Scott Paul Johnson

Community Challenge 63 | Write a melody to a poem

Added 2023-05-05 23:53:35 +0000 UTC

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Hi Everyone,

It's here! The next bi-weekly Community Challenge!

This challenge is: Write a melody to poetry

The video gives you plenty of ideas, but the general principals are:

1. Find the meter of the poem - if it's a sonnet, it'll be 10.10.10.10. If it's in common meter, it'll be 8.6.8.6. but you'll likely find all kinds of things in the list of poems below.

2. Once you find the meter, write a chord progression - or at least pick a key and try writing a phrase to the first line of the poem.

3. Write a new phrase for your second line, or repeat your first line again (aka repeat your A phrase or turn it into a B phrase)

4. Arrange your phrases however you deem appropriate. Common Meter lends itself to a melodic structure like ABAC or ABCB, or even just ABAB because the lines are 8.6.8.6, and sonnet meter (10.10.10.10, also called "iambic pentameter") is a little more forgiving - you could do AAAA or AABB or AABC. In general, the options are much more open ended when your poems have an even meter like 8.8.8.8. or 6.6.6.6.

Keep in mind, the poems I've linked below are written in an antiquated version of English - sometimes that actually takes the pressure away because it sounds kind of silly and impersonal. Scroll through a few of these poems, count the meter yourself (like I did in the video) and see which poem you can imagine having a melody.

Post your melodies to the community forum and remember: these should be more like napkin sketches than full songs - no need to try too hard or get anything perfect. The goal is to practice and have fun.

Robert Frost Poems
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Birches
Tree at my Window
Acquainted with the Night
Fire and Ice
Mowing
Desert Places
Into My Own

Lord Byron Poems
When we Two Parted
She Walks in Beauty
So We’ll go no more a roving
The Isles of Greece
Stanzas for Music

Check out the Lesson Archive for more Community Challenges - you’re welcome to participate on any past Challenge at any time!

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