What about melody??

What is the most important step you can take to become a great melody writer?  Well, this guy doesn't really say this, but to me it's listening to great melodies.  I grew up listening to great melodies played as instrumentals and my dad pointing out the sections where the hair should stand up on my arms.  Then he introduced me to the great lyric and melody writers, with Bacharach and David high up on the list.  Listen to "A House is Not a Home" or "Do You know the Way to San Jose?"  Or perhaps the Beatles "Something" or   any Beach Boys song from "Surfer Girl" to "In My Room". You may know the lyrics, but it is invariably the melody that sticks in your head and moves you from the opening notes of the song.

Sadly, melody is seldom an important component of much of modern popular music. Beats, vocal sounds, attitude, etc. have nudged melody to the side in pop and country music.  But so as not to sound like a curmudgeon I absolutely love when a modern artist manages to marries these elements with a good melody to create something memorable. Think Walk the Moon's "Anna Sun", or "Pressure" by Company of Thieves.

Taylor Swift is a master (or mistress) of marrying melody and lyric.  

But I digress.  This gentlemans little article is actually about writing melody without any knowledge of musical theory.  Enjoy.

How to Write a Song Melody Without Knowing Music Theory

AUTHOR: Gary Ewer

No Theory Required

Is it possible to create attractive, appealing song melodies without having a strong background in music theory? I believe it is, and I say that as a person who has had a career-long interest in teaching music theory.

Every so often, someone will write me with a question that goes something like, “Can I have this chord follow that chord?” or “Am I allowed to [insert musical idea here].” In other words, they want to know if music theory “permits” their musical brainwave to exist. Are they violating the rules of music theory by going ahead with their idea?

My answer is always, in the nicest possible way, “Who cares?” Music theory was never meant to tell people what to compose. If that were the purpose of theory, music composition would never rise above selling pencils as an artistic activity.

Music theory has its place, and I believe that songwriters who have such a background benefit greatly. The story that music theory stunts creativity is a ridiculous myth. Theory doesn’t close your mind, it opens it. Theory allows you to communicate musical ideas to others easily, and improves composition without actually telling you what to write. And theory allows you to understand why other musicians’ ideas work.

And because theory teaches you common musical constructs and explains how and why they work, the study of music theory improves your ear.

Nonetheless, can you write attractive, appealing song melodies without having a theory background, or even being able to read music? Yes, for this simple reason: composition fuels theory, and not the other way around. The theoretical rules of music evolve over time, by composers writing what they want to hear. Theory, in turn, merely explains; it doesn’t dictate.

So how can songwriters create beautiful melodies if their knowledge of music theory is scant or missing entirely? Here are some ideas:

1. Use your musical instincts. One might argue that it should actually be easier for a songwriter who doesn’t read music to do this.
2. Even without music theory, most musicians know scales, and so keep this basic rule in mind: most melodies should move mainly by scale steps, with only occasional leaps. (There are notable exceptions to this: “The Star-Spangled Banner”, for one, the opening melody of which is quite leapy.)
3. Good melodies tend to have a “climactic high point”. This is a spot in the melody that is usually a coinciding of a high pitch with a structurally significant chord (the tonic or dominant chord).
4. Good melodies incorporate a recognizable shape, called a motif, which tends to repeat (either as-is, or modified) throughout the song. This motif is part of what makes a melody memorable. A good example is Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.”, which repeats that catchy melodic hook over and over.
5. Good melodies should place high-emotion words higher in pitch. There is a natural pulse to language, and you should set your words to reflect this natural pulse.

And more about point number 1, above: The study of music theory sometimes gets a bad rap in songwriting circles because there is sometimes a tendency for theory-trained musicians to limit themselves to what they understand. This is sad; it’s like an artist not using a colour on their palette because they don’t know what to call it.

I encourage any songwriter to study rudimentary theory as a way of improving your creativity and opening your musical mind. In the meantime, keep those five points in mind. It is very possible to write very fine music without specific theory instruction.

