Melody Making 01 | Overview
Added 2023-05-15 21:12:58 +0000 UTCWhere to Start • Lesson Archive • Recommended Lesson Plan • Book a Private Lesson
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to Melody Making! In my opinion, this is one of the most overlooked, under-explained aspects of music education. Melody making involves all the most important ethereal stuff in music: repetition, arrangement, holistic attention - but it also requires specific and clear music theory understanding when it comes to keys, scales, and chord progressions.
By the end of this course, you'll have a better sense of how to make melodies AND how to apply these concepts to other areas of musicianship.
Recommended prerequisites:
- Music Theory for Guitar
- Music Theory Monday lessons 1, 3, 4, 5
Listening for this lesson:
"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams •SPOTIFY• •YOUTUBE•
"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers •SPOTIFY• •YOUTUBE•
"Two of Us" by The Beatles •SPOTIFY• •YOUTUBE•
The homework for this lesson:
Pick 5 songs
• Analyze either the verse or chorus melody
• Label the melodic phrases with A, B, C etc
• Phrases that seem the same to you should be labeled with the same letter (eg A and A or B and B)
• Make note of phrases that are NOT the same, but sound similar.
Remember, the goal of this lesson is to practice listening and writing down what you hear. You don't have to be right or wrong, just try to come up with reasons WHY you labeled phrases the way you did. This is one of those situations where you have to learn to swim by jumping in the pool.
Post your marked-up lyrics to the community forum on Melody Making 01.
Other lessons in this series:
Melody Making 01 | Overview (Current Lesson)
Melody Making 02 | Basic Phrases
Melody Making 03 - COMING SOON
Comments
I love old soul music and that Bill Withers track is definitely up there with my favorites'.
Kristofer Mc Cormack
2023-05-29 14:30:09 +0000 UTCAs I've been working on this homework I 'm wondering is the melody the "singing" or the lead guitar, part or both? Really having fun with this homework.
Wayne Barlow
2023-05-24 17:32:10 +0000 UTCThis was fun. Making good melodies has become a central focus to my musical goals. Your teaching on the topic has made all the difference in the world. Yahoo! I can’t wait for the next lessons
Tasha McManus
2023-05-17 17:44:01 +0000 UTCOh don't worry! We'll get there. It's a few lessons away, but it's probably the most important aspect of melody making. If you want a head start though, always start a phrase on a chord tone.
Scott Paul Johnson
2023-05-16 20:00:02 +0000 UTCHi Scott - I have been a patron for just over a year now, and I am working my way through your curriculum. I arrived having been a self taught campfire kind of guy. I could play and sing 100 songs, but I didn't know the names of the strings on the guitar! I've learned a tremendous amount about music. I hope to do the same with melody making. I think you knocked it out of the park with the OverviewI Thanks so much. Tony McGrath Halifax NS
Tony McGrath
2023-05-16 19:55:19 +0000 UTCAwesome Scot! Really looking forward to the upcoming lessons!
Jim Conway
2023-05-16 19:42:54 +0000 UTCThanks, Scott for this. Before even putting a melody into an A or B phrase, are there certain notes to target that help to make a melody work better? For example, are we targeting notes like thirds or other chord tones? It seems like we would first pick a key, then tool around with the chord tones of the chords in that key to make the melody? It wouldn't be just a random picking of notes would it? Thanks a bunch. Love the site and the lessons!
Archer Cannella
2023-05-16 16:12:55 +0000 UTC
