Range Rule for Better Melodies
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of Hack Music Theory, Kate and Ray Harmony address the issue of melody range, explaining that a melody's range is the interval between its lowest and highest notes. They demonstrate how a small range can lead to a monotonous melody and provide a step-by-step guide to extend the range for more engaging music. The video also introduces the concept of the 'three' as a powerful note for creating climaxes and emphasizes the importance of creating a singable melody. The hosts encourage viewers to use their melody checklist for further assistance in crafting compelling melodies.
Takeaways
- 🎶 A 'fault' in a melody refers to a weakness or area for improvement, not a mistake.
- 🔍 The range of a melody is the interval between its lowest and highest notes, and a small range can make a melody monotonous.
- 🎵 To fix a melody's range, extend it by moving MIDI notes up and down, but do so thoughtfully to maintain musicality.
- 🎧 The highest note of a melody should ideally coincide with the lowest note of the bass line or one of its lowest notes.
- 📈 The third of the chord below is a powerful note to consider for the melody's highest point, though it's not a strict rule.
- 📉 For the melody's lowest note, consider aligning it with the highest note of the bass line or one of its highest notes.
- 🌟 Use a step-by-step method to create a melody with a large range, ensuring a climax and a flowing contour.
- ⚠️ Large intervals in a melody's contour should be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming the listener.
- 🎤 A good melody should have an ideal range that is neither too small nor too large, and it should be singable.
- 📚 For more guidance on writing melodies, refer to the melody checklist in the Hack Music Theory songwriting and producing PDF.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The main focus of the video script is to teach music makers how to identify and fix a 'fault' in a melody, specifically a small range, which can make the melody monotonous and boring.
What is considered a 'fault' in a melody according to the script?
-A 'fault' in a melody is a weakness or area for improvement, not a mistake. In the context of the script, a small range is identified as a fault because it lacks variation and can be monotonous.
How is the range of a melody defined in the script?
-The range of a melody is defined as the interval from its lowest note to its highest note. In the example provided, the range is only five semitones from C to F.
Why is a large range important in a melody?
-A large range is important because it brings interest and life into the melody, similar to how varying pitch in speech makes it more engaging. It prevents the melody from being monotonous and boring.
What is the key and tempo of the example melody provided in the script?
-The example melody is in the key of F Lydian, which consists of all the white notes from F to F, and the tempo is 90 BPM.
What is the first step in fixing the range of a melody according to the script?
-The first step in fixing the range of a melody is to decide where the climax of the melody will happen, which is the highest note.
What note is suggested to be used as the highest note in a melody?
-The script suggests starting with the 'three' of the chord below as it is the most powerful note. However, it is not mandatory, and in the example, the 'two' of the F major chord, which is G, is used as the highest note.
How should the lowest note of a melody be determined?
-The lowest note of a melody should be played over the bass line's highest note or at least one of its highest notes, according to the script's suggestion.
What is the ideal range for a melody?
-There is no one-size-fits-all ideal range for a melody. It should be big enough to keep it interesting and full of life but not too big that it becomes difficult to sing.
What resource is available for further help with writing melodies?
-For further help with writing melodies, the script mentions a melody checklist found in the songwriting and producing PDF available on hackmusictheory.com.
Outlines
🎶 Enhancing Melody with Range
This paragraph introduces the concept of melody range, emphasizing that a small range can make a melody monotonous. The key to creating an engaging melody is to extend its range by moving MIDI notes up and down. The process involves identifying the climax of the melody, choosing the highest note, and deciding on the lowest note. The highest note is often the 'three' of the chord below, while the lowest note is played over the bass line's highest note. The melody should be singable, and the ideal range is subjective, avoiding being too small or too large.
📝 Melody Range Rule and Resources
The concluding paragraph summarizes the melody range rule, stating that a melody should have a sufficiently large range to be interesting but not so large that it becomes difficult to sing. It also mentions the availability of a melody checklist in the songwriting and producing PDF for further guidance on writing melodies. The paragraph ends with an appreciation for the audience's participation in the Hack Music Theory community.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Fault
💡Melody Range
💡Counterpoint
💡Lydian Mode
💡Tempo
💡Singability
💡Melody Checklist
💡Hack Music Theory
💡Music Theory Hacks
💡Synth
Highlights
A fault in a melody is not a mistake but a weakness that needs improvement.
The fault in the example melody is that its range is too small, which makes it monotonous.
The range of a melody is the interval between its lowest and highest notes.
