What makes a good melody? It’s a difficult thing to pin down.
Easier to define is an effective melody. An effective melody will:
- Mostly move in step (C to D) with only occasional leaps (C to G)
- Be rhythmically coherent – not using too large a variety of note values
- Have a well defined tonal character (major scale, minor scale, one of the modes)
- Have a clear structure, divided into clear phrases, often related to multiples of 4 (four lines of four bar phrases for example)
- Make use of call and answer phrasing (First half ends unresolved on D, Second half resolves on C)
Those sort of ideas will give you a melody that works, but we’ve all heard melodies that work without being outstanding.
What makes a good melody?
Gary Ewer has some good ideas here.
What would you say is the secret to a good melody?
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