Bacharach at the White House

Well I just finished watching "In Performance at the White House" which tonight was a tribute to Burt Bacharach and Hal David and the presentation of the Gershwin award for popular music to them.  Pretty good show. I won't mention the low points .  There were several not the least of which was the lineup of artists picked to play one of the greatest American songbooks. No one else in modern time has done what Bacharach-David has done with lyric and melody.  I am not including the Gershwins whose work is still and will always transform life musically.  At any rate Stevie Wonder's extended harmonica solo on "Alfie" (in my humble opinion B&D's greatest song. Nope, that was "A House is not a Home".  Nope, it was.....) was, in spite or it's unnecessarily over the top moments, an indication that we have never really gotten from Stevie all Stevie has to give.  I really liked his reggae tinged version of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do. Diana Krall's vocal was weak but her piano was tops.  I don't know why they had Lyle Lovett there but I was for the first time ever impressed with Cheryl Crow.  Still don't know why she was picked to sing Bacharach-David but she did a pretty good job and it was sincere.  What really impressed me is that it almost doesn't matter who they picked to sing these amazing songs, the songs made even the roughest performer look good.  

Live Your Creativity!

So you're a writer.  You know it because you do it and when you're not doing it you're thinking about doing it.  It moves you to come up with sentences or lyrics that ring true and define what you see honestly. You're excited when you read something you wrote a month ago and the words still seem fluid and meaningful to you. You've been writing for six months or two years, long enough to know you love it and need to do it. But nobody else knows it, because you do it in private and for whatever reason keep the fruits of your labor to yourself even when you're pleased with the result of your work.  Well, that's okay.  To a point.  But most of us don't really want to be another Emily dickinson whose genius went unnoticed by the greater world until after her death and rediscovery.  Most of us would actually like to be recognized outside of our poorly lit clothing strewn bedroom  where we have written or composed our masterpieces. And even if we care nothing for publicity and acclaim we at least find the lure of professional recognition and peer praise tantalizing.

I would like to suggest to you another reason for breaking out of your creative isolation and sharing with the world your words and probably oddball personality. I put it to you that you will never be a complete "creative" or fully-realized owner and producer of your art until you decide to define yourself as "writer".  Is this you? Do you have rough drafts or chapters, maybe complete short stories or book-length manuscripts or lyrics hidden away in some drawer or on your laptop waiting for you to give them and yourself the ultimate freedom?  THIS IS CRITICAL ADVICE FROM AN AGING CREATIVE who knows exactly who and what he is. Once you define yourself as a creator, a writer, and present yourself and your work to the world boldly you will feel a freedom that you cannot obtain any other way in your life.  This doesn't mean that when someone asks "what do you do?" you have to answer "I'm a writer".  Perhaps you're a student, or a doctor or fireman.  Just say, "I'm a fireman, but what I really love is to write. That's what gets me up in the morning".  Believe me, that's a conversation starter.You won't be able to hide it from yourself or others once you say out loud what your passion is.  And that declaration will move you forward faster than anything else you can do.  Declare it over and over and soon it becomes second nature and a true belief.

I know this for many is a tremendous leap of courage that you fear will expose your true self to the world.  but that is where the freedom comes from.  You give yourself the gift to create and share without fear and the gift of self-confidence that comes through self-awareness and courage.Once you let yourself be what you already are your output will increase and you might even be able to talk to someone about how to better your work. And you must better your work. If you're the average writer you already think your work is valid and valuable because it moves you to write it.  But in the end it matters most if it moves others to read it.  Unless you write solely for self-indulgence. Study it. Learn it. Get over your assumptions of greatness.  They are most likely false for there is much to learn. And when you make the inevitable discovery that your output does not bear the mark of greatness but possibly the mark of great promise, take that discovery and run with it.

I am a songwriter.  I am eaten up with the desire to create and to share the creation.  At the age of 58 I create much more and better  material than I did when I was 30 and was too afraid of my own creative shadow to do anything with it and thought I was already the unknown god of the unknowns..  Do not closet away your true self.  Anything you substitute for the true freedom of living the life you are wired to live will always be second best.  Make self-doubt and fear powerless.  WRITE! And tell the world you are a writer.

