10 Instant Melody-Writing Strategies for Pianists and Producers
To write a melody quickly, Jason Zac suggests starting from at least two chords, using chord tones and landing notes on strong beats, building rhythm first, displacing beats, using the pentatonic or a smaller subset scale, singing and transcribing, turning practice patterns into tunes, and borrowing ideas from favourite songs.
Key points
- Build every melody on a platform of at least two chords, such as V to I.
- Put long landing notes on strong beats and connect them with shorter passing notes.
- Writing the rhythm first, then adding pitches, makes melody writing easier.
- The pentatonic and subset scales limit your notes so ideas sound good quickly.
- Singing ideas, adapting practice patterns and borrowing from favourite songs are fast routes to new tunes.
What this lesson covers
In this lesson Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shares ten practical strategies for writing a melody fast. It is aimed at pianists first, but the ideas work just as well for guitarists, singers and music producers working in software. Some strategies are conventional music theory. Others are unusual tricks for the days when your brain feels completely fried.
The ten strategies
1. Use a minimum of two chords
A melody needs a harmonic platform, and in Jason Zac's view that platform should be at least two chords. A simple cadence such as V to I gives the tune a sense of movement and an eventual resting point. The melody can wander over the first chord and then settle when the harmony resolves.
2. Let the chords become the melody
Once you have your chords, the notes inside them are ready-made melody notes. Picking out chord tones and playing them in a rhythm instantly gives you a tune that fits the harmony.
3. Landing notes and passing notes
Think of a melody as a flight. Landing notes are the long notes that sit on strong beats, usually chord tones. Passing notes are the shorter notes that travel between one landing point and the next. Decide where you want to land, then work out an interesting route to get there.
4. Rhythm to melody
Forget pitch for a moment and write a rhythm pattern first, with some long and some short notes. Then assign notes to that rhythm. The rhythm gives the melody its character, and choosing pitches becomes much easier.
5. Beat displacement
Take a note that normally falls on the beat and place it slightly before or after. Shifting where notes land in the bar creates syncopation and makes a plain idea feel fresh and catchy.
6. The pentatonic
The pentatonic scale has just five notes, which makes it very hard to sound wrong. The major pentatonic uses degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6, and the minor pentatonic uses 1, b3, 4, 5 and b7. You can improvise freely over almost any progression with it and keep the good phrases.
7. Sing and transcribe
Instrumentalists and producers often let the technique of their instrument or software dictate what they write. Instead, sing an idea first, record it, and then work it out on the piano. Melodies that come from the voice tend to be more natural and singable.
8. Patterns and shapes
Every instrument has practice exercises with patterns going up and down. Simplify one of these exercises, change its shape or stop it somewhere unexpected, and it can become a melody. Exercises are still important, but this turns practice into a source of ideas.
9. Subset scales
Choose a scale and then deliberately leave some of its notes out. Using only a small subset of a scale, with a few characteristic notes kept in, gives a distinctive and very catchy sound.
10. Rip off your favourites
Take a favourite song, such as Uptown Funk, and borrow an element of it, for example its rhythm or shape, then write your own notes into it. Because you change the notes, you are not copying the song, but you get a strong starting point.
How to practise
- Try one strategy per session rather than all ten at once.
- Always start with two chords, even if you then use another strategy on top.
- Record yourself, whether singing or playing, so good accidents are not lost.
- When you feel stuck, switch to one of the unconventional ideas such as rhythm first, displacement or borrowing from a song you love.
Questions about this lesson
How many chords do I need to write a melody?
Jason Zac recommends a minimum of two chords, such as a V to I cadence. Two chords give the melody movement and a resting point to land on.
What is a landing note in a melody?
A landing note is a longer note placed on a strong beat, usually a chord tone, where the melody settles. Shorter passing notes travel between landing notes.
Why use the pentatonic scale for melody writing?
The pentatonic has only five notes, so it is hard to play a clashing note. You can improvise freely over most progressions and keep the phrases you like.
Is it okay to borrow from songs I like?
Yes, as a starting point. Take an element such as the rhythm or shape of a favourite song and write your own notes, so the result becomes your own melody.
Practise it
- Melodic CurvesSketch a melodic contour, choose a scale and hear the line take shape.
- Roll the DiceGenerate melody, rhythm and harmony ideas, view the notation and refine what you hear.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- Make Catchy Piano Melodies From a Vocal Rhythm (No Fancy Theory)To write a catchy piano melody without much theory, first sing or tap a short rhythm, then play it on a few notes of one scale (such as A B C# D E in A major), break it into parts, and develop it by moving the left-hand bass through I, IV, V and vi or by shifting the same finger pattern to other notes of the scale.
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using Chord TonesTo write a melody over a chord progression, pick one chord tone from each chord (such as the third), play it in the right hand while the left hand plays the chords, then bring it to life with rhythm patterns that grow from semibreves to minims, crotchets and quavers.
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using the Pentatonic ScalesTo write a melody over a chord progression on piano, build the major pentatonic (scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6) or its relative minor pentatonic, then create tunes from mechanical note patterns, by singing phrases and playing them back, and by repeating a short motif that fits every chord.
- How to Write a Melody on Piano Using a Motif (Building Phrases)To write a melody from a motif, create a short melodic-rhythmic phrase over the chord tones, then keep it fresh across a progression by changing its landing note, transposing it to start from each chord's root, and adding or removing notes.