Writing melodies: 15 things you should know when making up tunes 

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.

0:00 Intro
0:55 1. It’s not so hard
3:11 2. You can find melodies in the strangest places
5:48 3. Play or sing your tunes out loud
7:14 4. A little idea can be a classic
8:23 5. Start on an offbeat
9:33 6. Get some accompaniment ideas down
10:46 7. Beware of streams of notes
11:53 8. Phrases
12:56 9. Motifs
13:49 10. Balancing new ideas and repetitions
15:18 11. You can have leaps in your melody as well as steps
16:54 12. How long is your tune?
17:53 13. Does your melody imply chords?
20:51 14. Maybe your chord sequence is your melody
22:04 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.