The Gift of Melody
Posted by stevenc on December 11th 2007 in discussion
Where does it come from?
I Like to think I write good melodies. Where do they originate? How do they transend from beginning to ending? Or do the best melodies come to the composer in final form? Are melodies some magical sequence of notes or are they more mathematical in nature? Why do people differ in their creation of great melodies? As you can tell, I have more questions than answers on this topic.
Can you learn how to compose a great melody in a composition class? Or, is it a gift of the chosen few?
What is the effect if the melody is good but the harmony of the production is bad?
Does the length or tempo influence the marketable successs ofa melody?
If a very simple melody is played by a talented hand (imagin Yo Yo Ma playing Twinkle Twinkle..) does it sell better than it normally would? Or can a superb melody like “Yesterday” be hurt when performed by an out of tune elementary school band?
How close can melodies be before they are deemed stolen? For Example: Rachmaninoff’s 18th variation and Lorie Lines “Threads of Love.”
Can’t get it out of my head
When I compose, I have a workable melody that plays through my head … over and over.. One that comes to mind is My Angel. I just couldn’t get it out of my head until I put pen to paper. If it’s a not-so-good melody, I usually just forget it by the next day and consider it just improvisation.
A sample of “My Angel”:
I feel te best melodies are the ones that play through your head, grab your soul and can be performed in any arrangement and still work. Just think of how many versions of “Chestnuts Roasting” that there are. Even mine ain’t that bad.
