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Melody

Songwriting Infobox

Song Model
Songwriting
Lyrics - Melody - Harmony - Rhythm - Form
Song Form
Title - Chorus - Verse - Prechorus - Bridge
v • d • e

Modeling is the process of creating useful maps of human abilities Ability:
"What is [Ability]?"
"What do I want to be able to do?"
I write hit melodies.

Belief Template:
Criterion
"When you are writing hit melodies, what is important to you?"
"When you are writing hit melodies, what are you evaluating?"
• create many different settings of any lyric • create ideas for melodies on, across and over any type of chord changes • develop these ideas into effective song sections • create emphasis on a lyric hook using many different melodic tools • build intensity when you need to, in a song

Definition
"What is [Criterion]?"
"What do you mean by [Criterion]?"
Evidence
"What do you see, hear, or feel that lets you know there is* [Criterion]?"
*(or "you are" "it is" "you have" etc.)
Enabling Cause-Effect
"What enables someone to [Criterion]?"
"What is necessary for there to be [Criterion]?"
Motivating Cause-Effect
"Why is [Criterion] important?"
"What does [Criterion] lead to or make possible?"
Supporting Beliefs:
Note them if the arise

Primary Strategy:
"What are you usually doing—on the 'inside' and on the 'outside'—to write hit melodies?"
"How do you normally go about writing hit melodies?"
Creating Melodic Ideas On Chord Changes Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: • Create ideas based on one chord tone, two chord tones, arpeggios, and scales, all on one chord. One Chord Tone and Decorations The best way to start finding pitches for your melodies is to hear one of the chord tones in the chord and then create a melodic idea using only that chord tone. Use all the rhythmic tools you learned in the first two weeks. Don’t forget them! You’ll be using them for the rest of your songwriting life. Once you can hear one chord tone in a chord, you learn simple ways to decorate it to produce melodies with various shapes 1. Elvis Presley. "Gentle On My Mind" from Great Country Songs. RCA/1995. 2. Tanya Tucker. "Blood Red Goin' Down" from Greatest Hits. Columbia/1975. 3. The Eagles. "Hotel California" from The Eagles. Electra/1972. 4. David Bowie. "Fame" from Simply The Best. Capitol/1991. 5. Aerosmith. "Sweet Emotion" from Toys in the Attic. Sony/1993. Two Chord Tones and Passing Notes Choosing two tones from a chord can also yield many melodic ideas. You can connect two chord notes using a passing note, for variation. 1. The Eagles. "Hotel California" from The Eagles. Electra/1972. 2. Willie Nelson. "On The Road Again" from The Very Best of. Electra/1972. 3. Huey Lewis and The News. "If This Is It" from Sports. Chrysalis/1983. 4. Carole King. "You've Got A Friend" from Tapestry. Ode-Epic-Legacy/1971. 5. Toni Braxton. "Breathe Again" from Toni Braxton. Arista/1993. 6. The Beatles. "Get Back" from Let It Be. Capitol/1970. Arpeggios and Scale Lines For very dramatic ideas, arpeggios can be effective. You may have to practice singing them, but once you get that hang of arpeggios, they can really increase your possibilities. Scales may take a little while to hear, so if you have trouble, stick to the examples in the book. All the scales and chords are played on the CD. Sing them along with the recording. If you play a chordal instrument (guitar or keyboard), play the chords and scales yourself. Then sing them. Singing what you write is a crucial step towoards developing your ears. 1. The Beatles. "Got To Get You Into My Life" from Revolver. Capitol/1969. 2. The Police. "Fortress Around Your Heart" from The Dream of the Blue Turtles. A&M Records/1985. 3. Queen. "Another One Bites The Dust" from Greatest Hits. Hollywood Records/1992. 4. The Who. "My Generation" from The Who Sings My Generation. MCA/1966. 5. The Beatles. "Eleanor Rigby" from Revolver. Capitol/1969. Recap This week, you learned to create melodies that began and ended on the same chord. Once you develop facility with these tools, you’ll be able to use them in any setting.

