Range Rule for Better Melodies

Summary

In 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

00:00

🎶 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.

05:00

📝 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.

Keywords

💡Fault

In the context of the video, a 'fault' refers to a weakness or area for improvement in a melody, rather than a mistake. The video emphasizes that identifying and fixing faults is crucial for enhancing the melody's appeal and preventing it from being monotonous. The example given is a melody with a small range, which is considered a fault because it lacks variation and can be boring to listen to.

💡Melody Range

Melody range is the interval between the lowest and highest notes in a melody. The video explains that a small range can make a melody sound monotonous, similar to a person speaking in a flat tone without much variation. To create interest and life in a melody, the range should be extended, which is one of the main focuses for improving melodies as discussed in the video.

💡Counterpoint

Counterpoint is a musical technique where two or more melodic lines are played simultaneously. The video suggests using the concept of counterpoint to determine the climax of a melody, which is the highest note. It recommends playing the melody's highest note over the bass line's lowest note or one of its lowest notes to create a more dynamic and interesting piece of music.

💡Lydian Mode

The Lydian mode is one of the musical modes in the diatonic scale system, characterized by a major scale with a raised fourth scale degree. The video uses the key of F Lydian as an example, which consists of all the white notes from F to F. The Lydian mode is described as uplifting and quirky, and the video encourages exploring it for unique melodic compositions.

💡Tempo

Tempo refers to the speed or pace of a piece of music, measured in beats per minute (BPM). In the video, the tempo of the example melody is given as 90 BPM. Tempo is an important aspect of music that can affect the mood and feel of a melody, and it's one of the elements that music creators can adjust to improve their compositions.

💡Singability

Singability is the quality of a melody that makes it easy and pleasant to sing. The video stresses that even if a melody is written for an instrument like a synth or guitar, it should be singable. This is because melodies that are easy to sing are generally more memorable and engaging for listeners.

💡Melody Checklist

The 'Melody Checklist' mentioned in the video is a tool provided by the Hack Music Theory community to guide music creators in writing effective melodies. It outlines specific dos and don'ts to consider when crafting melodies, ensuring they are both interesting and singable, which aligns with the video's theme of melody improvement.

💡Hack Music Theory

Hack Music Theory is the educational platform presented in the video, which offers a fast, easy, and fun way to learn music theory. The video is part of a series that aims to help music creators improve their songwriting and music production skills by providing practical hacks and techniques, like fixing faults in melodies.

💡Music Theory Hacks

Music Theory Hacks are practical tips and shortcuts introduced in the video to help learners apply music theory concepts quickly and effectively. The video encourages downloading a free book that contains 12 such hacks, which can be used to learn scales and chords that are immediately applicable to songwriting and music production.

💡Synth

A synth, short for synthesizer, is an electronic musical instrument that generates sound through various means, including the manipulation of waveforms. The video mentions synth as one of the instruments for which melodies can be written, highlighting that melodies should be crafted with consideration for their singability, regardless of the instrument they are intended for.

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]

[Music]

[Music]

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