New answers tagged melody
2
The two terms you have to differ here are homophony and polyphony. If you try to set a simple instrumental 2nd voice you can e.g. write just descending notes of a scale (this might be half notes playing single tones of the fitting chords.)
The other term (polyphony) is connected with counterpoint. Yes, there are lots of rules how you can write in ...
3
Oh boy, this is a big one.
Yes there are rules, or rather there are methods and tricks. You need to have good counterpoint between the vocal and the instrumental line. Then you need to use your ears to write counter-melodies that complement and enhance the vocal. Really you're just writing a two part counterpoint, but often the counter-melody may be ...
1
Not always easy, particularly in today's commercial music. Singers strive to make them sound as similar as possible with no discernable break, and sometimes to 'mix' the two.
Also, how one singer 'places' a song may not be how YOU do.
1
The answer is infinite
Consider just one note, not even an octave.
Ask 12 violinists to play one note. none of them will hit the exact same pitch, yet the listener would consider that to all intents & purposes, they did.
Even take 12 guitarists.
They all tune by ear to a commonly accepted pitch, then each play the same note on, say, the 3rd fret.
That ...
5
The answer is, actually, an infinite number of pitches.
When we think about something like computer-generated music, and glissandi within that repertoire (e.g., the THX intro), we see that there is an infinite number of frequencies that exist within the boundary of a single octave.
3
yes it happens. I once "wrote" the theme from Rocky as a 3/4 ballad. It was a long time before I found out ...
5
Writing a new piece in the language of common practice is almost impossible without using motives or melodic/rhythmic patterns that others have already invented. Like a child can't learn to speak without using the words it has learnt by it's environment - also we are not able to express ourselves musically without using the musical elements we have adapted ...
8
Yes, this is a common phenomenon. I think this happens to everyone who writes music, regardless of style.
If you're writing in Common Practice style specifically, then I think you'll find it very hard to come up with a theme that doesn't sound like you're ripping off some other composer. That's because Common Practice rules are very restrictive and ...
1
It is very difficult to generalize, and you surely can find many counter examples. Advanced musicians often go beyond the basics of their primary style. I will try to answer anyway, based on my experience in classical guitar education and performing classical repertoire.
Training in classical music puts large emphasis on continuity of the melody, or even ...
Top 50 recent answers are included