Chord-Tone Melodies in Song Sections Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: Develop melodic ideas into complete song sections using the following tools: Keeping the Rhythm/ Changing the Shape, Repetition, Sequence, Inversion, Shortening the Motive, and Lengthening the Motive. Use these tools to emphasize certain important lyric ideas, such as the hook. Use these tools to either give people what they expect or give them a surprise. Use these tools to build intensity when approaching the hook, whether it’s in the verse or the chorus. Use both contrasting ideas and contrasting development techniques to create contrasting song sections. Keep the Rhythm, Change the Shape Using the same rhythm with a different shape is probably the most common and easiest technique to use, especially by ear. Many lyric lines have the same or similar lengths, so it’s natural to set them to the same or similar rhythms. Most of us already do this without “consciously” thinking. Using it consciously will help you use it more effectively. Arpeggio Scale Down Zig Zag Leap Up 1. The Jacksons. "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground" from The Jacksons (Live). Sony/1981. 2. Fleetwood Mac. "Don't Stop" from Rumours. Warner/1977. 3. The Who. "My Generation" from The Who Sings My Generation. MCA/1966. Repetition, Sequence, Inversion Your audience is not looking at your song; they’re listening to it. Because music happens in time, they can't glance back at what happened earlier. So, one of the main differences between written communication and oral/aural communication is repetition. If you want people to remember something they are listening to, you have to repeat it. A lot. As you learned in week 1, repetition is the strongest songwriting tool to emphasize your lyrics. Sequence and inversion are kinds of repetition variations. It takes a little more skill to hear these tools, and their repetition effect may be more unconscious to your listener. But the do reinforce the essence of the idea, and make it memorable. Once you develop the ability to use sequence and inversion, these tools will lead you to many melodic ideas. 1. Led Zeppelin. "Whole Lotta Love" from Led Zeppelin. Atlantic/1990. 2. The Beatles. "Come Together" from Abbey Road. Capitol/1969. 3. The Beatles. "Birthday" from The White Album. Capitol/1968. 4. The Beatles. "Paperback Writer" from Paperback Writer (Single). Capitol/1966. 5. Steppenwolf. "Born To Be Wild" from Steppenwolf. MCA/1968. Shortening and Lengthening the Motive Repeating a motive but changing its length will help you to you grow sections from a single idea. Shortening the motive builds intensity in your song. It’s usually used when the song approaches the hook, either in a verse/refrain, verse/chorus, or verse/prechorus/chorus form. Lengthening the motive adds an element of surprise to the section. The repeated idea ends with a new twist.