Where's my Recorder??

Just a brief note of advice based on my own stumbling around.  If you're a songwriter you know that inspiration can strike you anytime, anywhere.  Whether just words, melody, or both if you don't have a tool to record your ideas it's quite likely some of your world-class, life-changing brilliance will escape into the ether now and again. The other day an idea came from somewhere and built itself into the first verse of a fun to sing pop song.  I was pumped. I'm always pumped when I'm creating.  There's no other feeling like it.  The only thing better is building on that creation and keeping the process going.  Unfortunately I couldn't find my pocket voice recorder anywhere and failed to find a way to record my latest creation.  I could only look so long for it before I had to be on my way to markedly less creative real job. Of course by the end of the day all I had was a handfull of lyrics and chords with no remembered melody.  I quietly mourned the loss of this nugget for two days, then said to myself "forget it,  maybe it will come back."  Luckily, out of the blue it snuck out of  some hidden file in my mind while I was washing dishes or clipping my toenails or something.

So, I dodged a bullet, but I swear my recorder will only be kept in my laptop bag, or in my hand from this day forward.  That is, if I find it.  It's somewhere floating around with 110 clips  that I'm sure I'll never recall from my memory.  I'll do a recording of this song in progress soon.       .

Finished! I Will Wait for You

Here's a song I remembered while I was working on "Into the Sun".  It has a similar feel to it but a more serious   subject.  I was thinking about what it must be like to wait for  your spouse who serves overseas in the military and remember writing most of it in one short sitting.   I don't know if I captured the correct emotional response of one who waits and I don't know how the wives of our soldiers overseas would react to the picture I  have painted , but at this point I'm fairly satisfied with it.  And by the way, I'm aware many female soldiers serve in volatile and risky combat theatres as well as men.  But I never even thought of writing it from a husband's viewpoint.  That would be an interesting challenge, but I don't think I'm gonna' deal with it.  Anyway, feel free to give me feedback on this puppy and let me know if you think I touched any reality here. Thanks.

Writing "Into the Sun". Final

Well, after a couple of weeks of just plain avoiding this song and getting a bit off track with the subject matter I finally pulled my messy mind together and loped to the finish line of this song.  I realized as I was writing it  that I had a couple of friends in mind who every year look forward impatiently to the warmer weather and time spent readying their cruising sailboat. As I struggled into the second verse I started writing about how nice it is to be able to walk the dog barefoot in the cool grass in the summer. What??  That verse went into the trash and I turned back to the subject I started with, sailing and the change of seasons.  So I mess up the words at one point here, but I swear learning my own songs is harder than learning a cover. Part of that is wanting to put the freshly finished song out of my mind so I have wide open space to start another.  And I'm afraid part of it is some kind of mental laziness.  I promised myself I wouldn't become impatient to finish this song just to get the other new ones that I wanted to have fun with.  So it took a few weeks longer than I thought (they usually do) but I'm glad to be done with it in a happy way.

Someone who inspires me

One of the most important aspects of remaining creative is to be able to define what inspires you.  That, and being careful not too define it too narrowly or rigidly, lest we miss an opportunity to be inspired by something that would normally escape us.  I guess awareness is the key.  I would like to introduce you to someone who I certainly count among my chief sources of inspiration. I only recently became aware of her work, but it affects me daily.  Ulrika Kestere is a creative juggernaut.  She is only in her twenties, but has obviously at a very early age decided to embrace her creative personality and embark on what will no doubt continue to be an exciting life's journey.  I selfishly hope she never decides to stop blogging.

This little video is a presentation of her bachelor's project for design school in Sweden.  She considers herself to be most importantly a photographer, but her illustration work and wood craft are as impressive.  She seems to never cease producing in some creative genre or another. Please check out her blog, .ulicam.blogspot.com.  I will probably post many more inspirational moments from Uli.

See the video here:
http://vimeo.com/40070335