Questions tagged [melody]
A succession of notes which comprise the principal part in harmonized music.
221
questions
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1answer
109 views
How to Determine a Song's Title with only the Melody
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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votes
2answers
79 views
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:
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2answers
50 views
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 ...
2
votes
2answers
41 views
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 ...
0
votes
1answer
39 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.
3
votes
5answers
212 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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votes
2answers
74 views
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?
0
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0answers
144 views
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-...
8
votes
3answers
179 views
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 ...
0
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1answer
96 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 ...
6
votes
6answers
2k views
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: ...
2
votes
1answer
85 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
94 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 ...
1
vote
3answers
118 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
102 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] ...
1
vote
1answer
85 views
How can I identify a tune?
Can anyone steer me to a book or website or smartphone app that will help me find out where a tune is from? I've got an imperfect memory of a tune that I heard years ago and I would love to listen to ...
13
votes
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, ...
1
vote
1answer
101 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 ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
49 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, <...
1
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4answers
197 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
82 views
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 ...
2
votes
0answers
58 views
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 ...
1
vote
0answers
34 views
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
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 ...
5
votes
4answers
376 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
71 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
152 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 ...
6
votes
3answers
701 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 ...
4
votes
5answers
2k views
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-...
9
votes
3answers
1k views
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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2answers
63 views
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......
9
votes
2answers
530 views
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 ...
0
votes
1answer
299 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
97 views
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
85 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 ...
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votes
1answer
100 views
How to analyze this melody in modal/Jazz theory? [closed]
Update: I've updated this for clarity and with some context regarding how I interpret this passage, but my fundamental question remains the same. I really hope someone could help me parse out this ...
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votes
3answers
297 views
Are there two types of songs (melody based, harmony based)? [closed]
I noticed two types of songs.
A strong chord progression (or a strong bass line) and then the melody follows as an example, Pachelbel's Canon in D. In this case the chord progression remains ...
1
vote
0answers
61 views
Kinetic Rhythm in Pop Music
This is something I've noticed that I don't hear anyone really talking about...
Essentially it's the way that separate rhythmic elements of most pop songs interact in a kinetic way with one another. ...
7
votes
3answers
140 views
Which notes are skeletal?
I have been told to figure out which notes in Mozart's theme are skeletal and which ones are just embellishments before I develop my Theme and Variations.
But I don't know how to tell if a note is ...
1
vote
3answers
105 views
Having learnt all the intervals by ear, how does one learn whole melodies? [duplicate]
This might seem like an easy step, but having learned how to recognise all the intervals upto an octave: ascending, descending and harmonically, how does one figure out a melody by ear? I can pick out ...
0
votes
3answers
151 views
How does 'If I were a rich man' work? [closed]
I was playing 'If I were a rich man'. I noticed how it makes use of alot of notes outside its scale even though it's in C major. and I was wondering what the term is for what is it doing. Is it ...
5
votes
1answer
70 views
Is melodic analysis a thing?
I know that harmonic analysis can be done like this:
i iv V i
Is there a similar standard for melodic analysis? Is melodic analysis a thing?
Thanks, Nathan.
9
votes
4answers
2k views
Would the melodic leap of the opening phrase of Mozart's K545 be considered dissonant?
The Complete Musician by Steven Laitz states that melodic intervals larger than a fifth are considered dissonant and should be avoided. It also states that two leaps of a third are fine, provided you ...
1
vote
1answer
103 views
Does changing the beat of a song change its genre? [closed]
Recently, I was listenting to a song, adn then a remix of the same song, and noticed that the melody/beat of the two were very different.
Are the two variations of the song different genres, and if ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
Is there a specific name or descriptive term for happy, productive melodies/tunes that you see on ads? [closed]
Example
Feel free to include some of your favorite ones also!
1
vote
1answer
205 views
Which key to modulate to? [closed]
So I have finished the A section of my waltz and am wanting to go to another key for the B section. The waltz is in the key of D major. So these chords are diatonic to it:
My melody in the A section ...
3
votes
2answers
280 views
How to properly unresolve melodies to achieve dissonance and darkness in music [closed]
I'm looking to understand music theory behind dissonance, unresolved dark music. What makes a song sound serious and not "rainbows". When writing a bassline or melodies, is it possible to achieve ...
1
vote
0answers
1k views
How am I supposed to go about writing a waltz? [closed]
This and other dances in general I have kind of been avoiding for the first 10 years that I composed. But I figured that if I am going to start composing dance music as well as sonatas, symphonies, ...
0
votes
3answers
257 views
Why can I play a melody starting with any key, or even change the key in the middle of the melody?
I just realized that I can play any melody starting with any key on a piano, and it sounds weird only for the first key I press, and afterwards I have trouble remembering what the original sounded ...