Melodies across Chord Changes Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: Identify and create melodic ideas that cross chord changes. Use the three tools necessary for creating melodies across changes. Recognize and create the three different phrasing types Connecting Chords Creating melodies that span across two chords is a two-step process: 1. Choose a chord tone from each chord. 2. Connect those two chord tones in one of three ways: • If the two chords have a note in common, keep it as the melodic idea. • Go directly from the chord tone in the first chord to a chord tone in the second. • Connect the two chord tones with a passing note or a scale. 1. Boyz II Men. "I'll Make Love To You" from II. Motown/1994.
2. Bruce Springsteen. "Born In The USA" from Born In The USA. Columbia/1984.
3. The Police. "Message In A Bottle" from Every Breath You Take. A&M/1988.
4. Toni Braxton. "Breathe Again" from Toni Braxton. Arista/1993.
5. Mark Chesnutt. "Friends In Low Places" from Too Cold At Home. MCA/1990. In-Sync Phrasing, Out-of-Sync Phrasing, Longer Melody Phrasing In-sync phrasing starts in measure 1 and usually ends in measure 2. 1. John Lennon. "Imagine" from Imagine. Capitol/2000.
2. Whitney Houston. "How Will I Know" from Whitney Houston. Arista/1985.
3. Earth, Wind and Fire. "Sing A Song" from Gratitude. Columbia/1975.
4. Joe Cocker/Huey Lewis. "Feelin' Alright" from Joe Cocker Live. Capitol/1990.
5. The Beatles. "Get Back" from Let It Be. Capitol/1970 Out-of-sync phrasing is when the lyrics start and end at a different point then does the harmonic phrase. 1. Pat Benetar. "Love Is A Battlefield" from Best Shots. Chrysalis/1989.
2. Bruce Springsteen. "Fire" from Live 1975-85. Sony/1997.
3. Whitney Houston. "How Will I Know" from Whitney Houston. Arista/1985.
4. Alan Jackson. "Gone Country" from The Greatest Hits. Arista/1995.
5. Joe Cocker/Huey Lewis. "Feelin' Alright" from Joe Cocker Live. Capitol/1990. Longer phrasing is when the lyric phrase is longer than the harmonic phrase. 1. Alan Jackson. "Gone Country" from Glass Houses. Sony/1980.
2. Janis Jopin . "Piece of My Heart" from Box of Pearls. Columbia/1999.
3. Spencer Davis. "Gimme Some Lovin" from Keep On Running. Rivere/1997. Cadences: Major and Minor One of the strongest ways to emphasize a title is to set it to a melodic cadence—a two-chord phrase that ends on the tonic note of the key. You can use this wherever the title occurs, in any of the song forms. Cadences will work in any key, but they are most often used in the major and minor keys. Major 1. Bob Dylan. "Blowin' in the Wind" from Before the Flood. Colombia/1974.
2. The Beatles. "Yesterday" from Help!. Capitol/1965.
3. Billy Joel. "Still Rock and Roll To Me" from Glass Houses. Sony/1980.
4. Eric Clapton. "Tears in Heaven" from Chronicles. Reprise/1999.
5. Bonnie Raitt. "Nick Of Time" from Nick of Time. Capitol/1989. 
6. U2. "With or Without You" from The Joshua Tree. Island/1987. Minor 1. Pat Benetar. "Love Is A Battlefield" from Best Shots. Chrysalis/1989.
2. Sting. "Russians" from The Dream of Blue Turtles. A&M/1985.
3. Bon Jovi. "You Give Love a Bad Name" from Cross Roads. Polygram/1994.
4. Kansas. "Dust in the Wind" from Point of Know Return. Sony/1977.

Developing Melodies across Chords into Song Sections Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: develop melodies that go across chords into complete song sections and songs in the verse/refrain, verse/chorus, and verse/prechorus/chorus song forms. use contrasting ideas and contrasting development techniques to create the contrasting sections needed in most song forms. Verse/Refrain The verse/refrain song has the refrain (or title) in the verse. It’s usually placed in the first or last line. In this form, there are two things to consider: how to build intensity as you approach the title, and how to set the title effectively. In this lesson, you’ll see some ways to use your tools to do both. 1. Bob Dylan. "Blowin' in the Wind" from Before the Flood. Columbia/1974.
2. Eric Clapton. "After Midnight" from Eric Clapton. Polydor/1970.
3. Jimi Hendrix Experience. "Purple Haze" from Experience Hendrix. MCA/1998. Verse/Chorus In the verse/chorus song form, the main lyric idea is in the chorus. It’s important to create a chorus with which the audience can easily sing along. This helps get your song across to them in a more immediate way. Verse/Prechorus/Chorus The dynamic of a verse/prechorus/chorus is similar to the verse/chorus. The difference is the prechorus—a small section that usually builds intensity into the chorus, which is still the emotional high point of the song. 1. Huey Lewis and The News. "If This Is It" from Sports. Chrysalis/1983.
2. Michael Jackson . "Billie Jean" from History Past, Present and Future. Epic/1995.
3. Bon Jovi. "You Give Love a Bad Name" from Bon Jovi: one wild night live 1985-2001 . Island Def Jam Music Group/1994.
4. The Rolling Stones. "Ruby Tuesday" from Between the Buttons . Abkco/1986.

