>> [MUSIC] We're going to talk about writing melodies.
There's definitely a mystery to writing melodies.
It's wonderful when you're
the lightning rod and
you're just channeling the lightning.
You're like, "I don't know, it was a gift. "
and run with it because that is awesome.
But when we're not being
blessed with the gift because the muse
is off with Beyoncé and we don't have it that day,
a really great technique that we can use as
writers is just playing around with melodic shapes.
It's hard to see the picture when you're in the frame.
When you can have
these exercises that are outside of yourself,
that you can try out instead of addition melodies,
it takes the pressure off and it's really fun.
There's only four types of melodies,
so it's really easy.
One of the most basic types of
melodies you can write is one that
just has no the repeats.
It doesn't sound that exciting,
but it's a pretty effective way to write a melody,
especially if we go back to the craft of songwriting,
which is, let's write a static melody.
Let's write a melody that if we were to draw the shape,
the shape would look like a flat line.
[MUSIC] Pretty basic.
If we're going to go into the higher art of songwriting,
we have to ask, why would we choose that?
If you were in a relationship with
someone and you're done,
you're completely exasperated and
just want to deflate it and you're saying,
"You know what, I've told you 1,000 times."
You probably wouldn't yell
that after you'd said it 1,000 times.
You will probably just be so over it, you would just go,
"I've told you 1,000 times" and
notice that the shape of my voice when I say
that isn't leaping up it sounds
pretty monotone and flatlined and defeated.
[MUSIC] I've told you a 1,000 times.
I've told you a 1,000 times.
I've told you 1,000 times.
[MUSIC] It's very effective and it's really powerful.
It's like I'm anchoring you in what I'm
saying and I also feel really defeated.
Try to pay attention to,
"What is the shape of that melody and
how can that be the body language of my song?
How can that help me tell my story?
Lady Gaga uses that exact type of melody in.
"A million reasons." Check out that song.
Also when you use a flatline melody.
It can be fun.
Because again, everything depends on tempo and feel.
But if you have something like shape if you
buy and sharing or you have Duo Lipas.
Don't start now, where you have this repeated melody.
You got a lot of groove going on around you.
You got a lot of other things happening.
The motion of the arrangement.
Can really support something where you're just talking
and you're not having any reason you are storytelling.
You don't really necessarily have to have
any reason to leap up like you would.
In the entire chorus.
[LAUGHTER] Never mind if I find
someone like you leaps up really high.
We can talk about that later.
But for now, just try it out.
When you're writing a line, just practice.
You know what? I'm just going to write something simple.
That is a static melody.
Which brings me into the next type of melody.
Which is a melody that moves by step.
When you're creating this melody.
When you start on a note.
Whatever note you go to next.
It's going to be touching the note
that you were just singing.
[MUSIC] maybe I want
to try that line again and give it some motion this time.
[MUSIC] I've told you 1,000 times.
I've told you 1,000 times.
[MUSIC] and so many melodies are written in steps.
I might decide,
"I want a little more emotion in what I'm saying.
What I told you 1,000 times.
I don't want it to sound as deflated.
I want to have a little more attention in that melody."
Let's look at the third type of melody.
That would be a melody that moves in thirds.
Let's try that phrase.
"I've told you a 1000 times" [MUSIC] I've
told you a 1000 times.
I've told you a 1000 times.
Maybe I want that to sound even more dramatic.
I want that to be a leap that's higher than a third.
Those are the four types of melodies.
A flat static melody.
A melody that moves by step.
A melody that moves by third.
The last one is a melody that moves in leaps.
That would be anything higher,
a fourth or higher.
[MUSIC] Or [MUSIC] in some songs go on octave.
They've got a whole octave leap there.
In this thing, this line,
I've told you a 1000 times with a leap.
[MUSIC] I've told you a 1000 times.
I've told you a 1000 times.
That's still low, like there's a little anger there.
Because I'm going up or I could go up higher.
[MUSIC] I told you.
Which is a little more tense than I wanted to be sold.
[MUSIC] Just garb affair. I've told you a 1000 times.
I've told you a 1000 times.
[MUSIC] I would just play with those shapes for
my line by line in my songs and decide,
which one of those best serves
the story that I'm telling and gets my emotion across.
Just play with those patterns.
Try align and try them out as a static melody.
Try it out as a step melody try it in thirds and then
try it as a leap of a fourth or higher.
I think it's a great opportunity
for you to audition ideas and just
get some perspective as you're creating ideas.
On the days when the Muses off with Beyoncé.