how do I get better at making melodies?
learn how to play a melodic instrument maybe. i don't know actually, the melodic gift is one of the rarest in all of music.
good melodies come with time, and aren't forced. Learn to sing, hum over everything
>>61358270
Listen to it
If it sounds good, it's good
If it doesn't sound good, then it sounds bad
If you don't have melodies forming in your head 24/7 then you're out of luck, it's not something you can learn
>>61358270
One way to get good at making your own melodies is to listen to others and learn their compositions. You'll notice that some have certain patterns numerically, or that they go from a leading tone to a tone in a 5th chord to something else (but the chord number depends on the scale and key signature, though).
There is a math to it, but you have to understand the basics before you try to write something really complex. I remember in my music theory class, when we made melodies, that we would start out with a given scale, and that we would have 8 measures to make a melody with just the notes of the normal scale, then the natural and harmonic minors of that key, then the augmented and diminished, etc.
>>61359241
What do people who have this ability have over those who don't?
What is it?
I just made up this melody on the spot
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Fv1qjmb0Xh
Am I fucked
Sing in the shower.
No joke.
>>61359852
0/10
>>61359884
JUST
>>61359852
my boyfriend
>>61358270
learn counterpoint
>>61359927
What about your boyfriend now?
>>61359825
I'm zoned out at work most of the day. That's when they come to me.
You don't.
Please stop oversaturating an oversaturated medium with mediocrity.
>>61359852
the fuck was that
>>61359959
i was like that with writing, but now that i'm unemployed i can't think of shit.
>>61359241
>>61359963
Failed musicians who want to drag everyone else down with them general?
>>61359944
you're my boyfriend?
>>61359998
or maybe they're good musicians who are tired of shitty bands.
>>61360006
You must have me mistaken for someone else, as I am a single man .
>>61359995
Like einstein when he was a patent clerk :3
>>61360030
not anymore ;)
>>61360020
>good musicians spend their time discouraging aspiring musicians on 4chan to make music
right
>>61360048
:^)
>>61358270
Best advice I've ever received is not to force it.
Practice. Improvise. Sooner or later you're going to stumble upon a melody that catches your attention.
J Masics says he writes songs while watching soap operas on TV.
>>61359963
Kys x 4/4
>>61359825
can't really explain its just something that comes naturally. my best advice is to listen to as much different music as possible and ask yourself why it sounds good to you.
>>61360094
I love Jay's guitar work.
>>61360115
I'm at the point now where I REALLY know what I like.
Problem is, I have no idea how to make my own stuff.
Also, does anyone else ever have the problem of when improvising, you unconsciously start singing in a melody of a song you like?
Try this op
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0igwXAgipih
>>61358270
Listen to more melodic music.
On a related note, the best advice I can give you as a fellow songwriter is to NEVER settle for "This sounds good enough/This is good for my skill level/This is good enough considering [insert bullshit reason here]". Always hold yourself to the standard of "This is great, and something I would personally listen to/This is on par with some of my favorite musicians/etc."
If you wouldn't listen to it, then it's shitty and you can't expect anyone else to listen to it either.
Also, just write music every single day. I didn't feel comfortable sharing my music at all for the first year of writing stuff, so know that it takes time to get good.
>fucking love music
>passion for it
>believe i have a great ear for melody (subjective of course kek)
>being a lead singer is something i think of all the time and only job i could say with 100% certainty i'd love
>didn't win the music lottery with having the natural knack for melody
fuck my shit up
>>61359241
Wrong.
If you can sit down at a keyboard or piano with a vague idea of what you want and come up with a melody after working for it for a bit, then that gets the job done just as well as it forming in your head.
If you can't make melodies in front of a piano, well, then you're pretty much fucked.
Why can a goofball like Mac DeMarco write catchy songs but I can't?
WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE HAVE OVER ME?
>>61360147
Another tip: Mix melodies. Whenever you feel you're venturing into a familiar song, try to shift the melody into one of another song. 99% of the time it's dogshit, but it helps kick away the habit of falling into songs that already exist.
Write every day. Any melody that comes into your head that sounds even slightly original, record it(yes, even if 99% of the time you realize it sucks). You never know when/if that melody will spark something up.
>>61360020
>or maybe they're good musicians who are tired of shitty bands.
>posting on /mu/
I have literally never heard a good musician who posted on here, except for one guys tape deck demo in /prod/
>>61360307
Thanks for the tip
Question though, if it's that hard, is it reasonable to believe you really have what it takes?
