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part of your melody should be somewhat of a mirror image of the first part of
your melody.
Part 3:
Tunes
You can achieve this symmetry by mirroring rhythms, or by mirroring tones.
Take Dvorˇák’s
New World Symphony,
for example. Measure 3 is identical to
measure 1, thus setting up the symmetry between the two parts of the tune.
“Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” has a rhythmic symmetry between the two
parts, even though the tones used change a bit. (Sometimes the tones
have
to
change, to relieve the harmonic tension or answer a melodic call.)
In any case, when you make the second part of your melody resemble the first
part, you establish a familiarity in the mind and ear of the listener, so they know
(pretty much) what to expect and feel comfortable when you deliver it to them.
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The last two bars are a near-mirror image of the first two measures.
Balance Repetition and Variety
Repetition is part and parcel of symmetry—and of establishing motifs and hooks.
You find a melodic or rhythmic figure that you like, and you repeat it through-
out the course of the melody or song. This sort of repetition, such as that
shown in the following example, helps to unify your melody; it’s the melodic
equivalent of a steady drumbeat, and serves as an identifying factor for listeners.
However, too much of a good thing can get annoying. If you repeat your figure
too often, it will start to bore the listener. It’s hard to say how much repetition
is too much repetition, but chances are you’ll be able to tell—or your listeners
will tell you.
Songwriter Jimmy Webb, in his book
Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting
(Hyperion, 1998), says that the key to writing interesting melody is “to lead the
ear on a path which is both
pleasant
and to some degree
unexpected
.” (Empha-
sis his.) I agree wholeheartedly. The best melodies sound familiar yet still manage
to surprise us somewhere along the line; they do a good job balancing repetition
and variety.
Note
When you find yourself using too much repetition, it’s time to trot out the
variations—or to add completely new melodic or rhythmic figures. Balancing
repetition and variety is an essential skill to learn, and marks a key difference
between a novice and an experienced composer.
Follow the Chord Progressions
I’ve mentioned chords and chord progressions a few times in this chapter,
because chords and progressions contribute significantly to the melodies you
compose. However, I haven’t presented chords yet, because I feel it’s important
Chapter 8:
Melodies
to master a single melodic line before you start stacking multiple notes on top
of each other.
That said, after you’ve read Chapters 9 and 10, you’ll probably want to return
to this chapter and apply what you’ve learned. That’s because one very useful
approach to composing melodies is to come up with a chord progression first,
and then add a melody on top of that. Of course, you can’t do this until you
learn about chords.
After you’ve read Chapters 9 and 10, you’ll better understand how to create—
and resolve—harmonic tension in a melody, using certain chords. For example,
you’ll discover that the most common chord progression is I-IV-V, or some
variation of that. (In the key of C, the chords would be C Major, F Major, and
G Major.) The IV and V chords (the V chord, especially) are used to create ten-
sion; you often end the first part of your melody with the V chord. You resolve
tension by getting back to the I chord, which is the reason you almost always
end your tunes with the I chord. When your melodies follow these chords, you
establish the kind of tension and relief that makes for a memorable melody.
Your melody needs to fit within the chord structure of your song, as you’ll also
learn in Chapter 10. This means that, within a specific measure, the main notes
of your melody probably should fit within the three main notes of the underly-
ing chord. For example, if you have an A minor chord, the main notes of the
melody accompanying that chord should probably be A, C, or E—the three
notes in the chord.
Again, you’ll learn more about chords and progressions in the next two chap-
ters, so be patient—it will all be explained, in due course!
Follow the Form
Most songs follow some sort of established song form. That means that your
melodies should fit within that form, as well.
You’ll learn more about song forms in Chapter 11, but here’s a brief example: A
lot of popular songs are divided into verses and choruses. The verse is the first
melody, which is repeated throughout the song. The chorus is a second melody,
often the main melody (containing the hook), which is played between verses.
So a typical pop music song form might look like this: verse-verse-chorus-verse.
That means you’ll need to write two melodies for the song, which must be
related in some way.
After you read Chapter 11, you should return to this chapter to apply what
you’ve learned about form to your basic melodic skills.
Follow the Words
Another factor that can drive a melody is the presence of lyrics. If you’re writ-
ing an instrumental, of course, you don’t have to worry about following the
words. But if you’re writing a popular song, you have to deal with both music
and words—and how they fit together
.
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