Getting a song melody right can really make your lyrics come to life. Here are some ideas.
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No song element works on its own. To write a good melody you need to be considering the chords that will accompany it and the lyrics that get added to it. No two songwriters will write in the same way, but no matter how you approach your next songwriting project, always remember that the basic shape of your melody is crucial to your song’s success. It can properly communicate what your lyrics are trying to say, or it can actually undermine your efforts.
Not a lot has changed in the way we write melodies, even when we look back several centuries into the deep dark history of composition. Most of the differences we notice in melody writing today have more to do with performance style than anything. Through the years, songwriters have written melodies that show the following two basic characteristics: they move mostly by step, (i.e., they move from one note to the next one by scale-like passages), with a few melodic leaps to provide interest and inject a bit of energy.
That’s simple enough. But there’s more to it than that. We know, for example, that some melodies will feature one note repeated many times (the chorus of P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass”, for example). Some melodies use a large tone set (“Bridge Over Troubled Water”) while others use very few pitches (Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’).
So what determines whether you should be writing a melody that explores a wide range, or one that uses very few notes, or one that uses lots of leaps? How do you make sure that the melody you’re writing is the perfect vehicle for the lyrics you’ve written?
Instinct will tell you if you’ve nailed it, but here are some guidelines that can help:
- If your lyrics express determination, personal strength and/or strong opinions, try a melody that:
- uses many repeated notes as chords change underneath. This includes featuring a pitch that keeps being revisited over and over again, like Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep“;
- starts on a strong beat (beats 1 or 3 of 4/4 time, or beat 1 of 3/4 time);
- allows the singer to explore the outer reaches of their vocal range.
- If your lyrics express love, compassion or other such emotions, try a melody that:
- uses a leap upward as an important feature of the melody, like Queen’s “Love of My Life“
- uses higher notes to place important emotional words from the lyric;
- If your lyric tells a story, try a melody that:
- moves mainly by step, with upward leaps that pinpoint important emotional words;
- starts on a high note and leaps down, giving that high note special emotional significance. The chorus of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” is a good example.
- is generally focused on the singer’s mid-range. This allows for those emotional “shot notes.”
You’re going to solve most of your problems if you at least make sure that your melody allows the natural pulse of your words to come through. So before setting lyrics, read them aloud to yourself several times, and make note of the natural accentuation. Preserving that, more than anything, is going to be your most important task.
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