A melody is the sequence of notes that create a musical phrase, often the most memorable part of a song. Whether you’re listening to a pop song or a classical piece, the melody is what often sticks with you.
Melody doesn’t exist in isolation—it’s closely linked with other musical elements like rhythm and harmony. While rhythm dictates the timing and pace of the melody, harmony provides a background of chords that supports and enhances the melody, creating a fuller musical experience.
A melody is something you can sing
Because a person can only sing one note at a time, we can use our voices to determine if something is or is not a melody. This article will teach you to identify all the different parts of a melody, and show you examples from many types of music!
Think of some melodies that you have heard or sung before, Happy Birthday? Yep! The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel? What a beautiful melody. Für Elise by Beethoven? Definitely yes!
Melodic lines are all around us, and sometimes we will write them down using music notation. Let’s look at a few examples of vocal melodies and see what makes them interesting.
Our first melody example is very common, and something we all can remember singing. This song is simple, and this melody consists of short and long notes. Happy Birthday To You – Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill
What is melody in a song?
What does a melody mean in music? We use melody in pop music to mean the part the singer performs. You’ll notice that both of these melodies are single notes, and small short phrases, using the exact same pitches. Often different sections will use the same musical ideas, and exactly the same melody, just with different lyrics. We call these Verses, and almost all compositions in popular music do this. After a verse comes a Chorus.
Notice the next line of The Sound of Silence uses the same musical notes, pitches, but not the same lyrics! Sometimes in songwriting will add one or two extra notes to make the lyrics fit, but the melody and vocal line have the same shape.
What makes a melody memorable?
Some melodies stick in our heads because they are simple and easy to remember. Songs like ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ use repetition, which helps make the melody familiar. When we hear the same melody several times, it becomes easier for our brains to remember. The simplicity of these melodies, with short and clear phrases, also makes them easy to sing along with. This combination of repetition and simplicity is why we can easily recall these tunes, even after hearing them just a few times.
The building blocks of a melody
A melody is made up of three key elements that work together to create a musical tune: pitch, rhythm, and phrasing.
- Pitch
This is what makes a melody sound high or low. For example, when you sing, the notes you hit are either high (like a whistle) or low (like a deep voice). These high and low notes create the melody.
- Rhythm
This tells us how long or short each note in the melody lasts. It’s like the heartbeat of the melody. Some notes are quick and short, while others are longer, creating a flow to the tune.
- Phrasing
Just like a sentence in language, a melody is often broken into parts or “phrases.” These phrases group notes together in a way that makes the melody easier to follow and remember.
A simple melody like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ uses these building blocks. The melody has high and low notes (pitch), some notes are long and some are short (rhythm), and the song is divided into parts (phrases), making it easy to sing along.
How to describe melody in music?
If you’ve ever wondered how to describe melody, this is a great place to start. This piece uses no harmony, it has no chord progression, and it is a very simple tune. It can be performed by one singer, many singers, or on any instrument. It has four phrases, and like most European music in this historical period, it follows very basic melody rules.
You’ll notice each phrase begins with two musical tones that are the same, “Hap-py”. Each melodic phrase begins the same, but then the melodic motion begins to develop.
This formula is often followed in popular music, where each phrase of the melody begins in the same way and then is developed a little differently. One of the best places to learn to read music like this is the teaching application Skoove, and you can get a 7 day free trial to learn how to play anything!
Bach’s influence on melody
We actually get our definition of melody in music from music earlier than Bach, but he composed over 1000 works! He certainly influenced the meaning of melody.
Just because we think of melody as something you can sing, it doesn’t mean a melody has to be sung. Some of my favorite melody lines come from classical music, where it was common to not have a singer. Bach is known as perhaps the most important classical musician of all time, particularly for his incredible use of Melody. He was known for taking beautiful simple ideas and spreading them out through many different instruments.
Here is an excerpt from his piece Jesu Joy of My Desiring, which was originally composed for Choir. The melody is so beautiful that it has now become a standard piece for all instruments.
Not having a singer means the melody can do things that a voice can’t do, like having a note played longer than one person could breathe, or too high or low to be sung.
Something else interesting Bach does in this melody is that he uses only 8th notes. Usually when musicians write music they contain many different rhythms. Bach here only uses Eighth notes, but relies on excellent phrasing to make the music beautiful. Note lengths look like this:
Skoove is a great platform for beginners who want to learn to play the piano, especially if they are interested in playing music by Bach. This example comes from a lesson on the Skoove app, which offers piano lessons for those who are just starting to learn the piano.
This app can help teach you how to play any melody or piece of music you want. It plays along with you, and has lots of different types of music from classical to pop, and does a great job of teaching you to read sheet music while watching real people play the instrument.
Melodic range
Hear how this melody line is spread out between the two hands of the piano, playing single notes at a time. This type of melody is very common throughout history, but it would not be a melody one person could sing as the pitch is too low and too high. A great place to learn to play this is here, with the Skoove App. You can use Skoove to play the Für Elise piano sheet music.
