What makes a beautiful melody?

melodies that partner well with a beautiful chord progression, and. melodies that use a prominent melodic cell or motif that gets constantly repeated, and. melodies that often feature a melodic leap or a series of leaps.

secretsofsongwriting.com - 4 Characteristics of Beautiful Song Melodies

What percent of guitarists quit?

Learning to play an instrument is difficult. In fact, studies show that 90 percent of people learning to play guitar quit within the first three...

Last updated Feb 20, 2021

Which is faster TreeMap or HashMap?

HashMap, being a hashtable-based implementation, internally uses an array-based data structure to organize its elements according to the hash...

Last updated Oct 7, 2018

Promotion

It takes more than a beautiful singer to make melodies beautiful. It’s all in how they’re constructed, and it’s not accidental.

____________

Get “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle, and discover the 11 principles of songwriting that the pros have been using for decades. NOTE: Buying the 10-eBook Deluxe Bundle gets you a FREE GIFT. To find out today’s deal, visit the online store.

____________

There are some melodies that go beyond merely being “good tunes”, where public consensus rates them as “the most beautiful melodies ever written.” When people talk about a melody being beautiful, they are usually talking about: melodies that tend to be slow or moderately slow, and melodies that partner well with a beautiful chord progression, and melodies that use a prominent melodic cell or motif that gets constantly repeated, and melodies that often feature a melodic leap or a series of leaps. Let’s look at an example or two of song melodies that are generally thought of as being beautiful, and then how these four qualities apply. First, a couple of gorgeous tunes from pre-rock & roll days: “Beyond the Sea”, by Charles Trenet under the title “La Mer” (1946), and “Body and Soul,” written by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green in 1939. “Beyond the Sea” is known best in this version by Bobby Darrin. It’s become a jazz standard, and has been recorded often in many different genres. “Body and Soul” was first made famous by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, and most recently recorded by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse (her last recording session before her death in 2011.)

Tempo

Give both songs a couple of listens. “Beyond the Sea” is usually done at the moderate tempo you hear in the Darrin recording. The tempo of “Body and Soul” is more typical of songs we associate with beauty. Slow tempos allow notes to linger longer, where we get to experience the full effects of melodic dissonances and interplay with the supporting chords.

Chord Progressions

Pop songwriters typically choose more elaborate chords when the tempos are slower, and that’s something that’s been a norm in music composition for literally centuries. The faster the tempo, the more basic the chords should be. Slower tempos that we typically use for ballads allow the writer to insert more interesting passing chords and altered chords, as well as chords full of non-chord tones. In both of the song examples, the chords allow for beautifully-structured melodies. While many songs will use a rather small set of chords, songs that feature gorgeous melodies tend to use chords that go beyond simple I-IV-V progressions, while remaining focused on the tonic chord. Therefore, you’ll get great use out of progressions that allow for a rising or falling bass line, as well as circle-of-fifths.

What are the 12 scales in music?

How many major scales are there? There are twelve major scales, just like there are twelve chromatic notes! These are A, Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, Eb, E,...

Last updated Aug 18, 2022

Can you learn piano in 6 months?

If you can already play songs hands together it'll take you about 4 months to get good at playing piano by ear. If you're a complete beginner and...

Last updated Jul 4, 2022

Promotion

Repeating Melodic Cells

A melodic cell is simply a short sequence of notes that pulls the listener into the song as it gets repeated. In “Beyond the Sea”, we get an initial rising-note idea that keeps modifying itself enticingly, the end-note of each cell moving higher and higher as it goes: You’ll notice this same ever-climbing-higher characteristic in “Body and Soul” as we hear that initial idea “My heart is sad and lonely” get repeated upward.

Melodic Leaps

A melodic leap is simply a situation where a melody leaps upward or downward usually by an interval larger than a 3rd. This is an easily-noticed feature of both these songs, and you’ll notice it in practically every melody that a particular musical culture considers to be beautiful. If you love listening to “O Holy Night” at Christmas, you’ll notice that “the big leap” at the end gets more attention in that song than almost any other part of the tune.

Today’s Songs

In more modern times, the four characteristics listed above still apply. Here’s a short list of songs from the recent past that use melodies that have been beautifully constructed and shaped: “Man in the Mirror” (Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard), recorded by Michael Jackson. Features a prominent downward leap in the chorus. Downward leaps are not as common as upward-moving ones. “A Thousand years” (Christina Perri, David Hodges). “Like a Star” (Corinne Bailey Rae). You’ll be amazed how many times you can repeat a single musical idea, and string it together to produce something beautiful.

____________

Get today’s special deal on the 10-eBook Deluxe Bundle

secretsofsongwriting.com - 4 Characteristics of Beautiful Song Melodies

Is pink noise harmful?

Pink noise, white noise or any type of sound is generally safe for anyone to use. It helps you sleep by covering up distracting sounds that might...

Last updated Nov 3, 2019

Can you use rubbing alcohol to clean piano keys?

The easiest solution for cleaning your key tops is the following: A Damp – not wet. If this doesn't get all the dirt and gunk off the keys then you...

Last updated Dec 18, 2020

Promotion

What keys are you not allowed to copy?

The truth is there's no law regarding “do not duplicate” keys. The engraved message found on many business keys is not legally binding – it's just...

Last updated Nov 15, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Does F flat exist?

, C♭, D♭, and E♭ Its key signature has six flats and one double flat.

Last updated Jun 1, 2021