Hi folks,
I'm sure this has probably been asked before, but how do you - yes, you - write your vocal melodies?
I have a band mate who writes lyrics. Then we put some chord progressions together. Then try to find a vocal melody that will work. But I've also read some people saying the vocal melody should come first (partly because if the melody has a sad bit, the lyric should be written sad to match it, and so on).
How do people approach it? I currently have a song I'm working on where the lyrics are already done, I've written the chord progression for a verse, and now trying to do the vocal melody.
My first method was just to put the guitar into Reaper, and record myself randomly singing along. Do that ten times, and see if any of the lines in any of the versions sound good. BUT...
That method feels far too random,
Probably needs natural talent/deep knowledge of harmony I just don't have, and therefore...
Normally produces boring, generic, predictable melody.
Should I be writing the melody on piano? I can't play piano, but guess I could use it to find a melody one key at a time?
Any advice really appreciated...
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Telecaster American Deluxe, Cornell Romany amp, without the talent to use them properly
Comments
Fuck knows. I just close my eyes, try to feel out something, and start singing. Don't be afraid to sound shit, and don't be afraid to feel vulnerable. When you arrive at something that feels significant to you emotionally, that can give you direction.
And don't get me wrong, I don't think any of my melodies are great. But actually, nobody thinks their melodies are great.
You need to look for melodies that mean something to you, so you believe in them. Whether or not anyone else thinks they're great is down to them.
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
Sing over the chords, no specific lyrics, just mmm's and nah nahs. Find the flow of phrase lengths that work then try moving the pitches around. Then squash in your lyrics.
Take deliberate phrases and lyrics from other songs, anything even if unrelated to your song like say Adele's "send my love to your new lover", now place that over your chords in various ways. Shorten or stretch, moves the pitches around or just try another phrase. When you find the magic then put in your own words.
If you want to study this stuff check out hooktheory.com
I appreciate that there's no one way to do it, so good to hear your varying advice. Sounds like most of you find a melody without using your specific lyrics (or potentially before you've written them). I guess because I'm using someone else's lyrics, I feel a bit more restricted, but I shouldn't I guess.
@Stuckfast - I think that's a part of my problem - the meter is really regimented and repetitive. I also think that I'm signing too much 'on the beat', and struggle to get phrasing that takes me way from the feeling of hitting each bar with a new word (if that makes sense - don't have a very good musical vocabulary to explain what I mean).
Time and time again my lack of theory lets me down @Freebird I don't know anything about what you refer to. I commit to learning theory, then get overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
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Telecaster American Deluxe, Cornell Romany amp, without the talent to use them properly
Regarding theory, the tonic/root note is the home and the dominant note is the destination, so you construct a journey between the two. Chord tones are stable, while non-chord tones are unstable, so this allows you to emphasize certain words in your song.
Hooktheory is great to see how real world songs work, as you can see the melody line interacting with the chords (use piano mode).
Also have a look at the free Berklee Music School songwriting course..
https://www.coursera.org/learn/songwriting-lyrics
That gets given to a mate who writes lyrics to the melody / choreds. That then gets recorded to over the existing chords, then those chords are taken away and I work on the final arrangement and drum patterns.
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Telecaster American Deluxe, Cornell Romany amp, without the talent to use them properly
- I work out a melody that I like, find a lyric I like and then work out the chords that support it.
- I have a chord progression (or riff) I like and work out a melody that fits it - a warning here, it's easy to end up following the chords with notes that fit rather than finding a nice melody.
- I have a lyric I like - a catchy phrase with a rhythm that appeals, and work the rest out from there.
Like everyone else, I find my lyrics to be naive, my melodies boring and my singing voice a travesty....
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Telecaster American Deluxe, Cornell Romany amp, without the talent to use them properly
The words and the melody then tend to come together...and it sort of comes from the heart.
I find it useful to write with an acoustic guitar - and consciously avoid thinking in terms of the electric guitar.
If the words and melody come from your heart...then even if you feel it's corny, there will be people who can relate to the emotions you're expressing.
Here are two of mine:
1. Sound Like Me
I played a Clapton Signature Strat at my local music shop, but unfortunately - I sounded like me :-(
I did get a song out of it though...
2. Through My Eyes: apologies in advance for the corny lyrics...
I hope you will enjoy them...
Kind regards
Jay