Melody 101: a narrative of notes

What exactly is melody anyway?

When you think of all the components of a song and what they do, think of the melody as the leading voice—the one that captures the essence and emotion of your piece. At the end of the day, a melody is just a series of single notes in rhythm.

Understanding and mastering the melody is essential because it's often the part of the song that’s most memorable for listeners. It’s why Google created a way to hum into its search engine to find a song. It’s the earworm you can’t get out of your head, the part of a song you whistle while making your coffee. Let's take a look into how a melody is constructed.

The building blocks: notes, scales, and intervals

Before we start noodling with our voices and coming up with a great melody, we’ll have to understand the foundational elements of music: notes, scales, and intervals. Each scale, whether major or minor, is composed of a specific set of notes that create its unique sound. Those notes are always within the musical alphabet of A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

• Notes in a scale: A scale typically consists of seven distinct notes. In the case of a C major scale, for example, these notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Each scale, major or minor, follows its own pattern of whole and half steps to create its distinctive character.
• Intervals - the distance between notes: Intervals are the spaces between notes in a scale. They are the building blocks of melody and harmony, defining the relationship between two notes. Intervals can range from the close connection of a minor second (like C to C#) to the broad expanse of an octave (C to the next higher C).
• Melodic movement - steps vs skips: The movement from one note to another in a melody is characterized in two main ways: steps and skips. A step movement occurs when a melody moves to adjacent notes in the scale (like C to D or E to F), creating a sense of smooth, connected progression. Skips involve jumping over one or more notes (like C to E or A to F), which can introduce dramatic shifts in the melody's contour and feel.

Understanding these elements is a bit like knowing the grammar of a language. It allows you to come up with some memorable melodies that are not only coherent, but also meaningful. By manipulating the notes, intervals, and their movement, you can create a wide range of emotional effects and convey the story arc of your song.

Pitch: The emotion behind the note

Pitch is the perceived highness or lowness of a sound. Back to our musical alphabet—each one of the notes in the alphabet can change by going up in pitch with a sharp (♯) or going down in pitch with a flat (♭). Understanding scales and how these sharps and flats work together are important for making pleasing sounds—but with just the knowledge of what a pitch is, you can begin to experiment with melodies right away. Sing or play some higher notes. Then play and sing some lower notes. Your ear will tell you if you’re on the right path or if you need to leave immediately.

Rhythm: The heartbeat of your melody

Rhythm is the dynamic element that breathes life into the notes. When we talk about rhythm in melody, we're looking at how the notes are timed and spaced. This includes:

1. Playing with the duration of notes—long notes (whole or half notes) that carry the melody gently forward, and short notes (quarter and eighth notes) that give a sense of urgency or excitement.
2. Playing with the space between notes (aka a rest). A rest—or a pause—can create suspense or highlight the following note, adding additional depth and impact when it hits. And just like someone can talk too much and too fast—you too, can have too many notes in a melody. Don’t be that person, take a rest in between.

Experimenting with rhythm also means playing with different rhythmic patterns. For example, a syncopated rhythm, where the emphasis is on off-beats, can give a melody a sense of swing or groove. Triplets, a grouping of three notes played in the time of two, can add a lilting, flowing quality.

There's no "wrong" rhythm in melody—only opportunities to make your tune more intentional and engaging. The rhythm you choose can change the mood of a melody dramatically, from moody and flowing to energetic and chaotic. By understanding and manipulating rhythm, you can make your melody convey a wide range of emotions and tell a more compelling story in your music.

