Questions tagged [melody]
A succession of notes which comprise the principal part in harmonized music.
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Why is the tonic so important for melodies?
I made a simple melody in FL studio that was in C Major. The melody consisted of two phrases both of which started on D. The only difference between the two is the second phrase ended on C (the tonic ...
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Question from Exercsies in Melody (Percy Goetschius)
I've been studying said book for learning melody writing and I find it to be very methodical. It is completely free to download for anyone interested (google).
I found a line I can't seem to ...
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668 views
Can this Arabic scale be described in Western terms?
Does anyone know what scale this is? I know it may be a scale that's not used in Western countries and also uses quarter tones...but can it be described in Western music terms? It sounds similar to ...
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182 views
Adding interest to arpeggios
Recently i've been more confident in the progressions I choose for my songs, but the guitar arrangements are still very uninspired. I am particularly bad at creating cool arpeggios or riffs that ...
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1answer
50 views
Is it correct to call this figure a “turn figure” in Haydn's Surprise Symphony?
In the IB Music Revision Guide, the author says that a cadence in the second movement of Haydn's Surprise Symphony (end of the first statement of the theme) is "decorated with a turn figure" (see ...
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649 views
Roman numeral analysis for melody?
This is mainly a notation question. But when analyzing a melody how do you notate melody notes?
Is it 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII (or maybe lower case) or do, re, mi, fa, sol, ...
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What kind of melodic inversion is this?
My understanding of melodic inversion (strict and diatonic) is taking a melody/motif, beginning on the same note and moving in the opposite direction. However, in the IB Music Revision Guide's ...
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Question regarding bass line
I'm very new to music theory so pardon me if its a very infantile question but I would like to learn. I've been playing the piano and while just playing around I started playing E D# C# B A G# F# B# E ...
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Applying schemata to chords other than I IV V
I have been reading up on Galant schemata (stock melodic phrases) recently and have run into a question regarding their universality.
All of the various schemas (Prinner, Pastorale, Fenaroli, etc) ...
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understanding schematic analysis notation
What do the numbers above and below the staffs represent? I was assuming that the white-circled numbers under the bass parts were the thoroughbass and that the black-circled numbers above were the ...
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4answers
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Standard or fundamental melodic patterns
Between systems like the circle of fifths, useful tools like the “chord board” (a chart that, if you follow the “rules of the game” allows you to create strong progressions), “standard” progressions, ...
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Is it possible to stick too closely to Mozart in an arrangement?
One of the many musical things I do is arrange pieces by other composers. As far as composers go, the easiest for me to arrange is Mozart(probably because of a combination of early and sustained ...
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Does the diatonic scales D major, A major, E major and B minor implement the same notes used by the pentatonic F-sharp minor scale?
The F# minor pentatonic scale notes are:
F# A B C# E.
Now I want to know if the D major, A major, E major and B minor scales (all diatonic) implement all the notes used by the F# pentatonic ...
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2answers
170 views
What are the differences between natural major, harmonic major and melodic major scales?
The natural major scale on C has the notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. What is the difference between natural major, harmonic major, and melodic major scales. What notes of the natural major are changed in ...
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Is this melody too complicated for a first variation?
I asked in a separate question whether Theme and Variations would be the best fitting form for my "Dance of Nature" movement. I decided that the multi-movement work this is part of would be a symphony,...
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How to Determine a Song's Title with only the Melody [closed]
How do music professionals identify the title of a song when all they know is the melody of that song?
For example, I'm having great difficulty identifying the title of the melody played during this ...
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I need help understanding how to assign roman numerals to a key as well as how to do a melodic analysis [closed]
Here is the link to the questions:
https://scontent.fybz2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/s2048x2048/76767498_631590154044645_5429312693389492224_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ohc=...
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antecedent and consequent phrase in minor scale
MY question is what are the rules for melodic phrasing in minor scales. For example, I know that in a major scale the vii wants to go up to the I and the V can go where ever etc.
what are the rules ...
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2answers
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How to Make an Instrument's Melody Sound Right With a Vocal Melody?
Every time I add a melody with a distinct rhythm (from say the piano) to my vocal melody, I notice that the music starts sounding confusing and irritating. Some songs have riffs (ie a melody of an ...
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1answer
41 views
Head voice and chest voice [duplicate]
When I hear something (a song for instance) I want to be able to tell whether I am hearing a head voice rendition or that of a chest voice.
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5answers
475 views
what are the characteristics that define a “good” melody?
When composing a song, I think it might help if I understood what some of the characteristics of a good melody might be, and do those characteristics apply generally across the board or are they ...
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How many notes from all world music are in an octave? [closed]
Considering all the music from all differents cultures on earth, how many notes do we get in an octave?
I'd guess something around 24 instead of the 12 of western music?
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Difference between Indian and English lyricism besides language?
Suppose we sing or rap about dark themes (depression, alcohol, drugs, violence, sex) similar to modern American music from 1970-present day in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, or Malayalam over Indian classical-...
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Unintentional plagiarism while composing
I have recently started composing using some knowledge that I got after a few months of studying counterpoint and harmony (well it is more like trying to compose). And I have mentioned that quite ...
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1answer
134 views
Guitar rif comparisons and similarities
Consider the bass guitar line of a song called "Schism":
and another bass guitar line of a song called "Pneuma".
When Pneuma was ...
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How to convert what I'm singing to notes
I've been trying for months to get the songs in my head down to piano. But whenever I try none of the notes seem to fit what I'm singing. I'm guessing this is because I'm either A: out of tune or B: ...
