Melody is a tricky thing. I've looked for information on creating a good melody, and in my mind information is limited. I guess there isn't a step-by-step guide on how to create the perfect melody. If there were, there would be lots of rich people creating music ... Wait, a sec ... there are lots of rich people creating music. Oh yeah, I forgot. Their melodies suck, too. What can be done about this situation? Well, my amateur opinion is that you can't be taught to write the perfect melody. However, through experimentation, trial and error, you can come up with some pretty cool melodies. Realize, though, that for every great melody you come up with, you are going to have several that just plain stink. Even the genius of Mozart couldn't create memorable melodies every time.
There is good information out there on what a good melody consists of. There are some basic principles to follow ... depending on what type of music you are composing. For some genres, plopping down whatever notes you want will basically create a good enough melody. Here are some pages with good information on melody.
Basic Melody Principles - This first one is from the first music theory website I told you about in my first post. Their information on melody is exellent and is the closest step-by-step guide you could possibly find. The section entitled "Composing a Melody to a Given Harmonic Progression" is basically how I create melodies in this process I've been describing.
Melodic Composition - This one has some info on the curve of a melody.
Melodic Composition - Part 2 - This one is the continuation to the previous one.
How I Create a Melody
My melodies are created in stages. I first just choose half notes or quarter notes based upon the chord progression. This early form of the melody may or may not make it to the final song. It just depends on how well it sounds. Picking the right instrument can make all the difference in this case. The next step is to add notes in between the notes I've already placed.
Maybe a graphical representation will help. Here is the piano roll view for Lurking Exhaust. The first picture is just the half notes. With the second picture, I added notes in between. The half-note version becomes the basis for later versions.
You'll notice that with the half-note version, I tried to put a nice curve to the melody. Once I hit the highest note, I didn't come back to it again. Same way with the lowest note. I only hit it the one time. Those are reasons why I like this melody, and I think it works.
I'm sure there will be more posts on melody creation. This gives you a good start, right? Till next time.
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