Blues Melodies Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: • Identify and create ideas that go over most types of chord changes. Create major pentatonic melodies, with and without blues notes, over one-chord grooves, chords in a major key, blues chords, and fast chords. Create minor pentatonic melodies, with and without blues notes, over one-chord grooves, chords in a minor key, blues chords, and fast chords. Major Pentatonic and Major Blues Melody The major pentatonic scale is one of the most common scales in the world. It is especially common in country, folk, and gospel styles. 1. The Temptations. "My Girl" from All the Million-Sellers. Motown/1987.
2. The Temptations."Ain't Too Proud to Beg" from All the Million-Sellers. Motown/1987.
3. U2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin' For" from Best of 1980-1990. Polygram/1998.
4. Todd Rundgren. "I Saw the Light" from The Very Best of Todd Rundgren. Rhino/1997. If we add a “blue” note into the major pentatonic scale, we get a more “blue” color in our song. 1. The Emotions. "Best of My Love" from Boogie Nights. Capitol/1997.
2. Neil Young. "Heart of Gold" from Harvest. Reprise/1972.
3. B.B. King. "Every Day I Have the Blues" from Singin' the Blues. Virgin/1991.
4. B.B. King. "Sweet Little Angel" from Singin' the Blues. Virgin/1991 Uses of Major Blues Melodies Once you can create major blues melodies over one-chord progressions, creating them over different types of chord changes is easy: • Stay focused on the sound of the scale, regardless of the changes. The amazing thing about this kind of melody is that it works over various kinds of chord changes: • chords in the key, called "diatonic" chords • blues chords that you use in a major key • fast-moving chords that would ordinarily be very difficult to create melodies across. Note the use of one chord. 1. The Neville Brothers. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" from Money Train. Epic Soundtrax/1995. Note the use of chords in a major Key. 1. Neil Young. "Heart of Gold" from Harvest. Reprise/1972.
2. Earth, Wind & Fire. "September" from Soul Food. Arista/1997.
3. The Eagles. "Desperado" from Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975). Elektra/1976.
4. Elton John. "Crocodile" from Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player. This Record Company/1995. 
5. Percy Sledge. "When a Man Loves a Woman" from Ultimate Collection. ARC/1987. Note the use of fast chords. 1. Rita Coolidge. "The Way You Do the Things You Do" from Greatest Hits. A&M/1987.
2. Wilson Pickett. "The Midnight Hour" from A Man and a Half The Best of Wilson Pickett (1 of 2). Atlantic/1992.
3. Spencer Davis. "Gimme Some Lovin' " from Slowhand. Polygram/1977. Note the use of blues chords. 1. The Neville Brothers. "Hold On, I'm Comin'" from Money Train. Epic Soundtrax/1995.
2. Jimi Hendrix. "Purple Haze" from Experience Hendrix. MCA/1998.
3. Ronie McDowell. "In a NY Minute " from Greatest Hits. Epic/1977.
4. The Everly Brothers. "Bird Dog" from Cadence Classics Their 20 Greatest Hits. Rhino/1985. Minor Pentatonic and Minor Blues Melody The minor pentatonic scale is the other most common scale in the world. It is most common in blues or rock styles. If we add a “blue” note into the minor pentatonic scale, we get a more bluesy sound Note the use of one chord. 1. James Brown. "Cold Sweat" from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection The Best of James Brown. Polydor/1999.
2. Steve Miller Band. "Fly Like an Eagle" from Fly Like an Eagle. Haworth Enterprises/1976.
3. Pat Benettar. "Heartbreaker" from Best Shots. Capitol/1989. Note the use of minor-key chords. 1. Bruce Springsteen. "Because the Night" from Born in the U.S.A. Columbia/1984.
2. The Doobie Brothers. "Long Train Runnin'" from The Captain and Me. Warner Bros./1973.
3. Steve Miller Band. "Fly Like an Eagle" from Fly Like an Eagle. Haworth Enterprises/1976 Note the use of major-key chords. 1. Bonnie Raitt. "Love Sneakin' Up On You" from Longing in Their Hearts. Colombia/1974.
2. Mariah Carey. "Vision of Love" from #1. Columbia/1998.
3. Eric Clapton. "Cocaine" from Slowhand. Polygram/1977.
4. Stevie Wonder. "Higher Ground" from Natural Wonder (1 of 2). Motown/1995. Recap This week, you learned to create melodies that go over chord changes. You also learned how to create this type of melody on one chord, and then on different kinds of progressions. You can use these tools for an entire song, or just to bring a “blue” color into a song.

