How Do You Come Up With A Melody?

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XeroTalent

New member
I'm in the middle of writing a song, and I'm approaching the vocal part of it. I've never come up with vocal melodies before, so I'm curious how you vocalists come up with melodies, particularly coming up with that catchy chorus melody.

I've been searching for popular songs in the same key to try to use as a guide, but wondering if there's a better way. What approach do you take?

Thanks :thumbs up:
 
It ain't easy. Gotta find a new melody that doesn't exactly resemble another song out there. And with billions of songs, there are only so many melody lines that sound musical.

I try to let the words dictate the melody line. I'll go in having a vague idea of how I want the song to sound, then work up the chords and lyrics at the same time and the melody just sort of slips into place.
 
Chili said:
It ain't easy. Gotta find a new melody that doesn't exactly resemble another song out there. And with billions of songs, there are only so many melody lines that sound musical.

I try to let the words dictate the melody line. I'll go in having a vague idea of how I want the song to sound, then work up the chords and lyrics at the same time and the melody just sort of slips into place.
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So you typically have lyrics first, and then compose a melody to fit the lyrics?

Have you ever done the reverse, come up with a melody, then write lyrics to fit it?
 
XeroTalent said:
So you typically have lyrics first, and then compose a melody to fit the lyrics?

Have you ever done the reverse, come up with a melody, then write lyrics to fit it?
Click to expand...

Nah, for me the melody is the weak link in the songwriting chain. I work on chords and lyrics first. I might not even have a melody until I'm standing in front of the mic and ready to record vocals. Like I said, it just sort of fits itself into place as I'm working on lyrics and chords. Maybe it's more like I'm writing all three at teh same time; Chords, lyrics and melody. Arrangement is usually the last thing I work on and that happens during the recording process.

Other people are different. Some might have lyrics and melody and then have to figure out the chords to support the melody line. Everyone is different.
 
Ah yeah I can see that.

But technically speaking, do you for example use the root notes of the chord progression as a starting point, or kind of hum it out and see what fits?
 
XeroTalent said:
Ah yeah I can see that.

But technically speaking, do you for example use the root notes of the chord progression as a starting point, or kind of hum it out and see what fits?
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Root notes?? Well now we're disecting a melody line. I honestly can't answer because I don't typically staff out my songs. I'll chart them with lyrics and chords and memorize the melody.

BUT.... I have noticed that a melody line may not start on the root note, but maybe on the 4th, the 5th or even the 3rd, but at teh end of the line or phrase will resolve to the root note. And when I say a melody line or phrase, I mean the melody for each line in a set of lyrics.

But (another but) nothing is set in stone. You write what the song needs.
 
Good melodies have a jigsaw-puzzle way of fitting together.
Study Mother Goose and children's rhymes and you'll be on the right track.
 
I bash away at scales and exercises,or try and forget em and bash away blind trying to switch off my mind until i hit a few notes that interest me,then work on expanding that ... ill get it out sooner or later,if i like it i keep it if not i bin it :)
 
I usually just get out an acoustic guitar, start playing the chords of the song, and sing out whatever words/melodies come to mind. I keep it completely random - I'm never exactly sure what words I'm gonna say or what melody I'm gonna come up with. It's all on the spot. But usually I find a catchy melody I like pretty quickly with this method.
 
An interesting question......
They come in many different ways.
Some of it depends on the main instrumental thrust of the song. I write on bass, guitar or in my head without an immediate instrument to hand but I'll fill in the melody with some imaginary back up which I get quickly into the dictophone.
I've long found, since I first picked up a guitar and put two or three chords together, that no matter the order of chords, a melody would suggest itself to me. Whereas it was years before I could put melodies to my bass lines, the guitar ones came straight away, moreorless. That may be because I could sing and play guitar at the same time but I've very rarely been able to play bass and sing at the same time.
I used to struggle to come up with melodies, often an entire song would be recorded and the melody would strive against that and melodically, there'd be so much going on that the melody would be drowned in a sea of mud. I find that now, as I'm imagining the music, I go left field, melodically, just roaming randomly. And something always comes. Often after a recording session as I'm listening back to what's been done, a melody or instrument line will suggest itself. I have to hum it into the dictaphone because I'll forget it otherwise. And it might be months or even years before I return to it and it's not always clear where I was going.......
Just keep playing around with your music. I'm confident enough to know now that something will come. Sometimes I take what I think of as a safe predictable route and it's not until the vocal has been recorded that I realize how weird it is.
And some of them are just plain hard work, like pulling teeth. Then they get easier with successive listens.
 
Thanks for all your help everyone.

I think I've come up with a cool melody that intertwines itself to the rhythm of the music. I just put the song on repeat and would listen to it endlessly until I thought of something.

We'll see how it turns out! :D
 
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