When you have a blank screen or page in front of you, how do you begin to make up tunes? Actually it’s not hard – here are 15 simple ideas to get you writing melodies straight away.
Featuring interviews with Brian Eno, Carly Paradis, Cassie Kinoshi, Ed O’Brien, Errollyn Wallen, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Tristan Landymore and Yazz Ahmed.
1. It’s not so hard
2. You can find melodies in the strangest places
3. Play or sing your tunes out loud
4. A little idea can be a classic
5. Start on an offbeat
6. Get some accompaniment ideas down
7. Beware of streams of notes
8. Phrases
9. Motifs
10. Balancing new ideas and repetitions
11. You can have leaps in your melody as well as steps
12. How long is your tune?
13. Does your melody imply chords?
14. Maybe your chord sequence is your melody
15. Sounds that aren’t pitched
Once you’ve come up with some ideas, watch our next videos to learn 28 ways to grow and develop your tunes.
Watch Part 1 here, and then check out Part 2 here.