Creating Melody
- Thread starter duzie
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I generally have to have some kind of rhythm/progression to find a melody to fit over the top. The times I don’t, something pops in my head and I work in reverse, like a chorus vocal melody pops in my head and I figure out the chords to go behind it.
When looking for melodies when writing, whether it’s a vocal or lead melody, I’ll just noodle over the changes until something falls out. It’s almost always 1 interval that’s different than all the rest that takes it somewhere interesting, so I’ll try to insert some bigger interval stretches in there to force it to happen.
Can’t remember who showed it to me, probably my uncle, but on occasion I’ll only give myself 3 notes to play and see how many melodies I can come up with using only those 3 notes, you can bend, add vibrato, do whatever you want with the 3 notes (frets may be a better way of saying it) but you can’t move from those positions. Definitely makes you focus on things like timing and inflection!
When looking for melodies when writing, whether it’s a vocal or lead melody, I’ll just noodle over the changes until something falls out. It’s almost always 1 interval that’s different than all the rest that takes it somewhere interesting, so I’ll try to insert some bigger interval stretches in there to force it to happen.
Can’t remember who showed it to me, probably my uncle, but on occasion I’ll only give myself 3 notes to play and see how many melodies I can come up with using only those 3 notes, you can bend, add vibrato, do whatever you want with the 3 notes (frets may be a better way of saying it) but you can’t move from those positions. Definitely makes you focus on things like timing and inflection!
woody
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For me the most important part is proprioreception of tonal material.
If you know how a certain note will sound even before you play it, then you can make informed musical choices.
I often play through a scale and then sing the pitches before playing them, to see if I have them in my active vocabulary.
Then I can go on to improvise, while singing first.
It usually helps to find inspiring backing tracks. I find most YouTube backings mind-numbingly dull.
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Recently I’ve mostly been wanking pentatonics over a i iv v progression working on fretboard recognition.
My next step is to blend in some melody .
I’m using generic YouTube backing tracks for this.
@DrewJD82
I like the idea of the 3 notes limit
Fretboard recognition goes a long way, if you're still needing to think "Can I go to that note next?", that thought itself is getting in the way of letting things happen naturally. While I barely know any theory, getting familiar with the fingerboard and at least knowing the notes of each fret goes a long way because at the very least, you can fall back on the root notes of a chord progression.
gearJunkie
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Sing it and then figure it out on the guitar. Creating melodic lines is a skill that gets better the more you do it.
Trying to randomly create a melody via "noodling" will yield limited success.
Trying to randomly create a melody via "noodling" will yield limited success.
TSJMajesty
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Do you ever whistle? As in, just make up something and whistle it out while doing something else, to the point where you're not even thinking about it?
As a start, just play 2 chords back to back, say 8 beats each, and record it, then loop it. Then just "whistle" a tune over it. Then pick up the guitar and play. Think in terms of making it sound interesting, but don't focus on patterns/riffs you may already know. Iow, go crazy. Record it while you're doing it. You'll discover some ideas in that recording, then go back and play around with whatever parts sounded good.
If you hit what sounds like a wrong note, bend it up, then repeat it. You may find in doing it that way, it actually sounds kinda cool. And the 'repeating part' is to make it sound intentional.
As a start, just play 2 chords back to back, say 8 beats each, and record it, then loop it. Then just "whistle" a tune over it. Then pick up the guitar and play. Think in terms of making it sound interesting, but don't focus on patterns/riffs you may already know. Iow, go crazy. Record it while you're doing it. You'll discover some ideas in that recording, then go back and play around with whatever parts sounded good.
If you hit what sounds like a wrong note, bend it up, then repeat it. You may find in doing it that way, it actually sounds kinda cool. And the 'repeating part' is to make it sound intentional.
TSJMajesty
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I can't find the video (It's somewhere in one of his REH video lessons), but Paul Gilbert mentioned a cool idea for creating melodies:
Tap out any kind of rhythmic beat with your hands on your thighs. Then, using that rhythm, put notes to it over whatever chords you have looping. He demonstrated it, and his phrase didn't always work out each time, but the point was, it's a technique to help you come up with original, rhythmic phrases.
Tap out any kind of rhythmic beat with your hands on your thighs. Then, using that rhythm, put notes to it over whatever chords you have looping. He demonstrated it, and his phrase didn't always work out each time, but the point was, it's a technique to help you come up with original, rhythmic phrases.
Eagle
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Yes sing it because people play what they practice or what they know already. Elton John writes his songs by trying to sing the lyrics Bernie gives him first and putting the chords behind it. Brian May writes his solos the same way. Brian’s favourite solo of his is Killer Queen, compare that to the monotone pentatonic bullshit most people play.
TJontheRoad
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Put the guitar down and start listening to classical, jazz, and Beatles tunes. Get those vibes in your head. Good melody will follow.
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I typically start with the harmony. I'm not so good at painting in the air, so setting up a canvas first helps me
TSJMajesty
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And Paganini!
duzie
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Listen an study more Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Wagner, Dvorák, Rachmaninoff, Bach, Handel, Grieg, Schubert, Tchaikovsky...
...else:
View attachment 20692
Of those listed someone give me one song to begin with pleaseAnd Paganini!
I suffer from option paralysis
TSJMajesty
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Of those listed someone give me one song to begin with please
I suffer from option paralysis
Paganini - Caprice No. 24 Tab by Bernth (Temporary Removed by Music Publisher) | Songsterr Tabs with Rhythm
Paganini - Caprice No. 24 Tab by Bernth (Temporary Removed by Music Publisher). Free online tab player. One accurate version. Play along with original audio
duzie
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ThanksPaganini - Caprice No. 24 Tab by Bernth (Temporary Removed by Music Publisher) | Songsterr Tabs with Rhythm
Paganini - Caprice No. 24 Tab by Bernth (Temporary Removed by Music Publisher). Free online tab player. One accurate version. Play along with original audiowww.songsterr.com
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