Contour: the shape of notes

The contour of a melody—its shape or profile—is a key element in defining its character and emotional impact. It's all about how the melody moves - the rises and falls, the peaks and valleys, which give it its unique identity. It’s the shape of what’s going on in the notes. Here are some common shapes of melodies and their typical effects:

• Ascending: Melodies that predominantly move upwards often convey a sense of optimism, brightness, or intensity. The ascending motion can create a feeling of building energy or rising action.
• Descending: In contrast, melodies that descend tend to evoke a sense of calm, resolution, or sometimes melancholy. They often have a settling effect, like coming down from a peak.
• Arch: This type of melody starts low, ascends to a high point, and then descends back down. It's like a musical journey that takes you up to a climax before gently bringing you back. This shape can create a sense of completion or cyclical motion.
• Wave: A melody with a wave-like contour moves up and down in a fluid manner. This can give the melody a sense of movement and flow, often creating a more gentle or rolling emotional effect.
• Static: A melody that stays around the same pitch level creates a static or stable feeling. This can be used to create a sense of steadiness or contemplation.
• Jagged or Angular: When a melody jumps around with sharp, angular movements, it often creates a sense of excitement, tension, or unpredictability. This can be used to grab the listener's attention or convey more dramatic emotions.

Each contour shape imparts a different mood or feeling to your melody. By intentionally choosing and manipulating the contour of your melodies, you can craft tunes that tell a more vivid and emotionally resonant story. So next time you're writing, think about the shape your melody is taking and how it complements the story you're telling in your song.

Repetition and variation: driving the point home

Repetition in speech can be impactful. It drills the point home about what you’re trying to say. Though, too much of it can make what you’re saying monotonous or annoying. Repetition in melody can work the same way. It's not just about repeating a sequence of notes; it's about creating a sense of familiarity and expectation in your listeners. Here are some tactical ways to use repetition effectively in your melodies:

• Exact Repetition: This is the most straightforward form of repetition. You repeat a melodic phrase exactly as it is. This can be particularly effective in choruses, where you want the melody to stick in the listener's mind.
• Repetition with Variation: Here, you repeat a phrase but change it slightly each time. This could be altering the rhythm, changing a few notes, or varying the dynamics. It keeps the melody familiar yet fresh, engaging the listener with subtle surprises.
• Sequential Repetition: This involves repeating a melodic phrase but at a different pitch each time. It creates a sense of movement and development while retaining a recognizable pattern.
• Rhythmic Repetition: Repeating the rhythm of a phrase while changing the notes can create a cohesive yet dynamic melodic structure. It gives the melody a consistent feel while allowing for harmonic and melodic exploration.
• Call and Response: This is a form of repetition where one melodic phrase (the call) is answered by a different phrase (the response). While the response varies, the repetition of the call phrase establishes a strong melodic anchor.
• Motivic Development: This involves taking a short motif and repeating it throughout the song, each time in a slightly different form. This technique not only provides cohesion but also a sense of evolution throughout the piece.

Effective repetition in melody is about balancing predictability and surprise. It's a careful dance between giving listeners what they expect and hitting them with something new and unexpected. By mastering these various forms of repetition, you can create melodies that are both captivating and memorable.

Practical tips: from your brain to paper

Now that we’ve gone through a handful of elements about melody, you can get started on making your very own! You can come up with one even with zero musical knowledge, most of the things we talked about here were about how a melody feels and sounds. Things get a little trickier once you start harmonizing with other instruments, but for now, here are a few tips to get started:

• Start with a Concept: A feeling, a story, or even a single word can kickstart your melody. If you have somewhere to start, you won’t get stuck with blank canvas syndrome.
• Hum, Whistle, Doodle: Sometimes, the best melodies start away from the instrument. Sing nonsensical words. Draw shapes and try to hum what those shapes sound like. Whatever sparks your imagination, try it—nothing is off limits.
• Experiment with Instruments: Different instruments can inspire different melodies. If you have an instrument other than your voice, try playing a series of random notes with it—then sing that sequence back out loud. Sing a random phrase then try to play it back on your instrument. See what happens.
• Record Your Ideas: No matter how rough, record your snippets. You never know which one might be a gem. You’ll thank yourself when you listen to it a few years later and realize you had something special
• Iterate: Revise, tweak, and play with your melody. Evolution is key. Once you have something you like, try and challenge yourself to understand what’s going on with it so you can come up with where to go in your song.

Wrap-Up: Your Melodic Journey Begins

Remember, songwriting is a marathon, not a sprint. This article only touches the surface of what a melody can be and how to craft one. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and most importantly, have fun with it.