In our last lesson we spent some time thinking about the kind of waltz we want to compose and putting together a short plan.  Now we’re going to get practical and start composing!  Some people like to begin a composition with the chords first – if that’s what you’d prefer to do, that’s fine – please do that.  I’m going to start with the melody and then create the chords.

I’m going to take you through how to write a melody, but if you want to go into more depth or would like a refresher, why not enrol in our course: How to compose a great melody, where I take you step-by-step through melody-writing.  You’ll find a number of examples in this lesson – please listen to them and use them to generate ideas for your own melody.

In this lesson we’ll cover:

  1. What makes a good melody?
  2. Establishing the key
  3. Using rhythm effectively

1. What makes a good melody?

Creating your melody

We’re going to start by composing a 4-bar melodic phrase.  In the next lesson we’ll develop this tune.

It’s helpful to think of a phrase as a musical sentence.  Where does the music naturally take a breath?  Most musical phrases are 2 or 4 bars, but some can be 3 or 6 bars. 

What to think about first…

  • Think about the mood and character you want to create.
  • Establish your chosen key (write out key signature if you like)
  • Set a couple of intentions.  This is where you give some purpose to your melody and decide what kind of character or feeling you want to present.

Get a piece of paper and jot down some ideas and intentions for your waltz.  You can use the example above to help you.

By the end of the next lesson we will have created an 8-bar phrase, made up of two 4-bar mini phrases.  I’ve composed three 4-bar melodies below, and then I’ll choose one to develop.  Hopefully these will give you some inspiration.

Example #1

Example #2

Example #3

Which one did you like the most?  They are all quite similar, because they fit in with my intentions which I wrote down above.  I’ve decided to use melody #2 for my composition so I’ll develop this one in the next lesson.

2. Establishing the key

It’s really important that we establish the key in the first 4 bars. This helps the audience to feel secure when listening to the music.  The following steps can help to keep the key of your melody clear:

  1. Start on the tonic (or dominant)
  2. Finish the first phrase on the dominant
  3. Perhaps use triadic or scalic movement, using notes from the chosen key.

Each note in a scale has a name.  The tonic is the first note of the scale.  It’s seen as the most important note as it helps establish the key.  For example in the key of F major the tonic note is F.  In A minor the tonic note is A, and so on.

The dominant note is the 5th note of the scale and can be worked out by counting up 5 notes from the tonic.  Remember to count the tonic as ‘one’.  So in C major count up “C D E F G” = 5 notes which gives us G as the dominant.

The dominant is a strong note, as it also helps establish the key and resolves easily back to the tonic.

3. Using rhythm effectively

Giving thought to the way you use rhythm in your melody can add interest and provide a way of developing your tune later on.  It doesn’t mean just adding in rhythmic features for the sake of it, but a well-placed rest or dotted rhythm can give real character to a tune. 

In this section we will explore:

  • Dotted rhythm
  • Anacrusis and off-beat
  • Use of rests

Dotted rhythm

Using dotted quavers can add energy to your melody as the semiquaver leads into the next beat.  It’s also a good way of your developing your melody later – if you start with a pair of quavers you can change these into a dotted quaver and semiquaver in the next section.

Anacrusis and off-beat

An anacrusis is an upbeat.  Here, the anacrusis gives energy to the melody – it feels like the music takes a breath.  The minim lands on the weak beat of the bar (beat 2), effectively creating a simple off-beat rhythm.  This rhythmic figure is heard 3 times, making it into a feature.

Use of rests

Sometimes we forget to use silence when composing!  But it can be very effective – here’s a simple example of how a few well-placed rests can bring space and move the music along.  

Using the examples above as a guide, compose your 4-bar melody.  Remember:

  • start on the tonic
  • Use 3/4 time signature
  • At the end of bar 4, land on the dominant

And why not try out some different rhythmic ideas to add interest to your melody?

Hopefully you now have the first 4 bars of your melody composed!  In the next lesson we’re going to compose the next 4 bars to complete the melody.