5 Things to keep in mind when shaping a melody

Hey everyone! So today, I’m going to go into some music theory for all of you. 

Let’s get into it

Thing 1 start low and end high

So for the purpose of this blog post, we’re only going to talk about melodies for a pop song. 

And Pop here means anything contemporary I.E. Pop, Rock, Hip-hop, Rap, Country, etc. etc. 

Basically anything in mainstream radio.

and it’s actually a common theory in music theory to make a melody start on the lower end and in the chorus shift up an octave (Between a 5th and an octave) and sing in that range for the chorus. 

And it works really well when you have a prechorus because that way you have a stepping stone to the chorus. 

However, I really like the way the abruptness of going straight from the verse into the chorus sounds like. 

It sounds so impactful that way but this of course is depending on the song you’re making. 

Some songs need a prechorus other songs need to skip the prechorus. 

Either way, you’re going to start low and build your way to the top. 

Thing 2 repetition is key

So a good way to start creating melodies is literally by taking a small musical phrase that you made up and just repeat that a few times until you hear something in yourself that sound better. 

You will feel the need to raise your pitch and go higher and higher and that’s actually naturally and when you first start off writing songs, it’s actually a good thing because you’re getting the basic music theory in a natural manner. 

But this need for repetition is actually a really good way to start making melodies and experimenting how differences in pitch sound when making a song. 

And you might think to yourself, “But German that sounds too repetitive. 

I know that now it sounds repetitive but if you keep practicing you will find ways to make it sound different and use different elements in ways that the song sounds good. 

And there are ways that you can vary up the song so that way it doesn’t sound so repetitive. 

 Thing 3 Use at least 2 musical contours in your song. 

So there are these things called musical contours and what it is is basically the general shape that the melody will take in the song. 

And it’s important that you know a few of the musical contours so you can use at least 2 of them in your songs. 

Let’s talk about them here. 

1. Static- it’s when basically a song sings just one note over and over again, you might throw in there an extra note or an extra 2 notes, but you anchor your entire melody on one note
2. Jagged- a jagged musical contours is when you rapidly move from one note to another so say for example you go from G to D in 8th note patterns that would be a jagged hook. A famous jagged hook would be the theme song to Jaws. but it’s actually used quite often in pop music so don’t think it’s used to just create horror feelings.
3. Ascending- Ascending musical contour is when you just gradually move from one note to another note in an ascending manner So say for example, C, D, E, F, G
4. Descending is when you move from one note to another in a descending manner so say for example G, F, E,D,C
5. Ascending and Descending- it’s when you combine both ascending and descending and it actually sounds really good, this is the one that many pop musicians use. 

So when someone says to use at least 2 musical contours in your songs, It could mean using an Ascending musical contour in the verses and then using a static one in the chorus.

Also it’s really powerful to use 2 musical contours in a hook. 

So if you’re trying to make a chorus, then use 2 musical contours in the chorus and it will sound good. 

 Thing 4 Slow songs are the hits

I know what you’re thinking, you’re probably saying to yourself, “German, this is not true and I personally love upbeat and hardcore songs.”

Yeah yeah, I believe part of it but not all of it. 

I like upbeat music too but the fact is that the slow songs, the songs that have the most emotional impact, are the mellow, melancholy, songs that have lyrics that relate to who you are. 

That’s why when you first start writing songs, people actually recommend that you first start out writing slow songs and ballads because they are actually easier to write and also they will be your first hits.

Thing 5 write often and practice writing hooks

So they say that a one note hook is strong, a 2 note hook is stronger, and a three note hook is the strongest. But everything after that is not good. 

Well that’s not entirely true. 

Because you can make a good melody with many notes, but it is true that a three note hook is the strongest hook that you can make. 

So an approach that was said by Ryan Tedder which I think is the best songwriter of the past 30 years, he actually said to write every line like a hook and save your best hooks for the chorus. 

So I personally started using this advice in my songs and I actually make some pretty good sounding songs to be honest with you. And yeah it actually sounds really good.

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!