 20:47
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illusions
Erebus
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40
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626
Posted : Apr 15, 2005 21:15
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fuzzikitten - using arp's to find melodies sounds highly interesting, could you expand on that for me please ? Maybe using the Albino Arp as an example. |
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