How long does it take for the average musician to craft an album? Why do some take fucking years while a guy like Robert Pollard can put out 5+ albums a year?
>>61360160
the gentlest angel
>>61360287
Producers and experience, also he was 23 when 2 came out which I would imagine is older than you. (no insult)
>>61359241
This is true. it is long acknowledged in Wester Art Music that there are melodic and non-melodic composers, and non-melodic composers rarely become melodic composers.
>>61360384
do u play anything?
>>61360398
Little bit of guitar and piano, but only learned them to have something to sing along to
>>61358270
learn some actual music theory.
>>61360331
Most of that stuff is really subjective. It really depends on what the artist himself deems worthy of releasing or not.
So, for example, a guy can write twenty songs a day, but he only sees two of any real worth. Compare it to another artist who could write ten songs a day, but would deem all of the songs worth recording.
I wouldn't say it's exactly hard but I just feel that getting into the good stuff takes a lot of time (like I said, this is extremely subjective. What could sound good to me could make you cringe)
>>61360419
right a song write now
>>61358270
Write a song. Don't worry about how good or bad it is, just write it. Repeat. Eventually, you'll "get it" and hopefully stumble upon something good.
>>61360436
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Eo2cVXm1xh
Bitch
>>61360551
it sounds really lovely and i would listen to your song severy day
>>61360625
Why thank you mr. Anon
>>61360732
Don't jizz yourself anon, anybody can do this shit
>>61360681
you're so welcome, it's also late (3 am in the morning) here, i'm slightly drunk and watching the snow fall, this song about your legs feelss calm.i'm going to savour it because no one has wrote a song for me (to my knowledge ;))
>>61360829
Well damn anon, you sound comfy as fuck. Glad to add to your chill factor anytime.
>>61360860
>>61360551
how did u learn to play guitar like that?
I mean where did u learn to play the right chords
or how to play the chords
idk
>>61360054
This happens though, well, maybe not on 4chan, but in real life i've seen stuff like that, musicians that don't want "competition".
>>61360308
I've listened to some decent stuff in the bandcamp threads (like, a year ago).
>>61361278
Just learn like 7 chords then just do random shit. Learn how to read a tab, learn a song you like, steal stuff from songs that you like.
>>61359852
>http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Fv1qjmb0Xh
what the fuck am I listening to.
>>61360308
Cant really gauge how good I am but I got flown out to Spain to play a show in November. I would never post my shit on 4chan tho.
>>61361341
thats lit bro,
i feel like I want to do some emo shit like that cause i grew up listening and being an emo kid,
nowadays i make trap (like young thug) music which is like, really really electronic, i love the sound of an aucoustic it feels free
>>61361460
Well as long as you're making the music you want to make, you're good dude. However, if you feel like you're being pulled in a different direction, just go with it. If you don't have a guitar, see if you can borrow one and try to learn the chords to a song you like
>>61361535
the biggest problem i see is recording music,
like, will a mic for singing work or do i need specific shit?
>>61361607
You could do what I I did and buy a cheap USB mic. I don't really know about recording vocals either, so I bought a USB mic a few weeks ago to try and figure it out and I like it.
>>61359852
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
... short answer: yes
>>61359852
No, just fucking learn how to sing in key
>>61360551
2/10 apply yourself
I'm always recording random little riffs and melodies I make up on the guitar, my problem is turning them into a song. I kind of lose motivation to continue working on an idea and it never gets finished. Tips on how to turn melodies into a full song?
>>61361719
Ey man I was on the CLOCK, watchu want
>>61361730
I always used to do that. Do you want to know how many of them turned into a song? 0.
Just open your DAW, throw some chords, close your eyes and imagine how would you like the rest of the instruments to sound like. It works all the time to me.
>>61361730
Layers.
Record whatever comes to mind, record another track on top to compliment it, repeat with different instruments.
>>61361812
I'm not a huge fan of this advice. This is the kind of thing I did when I was very new to composition.
I'd say a bit more structure goes a long way. Know the purpose of each part. You can have something with 5 layers sound infinitely more dense than something with 100 layers and it'll sound much more "real" as well. know the purpose of each line you're adding in. Is it melodic? Is it harmony? Is it a bass part? It's like you're building a house, and the melody is the appliances that you put in the house. The listener then goes inside the house and hangs out inside your song for a few minutes.
>>61361448
What kind of music do you make?