Melodies over Modes Introduction Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: identify and create Mixolydian melodies over one-chord grooves and chord progressions in a Mixolydian key. identify and create Dorian melodies over one-chord grooves and chord progressions in a Dorian key. Mixolydian Melody Over One Chord The Mixolydian mode is a common scale in all styles, from rock, pop, and r&b to country music. An easy way to hear the Mixolydian scale is to first sing the notes of the seventh chord and then add notes between the chord tones. Practice singing an arpeggio of the seventh chord first and then add the notes in between. Now that you can create major pentatonic and major blues melodies on one chord, creating them over different types of Mixolydian chord changes is easy. Album Info
1. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. "Goin' to a Go-Go" from Smokey Robinson and The Miracles: Ooo Baby Baby-The Anthology. Motown/2002.
2. Rita Coolidge. "Only You Know and I Know" from Greatest Hits. A&M/1987. Mixolydian Melody Over Diatonic and Fast Chords Now that you can hear the Mixolydian scale, creating Mixolydian melodies over different types of Mixolydian chord changes is easy. Stay focused on the sound of the scale regardless of the changes. Listen to Hit Songs that use melody over chords. Album Info
1. Michael Jackson. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" from History Past, Present and Future. Book1. Epic/199 Listen to Hit Songs that use melody over three chords. Album Info
1. The Who. "My Generation" from The Who Sings My Generation. MCA/1966.
2. The Rolling Stones. "The Last Time" from Big Hits High Tide and Green Grass. Abkco/1986.
3. The Rolling Stones. "Satisfaction" from Big Hits High Tide and Green Grass. Abkco/1986.
4. Steely Dan. "Black Friday" from Katy Lied. MCA/1999. Dorian Melody Over One Chord The Dorian mode is a common scale in rock, pop, and r&b. Like Mixolydian, an easy way to hear the Dorian scale is to first sing the notes of a minor chord and then add notes between the chord tones. Practice singing an arpeggio of the minor chord first, and then add the notes in between. Now that you can create Dorian melodies on one chord, creating them over different types of Dorian chord changes is easy. Album Info
1. Sting. "Be Still My Beating Heart" from Fields of Gold The Best of Sting 1984-1994. A&M/1994.
2. KC & the Sunshine Ban. "That's the Way I Like It" from Collector's Edition. Madacy Entertainment/1999. Dorian Melody Over Diatonic and Fast Chords Stay focused on the sound of the scale regardless of the changes. Listen to Hit Songs that use Dorian melody over chords. Album Info
1. Santana. "Evil Ways" from Santana. Colombia/1974.
2. The Temptations. "Get Ready" from Emperors of Soul (2 of 5). Motown/1994.
3. The Rolling Stones. "Low Down" from Bridges to Babylon. Virgin/1997.

Developing Modal Ideas into Songs Introduction

This week, you’ll learn how to use different tools to develop and contrast sections in the Mixolydian and Dorian modes. We’ll create verse/chorus and verse/prechorus/chorus songs, and use the various tools to build intensity through the first sections, and then emphasize the chorus.

Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: • develop the ideas you created in the previous lesson into complete song sections, and songs, in the Mixolydian and Dorian modes. Mixolydian Song

Building a verse/prechorus/chorus song is just as easy as it was in the blues scales. Just use the tools for building intensity, contrast, and emphasis with the notes of the Mixolydian mode. Listen to this example, and notice that the whole song uses the notes from the Mixolydian mode over progressions of two, three, and five chords. Mixolydian Song Mixolydian Song

Let’s look at the sections separately. Listen to the verse.

Notice that the verse has: • two 4-measure phrases, with a lot of space • a 2-chord progression • an arch shape Also notice that it uses a sustained note (C, called a “pedal”) in the bass.

