MELODIC WRITING

FINISH THIS MELODY!

TO BREAK RULES, YOU HAVE TO LEARN THEM FIRST… Composers often consider many things when they write music- rhythm, melodic line, harmony, progression. The rules of melody writing, or voice leading, have long been established for centuries. What we are going to discuss today are some very basic rules for writing melodic lines that may help you with your compositions. These are the most basic guidelines to keep in mind when you write. Depending on your genre, you may not want to follow these exactly. But for those who may have a hard time getting started writing music, these rules can help you get started.

RULE #1: RHYTHM

KEEP IT SIMPLE!  Keep the rhythm simple. There is no need to make it over complicated.  Keep the length of each note (durations) equal to or longer than the beat or pulse of the music.  The final note should end on a strong beat. For instance, if your piece is in 4/4 time, then the final note should be on beat 1 or beat 3. Preferably 1.

RULE #2: HARMONY

THIS IS MORE FOR THEORY II BUT IT’S GOOD TO KNOW.  Every melody note should belong to the chord that is to harmonize it.  This is a really general rule to keep in mind, it’s one of the rules that probably gets broken the most. :P

RULE #3: CONTOUR

WHAT THE HECK IS CONTOUR?  Contour refers to the shape of the melodic line. Does it go up? Down? Bounce around?  The rule is that the melody should be primarily conjunct, which means the melody should move by steps.  At the same time, the shape of the melody should be interesting, yet clear and simple.  It should have a single focal point. That is to say, the highest note of the melody is the focal point.

RULE #4: LEAPS

TO MAKE THINGS INTERESTING….  Leaps are anything larger than a third. There are 3 things to keep in mind: 1. Avoid intervals (2nds, 3rds, etc.) that are augmented. Also don’t use 7ths and anything larger than an octave. 2.If you write an interval that is larger than a 4 th, approach it and move to the next note in the opposite direction. 3.When using small intervals like 3rds consecutively in the same direction, they should outline a triad.

RULE #5: TENDENCY TONES

GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN…  Tendency tones are tones that have a strong tendency to resolve in a specific direction.  The Leading Tone (Degree 7) must resolve up to the tonic (Degree 1).  The exception is descending from the high Tonic down ( )  Another tendency tone is the Sub-Dominant (Degree 4)- it usually resolves to the Mediant (Degree 3), but not with the same regularity as 7-1.

HOW BACH FINISHED IT: