Melody in Music - What is Melody and How To Use it Effectively
Read Time: 6 Minutes
Definition of a Melody
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a melody is: “the main tune in a piece of music that is often played or sung more than once”.
From a more musical perspective, it’s a series of single notes which form a phrase and convey some kind of story, idea, emotion or concept. A melody might be used to represent a character in a film, to amplify the emotion behind a song’s lyrics, or even just to exist as something enjoyable to listen to.
What is a Melody? - Key Elements
There are quite a few variables that come into play when writing a melody, and we can manipulate them to control the impact that the melody will have on the listener.
- Pitch – When the melody moves to a higher pitch it generates more energy, and vice versa when it moves lower it creates a feeling of rest.
- Intervals – The distance between a note and the note next to it is referred to as the ‘interval’. Typically, a melody will have small intervals as they are more comfortable for our ears to follow, but we can use larger intervals to create moments of tension.
- Scale – Each scale has a different musical flavor and mood. For example, we might use the minor scale to write a scary piece of music.
- Rhythm – The rhythm is the pattern in which notes are played. For example, a melody with a fast and even rhythm can create an energetic feeling.
- Phrasing – We can play around with the length of different sections of the melody, as well as the melodic motion.
Melodic Motion
The direction a melody is moving in, also known as the motion or contour, is an important part of “phrasing”. Here are a few common types.
Ascending Motion
The melody moves in an upwards motion. Not every single note has to move upwards for a melody to be considered “ascending”, it’s more about the general trend.
Descending Motion
This is the opposite, where a melody moves downwards.
Repeated or Static Motion
Notes stay on the same pitch.
Conjunct or Stepwise Motion
Notes move up or down to the note right next to them. Smooth and easy to sing or play.
Disjunct or Skipwise Motion
Notes jump a larger distance, creating heightened energy and a feeling of disruption.
How to Use Melody in a Song - Popular vs Classical
In popular music, a melody is usually written to support lyrics. Popular music also usually aims to have simple, repeated melodies that will get stuck in the listener’s head, like the chorus of a pop song.
In classical music, the melody is not necessarily any less simple (classical writers still want a memorable melody) but it will have some kind of development, being repeated with different creative variations.
How to Write a Good Melody
Writing a good melody involves relying on your intuition and what feels “natural” to the music. Here are a few top tips to use in any genre or style.
- Think about how your melody fits with your chords. Use notes from your chords in the melody to “ground” it, or use notes from outside the chord to add some spice.
- Use the “tonic” effectively in your scale. The tonic is the first note in the scale and gives a feeling of “home”, so you can move away from it to add excitement and move back towards it to create rest.
- Pay attention to your melodic motion and use it to control tension and release in your melody. Avoid using too many large jumps.
Melodic Examples From Popular & Classical
Here’s one of the most-loved melodic examples from classical music: Saint-Saëns with The Swan from Carnival of the Animals.
Listen out for how he’s used a sprinkling of larger intervals to heighten energy, and ascending phrases to build stronger emotion.
Another example of a melody in a song from the popular music world: Taylor Swift’s Anti Hero.
This chorus is one of many excellent melodic examples of a simple yet powerful melody complementing the lyrics. Take note of how the melody has that larger leap in the verses, but only stepwise movement in the pre-choruses.
In Summary
Hopefully, now that we’ve broken down the key elements of melody, writing one will seem much less daunting. Some important things to remember are:
- Use stepwise movement to make your melody “flow”, and add a few bolder jumps where needed to pick up the energy.
- There are many other components to experiment with, it’s not just about pitch.
- The overall mood of your melody will depend on which scale you use.
- A strong melody is one that feels intuitive. Trust your gut instinct!
