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LESSON 5: STRUCTURING MELODIES
OVERVIEW In this lesson, you'll discover how verse, chorus and bridge melodies all differ from one another. You'll learn that the tonic (key) note plays an important role in building and maintaining musical momentum. And you'll learn about important aspects such as melodic direction and range, and how they work to connect the various sections together.
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A GOOD MELODY We learned from Lesson 4 that what makes a good melody is often not the melody itself, but how it interacts with other compositional elements. Even though we can't be specific about what makes a good melody, we can make some generalizations: VERSE: In melodic terms: CHORUS: A chorus melody needs to feel more conclusive, so that the listener understands what the emotional impact the verse has had on you. The kind of lyric you'll use in a chorus will tell the listener not just what you're feeling, but ultimately what it all might mean. In melodic terms: A bridge should represent a bit of an emotional outpouring, so the audience feels the true impact of the topic on you. The lyric may want to focus on certain emotional material, and it works well if certain words keep getting repeated. In melodic terms: There are other components of songs that can be considered. For example, what is often termed a pre-chorus is a short tag of four to eight bars at the end of a verse, but before a chorus begins. Intros and outros are ways of beginning and ending songs that, more often than not, are chord-based rather than melody based. Check out this video, all about melodic structure:
REMEMBER, THEY'RE JUST GENERALIZATIONS Remember that no two songs are alike, and just because your song may not fit the plan given above does not mean that you've made an error. Some songs are just a collection of verses, with no chorus, bridge, or anything else at all. Some lyrics are totally unremarkable. Some verses feature the key note over and over, with the chorus not using it at all. And some songs simply defy analysis. Following the plan above will certainly produce songs that have a fighting chance of working, but doesn't guarantee anything. That's because any good song is greater than the sum of its parts. If a song is good, it's not usually because any one component is so good, but more because the way the components work together is good. That's the magic part of it all - the fun part. You can read much more about how melodies work by reading Chapter 5 of "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting." ACTIVITIES for STRUCTURING MELODIES 1. UNDERSTANDING THE VERSE-CHORUS PARTNERSHIP 2. OPPOSITES ATTRACT - MORE PARTNER MELODIES 3. OPPOSITE MODES Proceed to Lesson 6: INTEGRATING LYRICS WITH MELODIES ©2017 Pantomime Music Publications
A verse melody needs to feel somewhat inconclusive, so that the listener wants to keep listening. The kind of lyric you'll use in a verse will talk about things in a somewhat narrative way. So you tell the listener about what's happening, without being overly conclusive about what that all means emotionally.
BRIDGE:
Using your guitar, piano, or other chording instrument, choose a key; then invent several short four- to eight-note melodies that are placed low in your voice, ones that could serve as potential beginnings for verses. (Don't create lyrics). Try starting on the 3rd or 5th note of they key you've chosen, and avoid the tonic note. Now, for each melody you've created, and using the same chords, create similar-sounding melodies that hit the tonic (key) note more often, ones that could serve as the beginnings of choruses. Record or write down your solutions.
As a melodic exercise, create some short melodies as in the previous exercise. For each melody you create, try singing a melody that represents the inverse of that melody. For example, if you create a melody that starts on a midrange note and wanders upward by tones and semitones, create a melody that starts on the same note and wanders downward. Record or write down your solutions.
Now, using the melodic fragments that you created in Activity #1, Try creating a similar melody in the opposite mode. For example, for every melody that you created in a major mode, try devising an equivalent melody in the minor mode. Record or write down your solutions.
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