>>61360551
beautiful i cried
>>61360048
Just stfu u fucking fag. Jesus christ
>>61361460
>i make trap
I REALLY hope that you are black. White people needs to know their limits
>>61360201
So you're one of those lazy but smart types?
>>61359852
well, that was awful
>>61360551
More like this
no joke
>>61365813
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0wNW0SonPY9
Just for you
I don't know, listening to melodic music maybe.
But every time I've written a melody it was just something that popped into my head or I stumbled through it in a serendipitous way and it somehow matched the exact poem that I expected to use it for.
It isn't something you can force, but you can find it if you look for it.
>>61361323
>This happens though, well, maybe not on 4chan, but in real life i've seen stuff like that, musicians that don't want "competition".
Musicians behave the worst towards each other.
I paint too and most of my artist friends are nowhere near as bitter or cold as other musicians are. They're much more open minded as well.
I don't know what it is, but musicians are dicks.
>>61360551
only a plen would think this is good melody
i'm a patrician btw
Think any random assortment of notes at all and then make a song out of it, them turn it in to something tangentially Related. Repeat relative patterns between the different parts. Easy.
>>61367839
Sorry to hear I didn't make your 2015 SOTY list
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1turMPjUEpg
Is this shit catchy or what? Where have i heard this before i don't wanna steal aha
>>61358270
melodies write themselves, the music wants to do what it does and it's difficult to stop it.
arranging the whole thing ... is tricky
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0KtPQkEzLjt
>>61368088
Lemmy?
don't be afraid to start the melody on a note other than the root note
>>61367722
dude you're actually really good
if you sat down and recorded a serious EP or something of this shit i would listen to it
>>61369335
Well I made this.
http://4changuitarwhore.bandcamp.com/album/ghostwritings-from-mu
Closest thing I have to a 'release'
>>61369973
you're back, this is beautiful and i'm not hungover this morning anon
would spend money/10
thanks for sharing
>>61370631
Well hello again you comfy bastard. Thank you for the love, I would never charge money for this shit though. Just knowing you dig means the most
>>61369973
Hey inspiring, llet's get more replys to this guys!
>>61358270
train your ear.
Don't be untalented
>>61360551
what is everyone praising about this? i just listened and it sounded very very average to me.
>>61361278
this is not very good guitar playing
>>61358270
idk but i think rym has your answer. just browse some threads from the superior music discussion website
>>61360551
>I've got really white legs
What did he mean by this?
In all seriousness good job tho
>>61360551
damn this is amazing for something done on the spot
>>61369973
Not as inspiring as >>61368088
http://vocaroo.com/i/s1x1umeo1FFd
official soundtrack to finding memeo
>>61376533
also ignore the amateur guitar, forgot to mention
>>61376533
How did you get reverb and the other effects? You have a good voice
>>61376660
there's an upload feature so I just really quickly whipped this recording together on fl studio, thanks tho bb
>>61368088
electronic ghost grandmother speaks through vocaroo.mp3
>>61367928
how many years have you been playing?
listen to tons of classical music, you really do just pick up a knack ime. i have beautiful choruses in my head all the time now after listening to a bunch of Thomas Tallis and John Taverner
>>61358270
Write lots of melodies
>>61376533
The first part killed me then blew me away nice falsetto
>>61367800
they're upset at how saturated their field is. they know they'll never make it.
painters and other artists, never got into it for the money, they got into it because they enjoy doing it.
Listen to Borns
b-b-bumping
>>61359852
couldn't listen to the first five seconds i was so embarrassed
oof
>>61376533
Well that was just delightful
Somebody give me lyrics and I'll melody the fuck out of it
>>61359995
Are you usually occupied by other things? Computer, television, that sort of stuff? Do activities that don't take as much of your attention like driving, walking, excessive showering or whatever. That often helps but the key is that you need to make notes or get to work immediately afterward, otherwise you're usually just going to end up back on 4chan bemoaning your lack of creative productivity.
>>61360331
Albums come out slowly for marketing reasons, it doesn't actually take very long to write 45-60 minutes of music. Like if you assume a very slow pace of about one solid song a week that's still four albums a year easily and in my experience (both for myself and from seeing other musicians work) it's more likely that you'll make a lot of songs for something in a short period of time with breaks in between so it's pretty easy to write twice that many albums worth of material in a good year even without dipping into ambient or noise territory. Giving all of that high quality production is another matter entirely but the compositional process isn't particularly difficult, it doesn't even need to be a full time job.