A small range in a melody is like a person speaking without varying their pitch—it can be boring.
To fix a small range in a melody, extend the range by moving MIDI notes up and down.
Decide on the climax of your melody first, which is the highest note in the melody.
Use counterpoint by aligning your melody's highest note with your bass line's lowest note.
A good starting point for the highest note is the third note of the chord below, as it is the most powerful note.
For example, over an F major chord, the third note is A, but you can use other notes creatively.
Decide on the lowest note of your melody next, ideally aligning it with the bass line's highest note.
Create a flowing contour between the highest and lowest notes to ensure smooth transitions.
Use large intervals sparingly in your melody to avoid overwhelming the listener.
The ideal melody range should be big enough to stay interesting but not too big to be difficult to sing.
Great melodies are always singable, even if written for instruments like synths or guitars.
To ensure your melody's range is effective, use the melody checklist provided in the hack music theory PDF.
Transcripts
can you hear the fault in this melody
[Music]
if you couldn't hear the fault don't
worry that's what you're about to learn
and more importantly you'll learn our
rule for fixing this fault in the
melodies you've already written and
avoiding it in the melodies you'll write
in the future but first tea
[Music]
hello revolutionary music makers i'm
kate harmony this is ray harmony and
welcome to hack music theory the fast
easy and fun way to make music if you're
new to theory or if you just want a
refresher then read our free book 12
music theory hacks to learn scales and
chords you'll be able to instantly apply
these hacks to your songwriting and
producing so head on over to
hackmusictheory.com right after this
lesson and download your free pdf all
right it's time to open your daw to hack
music theory
firstly just to clarify a fault is not a
mistake a fault is a weakness in other
words an area for improvement so what's
the fault in this melody well the
melody's range is too small
the range of a melody is the interval
from its lowest note which in this
example is c to its highest note which
in this example is f
so in this melody that distance is only
five semitones you can count that on one
hand that's small listening to a melody
with a small range is like listening to
a person talking who does not bury their
pitch it's monotonous which gets boring
so just like in speech a big range will
bring interest and life into your
melodies and by the way our example is
in the key of f lydian which is all the
white notes from f to f and the tempo is
90 bpm and if you're not familiar with
the uplifting but quirky lydian mode you
can use the mode hack in our songwriting
and producing pdf okay so now that you
can identify the fault how do you fix it
well it's shockingly easy to fix as you
simply need to move the midi notes up
and down to extend your melody's range
in practice however it's a little more
tricky than that so here's our
step-by-step method for creating a big
range in your melodies step one start by
deciding where the climax of your melody
will happen in other words the highest
note using the concept of counterpoint
we suggest playing your melody's highest
note of your bass line's lowest note or
at least one of its lowest notes we
chose to play our highest note over the
first chord f major
step two once you know where your
highest note is going you need to decide
on what that note will actually be
a good place to start is with the three
of your chord below because the three is
the most powerful note for example over
an f major chord the three is the note a
and if you don't know why the three is
the most powerful note read hack nine in
our free book and obviously you don't
have to use the three as your highest
note it's just a good note to get your
creative juices flowing we actually use
the 2 as our highest note so over the f
major chord that's g
[Music]
[Applause]
step 3
next do the opposite decide on where the
lowest note of your melody is going and
what it will be we suggest playing your
melody's lowest note over your bass
line's highest note or at least one of
its highest notes
[Applause]
step four
now that you've got your highest and
lowest notes in place you can create a
flowing contour to join them up
if you want a big jump in your contour
that's awesome but use those large
intervals very sparingly as they can be
overwhelming
for most of your melody you'll want to
use smaller intervals right now you're
probably wondering what's the ideal
range for a melody well just like every
person in the world is different every
melody is different too so while there's
no one-size-fits-all range that's ideal
you'll know when your melody's range is
too small because it will be boring and
lifeless and you'll know when your
melody's range is too big because it
will be really difficult to sing
somewhere between those two guidelines
is where you'll find the ideal range for
each melody and yes your melody should
be singable even if you're writing it
for synth or guitar or some other
instrument great melodies are singable
melodies always
so to conclude our melody range rule is
that your melody must have a big enough
range to keep it interesting and full of
life but not too big so that it's hard
to sing lastly if you need more help
writing melodies then simply use our
melody checklist which tells you exactly
what to do and what not to do in your
melodies the melody checklist can be
found in our songwriting and producing
pdf thanks so much for being here in the
hack music theory community you are
truly valued and we're excited to hang
out with you again soon
[Music]
[Music]
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you
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