Even though the melody is performed by two hands, they work together as a single entity. The melody also is playing the exact same notes as the harmony, and this makes it a very effective and recognizable song.
The notes here move apart from each other as they spread out, this is called Disjunct Motion. This is a great song to practice your piano theory.
Melodies don’t have to be sung by people and because of that — melodies are everywhere! They appear in vocal music, pop music, classical music, anything!
Difference between melody and harmony
Musicians are always trying to compare melody vs harmony, but really the two work together. Melody And Harmony. A single note line soaring over the top of many notes that all work together to provide a support for the single line.
Sometimes we hear melodies in places we don’t expect, like in movie soundtracks! One of my favorites is by the composer, John Williams. He’s known of course for some of the most iconic movie soundtracks in western music, and for his unconventional use of rhythm.
This melody is very interesting because the phrases are short, and have an interesting shape. They only move back and forth, from one pitch to the next. It was written for low strings, but can be performed on any instrument that can create a low pitch.
It is interesting because the phrases are simple, but when they are on screen, it feels very scary. It has all the elements of a memorable melody, but it is not a conventional melody.
Since this example only has two notes, is it a melody? Well, remember the answer to our early question, “What does melody mean?”.
This melody example is especially amazing because it consists of only two notes, using stepwise motion. That means the notes are right next to each other. However, what makes the melody interesting and memorable is that over time, the rhythm begins to quicken, and the listener perceives a sense of dread. This is particularly a good example because it shows how even though it is not a sung music melody, and has no chords, it is still memorable.
The notes here move slowly towards each other, this is an example of melodic conjunct motion.
Notice that this song is written in 4/4, but starts with triplets. That seems hard but it is actually pretty simple! This song has no music tempo marking, so you can play it at whatever pace you want!
You can also skip the left hand, and accompany yourself using basic piano chords. The melodic line has a big sweeping upward feeling. Composers will write differently for different purposes, and for this purpose the composer wanted to create a sense of grandeur. This composition is performed by French Horn, playing in concert with a symphony orchestra.
Melody comes in all different forms, but mostly share the same small few points. Traditionally, melody was something that came only from one instrumentalist or vocalist at a time. These melodies could be accompanied by anything – from a small folk group, or a keyboard, or an entire orchestra! Writing the first two pitches so far away from each other creates a very interesting musical phrase.
How to write your own melody
- Start with chords – Begin by improvising on a set of chord changes. Let your melody come from the notes within those chords.
- Use a scale – Try creating your melody using the notes from a major or minor scale. You can also experiment with dominant scales or modes for more variety.
- Write with a plan – Consider writing the chorus melody first, then build the verse or pre-chorus melodies around it. Think about adding an intro melody too!
- Create a focal point – Choose a high or low note in your melody that stands out and only appears once, making it memorable.
- Mix stepwise motion with leaps – Keep most of your melody smooth with small steps between notes, but add a few larger leaps for interest.
- Repeat and vary – Take short musical phrases and repeat them, altering the notes or rhythm slightly each time for variation.
- Experiment with counterpoint – Try layering two melodies over the same chord progression to create complexity and texture.
- Write away from your instrument – Use a recorder app to sing your melody without an instrument, then transcribe it once you’re back at your instrument.
- Get inspired – Listen to your favorite songs and analyze the melodies. Borrow techniques you like, such as certain rhythms or note patterns.
Melody in different musical genres
Melody sounds different in every type of music, helping set the mood of a song. Whether it’s a simple, catchy tune in pop music or a more complex melody in classical music, each genre uses melody to make the music feel unique.
Pop music
In pop music, melodies are often simple, catchy, and repetitive. These tunes are designed to stick in your head and are easy to sing along to. A good pop melody often repeats, making it familiar and memorable, like in popular songs you hear on the radio.
The melody of this song is repetitive and easy to remember, making it a perfect example of a catchy pop melody.
Classical music
Classical music tends to have more complex melodies, often with longer phrases and a wider range of notes. These melodies can be intricate, using variations in rhythm and harmony to create a rich, emotional experience. Think of famous pieces like Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ that are both beautiful and detailed.”
This well-known classical piece features a memorable melody that repeats and evolves, showcasing Beethoven’s intricate style.
Film music
Film music uses melody to help tell a story and set the mood for different scenes. These melodies can be dramatic, calm, or exciting, depending on the scene. For example, the ‘Star Wars’ theme by John Williams uses a strong, bold melody to make you feel the epic adventure of the movie.”
The powerful and dramatic melody in this theme perfectly matches the adventurous spirit of the film, making it a classic example of melody in film music.
Melodic finales
We can now identify melodies with what we have learned. Make sure to remember that Melodies:
- Have only one note at a time
- Can be performed by Instruments or Voices
- Are usually accompanied by chords
These examples of melodies should make it clear how melody can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Keep in mind that no matter what type of instrument it is being played by, or whether it is in popular music or classical music, melodies are always made up of the same small parts. Melody is everywhere and we can always be listening for them.
A great place to learn how to play beautiful melodies is with the Skoove app. It has lots of wonderful songs to play and guided videos that show you exactly what you need to do to bring melody into your life!
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