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1answer
167 views
Composing on guitar - Fingerstyle vs Classical
I'm wondering about the difference in the process of composing a song for a Fingerstyle Guitar vs what would be considered a Classical guitar piece.
Note: I'm an amature hobbiest, so please excuse my ...
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4answers
102 views
all chords for one melody note [duplicate]
Sorry folks for any confusing
For example, let’s say that you have a G. It could belong to the chords G, Gm, C, Cm Em, Dsus4, Eb, A7, Am7, and a bunch more.
Is there a online tool where I can find ...
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3answers
226 views
Notes between chords
I am just a beginner playing the piano and been studying the scales, progressions, triads. Just the basic theory. So when i play a song i can play the chords but i don't know how to find notes to play ...
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1answer
107 views
Why block consisting of “re” and “fa” notes is classified as chord V?
I am reading this paper: Toward a Musical Analysis of World Music
On page 4 there is this statement:
All of the songs are syllabic and are subject to clear harmony
(prototype degrees [I, V, IV] ...
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7answers
3k views
Can chords be inferred from melody alone? [duplicate]
Some vids about arranging on fingerstyle guitar say to figure out the chords first either by ear or through tabs, then to play the melody on top of them. But that seems like too much work. For one, ...
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1answer
132 views
How to diffrentiate countermelody from arpeggiated accompaniament?
I wonder what would be main difference between arpeggiated accompaniament and counter melody.
Could it be the rule that if it's an arpeggiated accompaniament then it would be more repetitive (because ...
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4answers
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Are fretless stringed instruments used mainly for melody?
Just wondering if fretless stringed instruments like a violin or oud, by fretless does it imply that they are used mainly for melody? In contrast to an instrument like a guitar, that has frets, does ...
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1answer
56 views
Comparing variable-length pitch contours
Robert Morris defined a contour segment of a set of n pitches as a list of numbers from 0 to n, where each number corresponds to the relative height of its corresponding pitch (for instance, <...
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228 views
Best method to convert MIDI style data to proper sheet with correct note names? [closed]
What are the best general algorithms to determine the correct notes (with sharp/flat) as they appear on a sheet with only input a MIDI-style data that has only the designation of a white or black key ...
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2answers
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How should a melody be treated when switched from right to left hand?
For example, in Chopin's Etude Op 10, No. 4 (Torrent), the melody is initially in the right hand and it's accompanied by the left hand.
A few bars after, the right takes over the same accompaniment ...
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0answers
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Intervals when making a tone row - what to keep in mind?
For writing 12 tone or serial music, one generally makes a tone row, and then uses that for constructing a melody. I want to know what would be the maximum range of intervals between any 2 consecutive ...
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Aural mnemonics: can we compile a list? [duplicate]
When I do ear training, I like to use mnemonics, in the form of a short snippet from a well-known song, to help me memorize certain aural patterns. I can share some of the ones I have so far, but I ...
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Chords behaving as a melody
I've been learning some Christmas carols on the guitar and I noticed that the chord structure they have is very different from what I can usually see in popular/rock music.
I noticed that the ...
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4answers
536 views
Singing along to guitar chords (harmony)
Recently I started writing songs and I started to wonder:
Let's say I sing middle C (while playing open C chord on guitar) for a bar and then go to singing E, third higher in pitch. Should I follow ...
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1answer
76 views
Is there a catalog of different rhythms? [closed]
The melodies I've been writing have been good in terms of notes and chord progressions, but they lack interesting rhythms. Some examples of good rhythms that are interesting are DROELOE's Kintsugi ...
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3answers
182 views
Can the melody determine the key of an ambiguous chord progression
I am writing a song in A major. The chords in the verse are A, C#m, F#m, F#m. Now it is clear to me the key of this part of the song is A/F#m but then in the chorus the C#m chord is switched with the ...
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3answers
759 views
Are modes in jazz primarily a melody thing?
I was wondering when jazz cats talk about how they'd use a Lydian scale to improvise over a major chord, or a Dorian scale to improvise over a minor chord they're mainly talking about the melody? So ...
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5answers
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How to write a 12-bar blues melody
I'm learning to write a 12-bar blues for a music theory class, and I'm a little confused about one point. I understand that the harmony is made of certain typical chord progressions (e.g. I-I-I-I, IV-...
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3answers
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I can't produce songs
I'm a guitarist, playing with 3-4 bands 4-5 days a week. I also study Sound Engineering and doing recording, arranging and mixing. My literature is not bad, and I have a good music education. ...
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Does this song use melodic minor or harmonic minor?
The song below was on a past IB Music Diploma Programme listening paper. The markscheme says that it uses melodic minor. I hear a raised 7th, particularly in the vocal, but I don't hear a raised 6th......
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How can whole tone melodies sound more interesting?
How can one make melodies made from whole tone scales sound more interesting & appealing? Unlike melodies based in a certain mode or a key, whole tone scales use only tones as the intervals. This ...
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1answer
461 views
Tips on writing 12 bar or 16 bar melodies
I need to write 12 bar or 16 bar melodies for my Grade 8 Music Theory exam. I know how to write melodies, which didn't require any modulation. I am new to the concept of using modulation in melody ...
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What are the key features to keep in mind when writing melodies in Mixolydian mode?
When writing a melody in the Mixolydian mode, you don't want it to sound as if it were in a major key. So how do you go about writing melodies in the Mixolydian mode, while maintaining the essence of ...
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1answer
102 views
If a melody is above the octave does that give reason to use extended chords?
I'm wondering if the melody, when you play it above an octave and those notes then become 9ths,11ths,13ths does that then give a reason to use extended chords to harmonize them? Or is there no ...
