Writing Stronger Melodies

Have you ever wondered why we really resonate with certain art/music? I propose that we are attracted to works that have really strong similarities to nature.  Not literal similarities (i.e. a song about the ocean), but similarity in structure and anatomy.  In this class, we'll explore what trees, smoke, muscles and waves have to teach us about writing stronger melodies.

By the end of the class, you'll have a number of ideas/ways you can develop your melody to be the strongest it can be.  

This class is perfect for you if you want to learn how to compose music, or write songs - as it will help you under the fundamentals behind why some techniques work. There's definitely song writing techniques in here, but the aim is to go deeper. To the source of what makes melodies actually work. 

One of the most important skills for composers/songwriters is melodic development. And to write stronger melodies, it’s extremely helpful to create a lot of variations on your idea - and then pick the strongest one. The best way to learn how to do this, is through practice. And in the beginning, let this practice be deliberate and structured - like how I’ve outlined in the worksheet. Over time, you may do this less formally and spontaneously. 

Instructions:

1. Use a current song/melody you’ve already written, or write something new. Maybe only have it be 8-16 bars, as the value from this exercise comes from creating more variations. The longer your melodic idea is, the harder it will be to create more variations.
2. Pick ONE of the following ways to develop your melody (trees, smoke, muscles or waves), and follow the instructions in that section of the worksheet.  If you are ambitious, try applying another technique to the same melodic idea. 
3. Note: you might want to record your working session, to help remember/preserve your ideas. The more variations you create, the harder it can become to remember them all. If you can write them down - notation, or TAB, etc. - even better.
4. Post your work
5. Record your original melodic idea, and then all the variations you’ve developed. Record via audio, or video, and upload this to share your development with other students. You can record all the variations right after each other, in the same audio file.
6. Be sure to note which technique you're applying to your melody - i.e. trees, smoke, muscles, or waves.
7. Note - you can’t attach video/audio here, so you’ll need to host it elsewhere and provide a link. If you know music notation, feel free to write that out as well. Writing out your melodies can be a great practice, as you can actually see the development take shape.