>>61359875
This, this, this. I came up with some sweet ass shit in the shower but it's usually in the morning and I have to go to work so I forget to write it down.
>>61358270
Subtly rip off other people. That all anyone ever does.
>>61381508
Try these lyrics I found lying around. It's suppose to be about finding someone who makes you a better person with a space theme. Do what you want with 'em. Writing lyrics is hard.
Before I met you it was cold and dark.
A frozen rock ready to make my mark.
I'm burning in your atmosphere
I'm falling for you.
You haunt my dreams
With visions I'll never truly see.
REPEAT STUFF REPEAT STUFF
>>61382052
Eyyyy
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0QBLZiyYXV8
>>61382340
Me likey
>>61376780
I have only been playing seriously for a month! Thank you! I'll post sheet music if you want
Four things that come into play when creating a good melody
1.) You need to be inspired; usually by listening to other inspiring melodies or by anything else. Whatever you feel will translate into a melody (Tip: Usually past midnight is where you feel most inspired)
2.) Always sing it first, no matter what instrument you play. This also means to know your basic major/minor scales, how they correspond with one another, and which notes in each scales are pivotal, regardless of chromaticism.
3.) Think about it in it's final composition. What will make your melody sound the best in a complete song? Maybe it isn't your melody necessarily but the instrument playing it, the music accompanying it, or a harmonization.
4.) Always record melodies that you come up with, even though they may be shit. You can always build upon them, but do not rush it (tie it back to #1).
>>61382340
Hey can you do mine next!!!????
>>61382446
Just post it
>>61382408
Ayyy
>>61358270
Start by messing around with random notes in one of the pentatonic scales. When it sounds like you have something good going, expand on that.
Also, make sure to resolve the leading tone up to the tonic.
>>61382509
You're well
You're well
You're welcome
You're welcome to come
>>61382638
Are you trying meme at me bro
>>61383058
No its just something id like to hear you sing?
Yeah jts pretty minimal, but it was something i always liked, ive had it laying around for a while
>>61383079
Fine here you go you sick fuck
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0VoM8CF327W
>>61383285
thank you
You sound like a very beautiful boy
I wanna meet your dad
>>61383352
Best compliment I've ever received. You can be my dad if you want (sexually)
>>61383396
MMM wanna have a barbeque son?
Hamburgers and hot dogs too
all kinds of meat
this thread got weird. any more song writing tips?
>>61383466
Never been a burger boy myself. They just don't fit as warmly between my buns the way your hot dog does
>>61383605
Youre the nicest boy i ever met, wanna run your fingers through my mustache ?
>>61383654
Oh! It's so soft and tickly! Hee Hee! I bet it could tickle me everywhere!
>>61383694
Lets find out my little boy
Maybe we should check out some sites to get in the mood
There are sites for dads and there are sites for children
Which do you wanna look at first?
>>61383773
Well children sites of course! Those naughty adult sites make butt feel all tingly and weird xD. Nono, instead we'll go to the best site for underage children! Here, I'll send you the link:
boards.4chan.org/mu
>>61382423
post sheet music man i want to play this for my dog!
Guys can we please get back on topic of doing stuff to my little boy butt
yall niggas are gay
I'm a beginner in songwriting, A lot of people here make great tips, but can't you describe the moment that you write your best song?
It would be quite interesting to know
and also, What kind of music inspire you to make music? can you post your best song? I'll love to hear.
http://vocaroo.com/i/s16WUjvku1qV
>>61358270
Good melodies come from good chord progressions.
Good melodies also tend to imitate human speech.
Good melodies are 80% rhythm and 20% notes.
I suggest you learn how to write better chord progressions because really, if you hear make a decent prog you can being to imagine a melody on top of it.
t. Composer who is trying to imitate J-Pop style songwriting.
>>61381644
i'll keep that in mind, thanks dubs
>>61376806
>Thomas Tallis and John Taverner
great taste. Even in 2015 we can learn a lot from renaissance vocal composers. They really knew their shit, and people had to actually be able to sing their music, and it had to sound beautiful no matter the quality of the singer. It takes careful construction to create melodies that consistently do both of these things.
Its like writing anything: you need balance, and form.
A rising part of a melody should be balanced by a falling part.
A leap upwards should be balanced by stepwise motion downwards, etc.
The best melodies come from your head, and should be recorded via you singing or whistling, then transcribed onto the instrument you want. Try to capture the organic nature of the melodies that naturally come to you. The more details you can capture, the better. Kind of like trying to remember a dream.
