This small series of posts will look at the different ideas and devices you can use when creating a melody.

Today we’re going to look at movement from one note to another in steps and leaps, but before we do that, here’ s a definition:

Melody - a linear succesion of notes that the listener hears as a whole musical entity.

That’s just off the top of my head, I’m sure we could come up with more detail but at its heart, a melody is a linear sequence of notes that sound like they’re joined together. For a melody to make sense we usually use a set group of notes, for example the major scale. This post is all about how you can move from one note to another, and what you might think about as you decide which notes to use.

Disclaimer

The rest of this post is going to show some different ways of setting the same words and pick apart the different options in a considered manner. This probably isn’t how anyone would actually write a melody. Probably you’d get to the melody through improvisation and trial and error. That’s how I usually write as well, but taking time out to think about your options can be a great way of improving your melody writing when you do come to improvise.

Stepwise movement

Example one makes use of a line of lyrics I’ve had hanging around for a while, but haven’t done anything with:

‘They broadcast my birthday on a numbers station, I still don’t know what it means’

For this example I’ve chosen to use the key of A minor, so the notes we’ve got to choose from are A B C D E F G A

Download Numbers Example 1

This melody centres around an A note for the first four bars, during the A minor chord. It then moves down to an F note during the D minor chord and an E note during the E minor chord. There are occasional G notes, and only one instance, the movement from the G to E in the third bar, where the notes don’t move in step.

This works as the beginning of a melody. My note choices are based mostly on chord notes, and by sticking to mostly stepwise motion, I’ve created a downward contour that makes sense.

However, while the melody moves, it doesn’t have the breadth of emotion that it could have. If you want a more expressive melody, some well judged leaps are what you need.

Taking a leap

If I’m going to emphasise the emotion of the line, I need to decide which are the most emotive words. I think both the end of the line, and the words ‘numbers station’ are most important, which example two should emphasise.

Download Numbers Example 2

With this example, I’ve put a leap from the G to C for the word numbers, and a leap from A to E for the word ‘know’. A leap is more expressive, and having successive, growing leaps helps to create an emotional climax in your melody. A word of warning though – too many leaps and they loose their effect because the notes start sounding disjointed and note part of a sinlge linear melody. That might be the effect you want, but if not leaps need to be mixed carefully with stepwise motion.

A complete melody

Neither one of the two examples above work as a complete melody, they’re fragments really, but running the two one after the other has a pleasant shape that I think works pretty well:

Download Numbers Example 3

Conclusion

To sum up, whatever scale you’ve chosen, it’s important to have the right mix of steps and leaps. Most of your melody will move in steps, with leaps there to create a sense of growing climax – the larger the leap, the larger the climax. Too many leaps and the notes will sound unconnected. That’s the effect you hear when an instrument is playing arpeggios – for example the highest notes in each arpeggio might sound as if they form a melody, even though the instrument is actually playing a series of leaps. You might want an effect like that, in which case leap away. But for a linear melody, use them sparingly.

And for the comments

I can think of a few famous melodies that make use of a well placed leap in pitch. The opening of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a classic example. What other examples are there?

Related posts:

1. 5 Ways to start a Melody
2. Melodic Shape