Mixolydian Song

Now listen to the prechorus.
 Notice that the prechorus contrasts with the verse by using: • a moving bass line • a new chord progression • a new, zigzag shape • a new chord (F) • new phrase lengths (1, 1, 2) Also notice that it builds up intensity, compared to the verse, by using: • shorter phrase lengths • faster chord rhythms Mixolydian Song

Now, listen to the chorus.
 Notice that the chorus contrasts with the other sections by using: • a new note (C) • new chords • a new, longer, chord progression Also notice how these following tools and features, in addition to contrasting with the other sections, also emphasize the chorus, telling tell the audience, “This is the most important part of the lyric.” • include the highest notes in the song • space • set the title in line 1, 2, and 3 • repeat the title • cadence on the downbeat and the tonic note (C) The chorus also uses a variation of a standard chorus type: T (2 measures)
T (2 measures)
T (2 measures)
T (2 measures) It varies this standard type by replacing the last repetition with a non-title “swing” line. Dorian Song

Next you’ll create a verse chorus song in the Dorian mode. In addition to the tools you used above, you’ll use more tools to produce similar effects. Listen to this example, and notice that the whole song uses notes from the Dorian mode and the minor pentatonic blues scales, over progressions of three and four chords. Dorian Song

Let’s look at the sections separately. Listen to the verse.
 Notice that the verse has: • five 2-measure phrases, with a lot of space • a 4-chord progression • a minor blues melody • out-of-sync phrasing Also notice that it builds intensity at the end by using: • the highest notes • the V chord (Asus4) Dorian Song

Now listen to the chorus.
 Notice that the chorus contrasts with the verse, and emphasizes the title by using: • a new note (D) • new chords • a new chord progression • four phrases • a new, higher, register • lyric repetition • repeats of the title in line 2, and 4 • cadences on the downbeat and the tonic note (D) It uses a standard chorus type: – (2 measures)
T (2 measures)
– (2 measures)
T (2 measures) Dorian Song

Now listen to the whole song again, and pay attention to the following: • the buildup of intensity as the song approaches the chorus • the contrast between sections • the emphasis the title gets in the chorus Recap

In this lesson, you learned to create contrast, build intensity, and emphasize the Mixolydian and Dorian modes, in various song forms. Practice these tools consistently. Once you develop facility with these tools, you’ll be able to use them in any situation.

Creating Melodic Ideas Against Chord Changes Introduction This week, you’ll learn a new approach: counterpoint—creating one melody against another one. The focus again will be on writing by ear. You’ll learn how to hear the bass notes as a melodic shape. Then you’ll learn to create melodies that move in various shapes against that bass line. Objectives By the end of the lesson you’ll be able to: • identify melodic bass lines. • identify and create the four most common type of counterpoint against melodic bass lines. Two-Part Counterpoint: Parallel Motion Most songs have two melodies: a bass melody and a vocal melody. To create counterpoint, you need the ability to compose one shape vocal melody against another shape: a melodic bass line. Similar, Oblique, Contrary Similar You have been singing similar counterpoint, where the two melodies move with the same basic shape. Oblique Repeat the process for these two examples in oblique motion, where one melody moves around while one uses a straight shape. Focus on the two melodic shapes happening at the same time. Contrary Repeat the process for this example in contrary motion, where the two melodies move in opposite directions. Focus on the two melodic shapes happening at the same time. Listen to these hit songs that use parallel motion. 1. Queen. "Another One Bites the Dust" from Before the Flood. Colombia/1974.
2. Otis Redding. "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" from Spectrum/1995.
3. Yes. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" from 90125. ARC/1983 Listen to these hit songs that use similar motion. 1. The Jacksons. "I'll Be There" from The Jacksons Live. Sony/1981.
2. Willie Nelson. "Always on My Mind" from 16 Biggest Hits. Columbia,Legacy/1998. Listen to these hit songs that use contrary motion. 1. Pat Benetar. "Love is a Battlefield" from Best Shots. Capitol/1989.
2. Mr. Mister. "Kyrie" from Welcome to the Real World. RCA/1990. Listen to these hit songs that use oblique motion. 1. The Jacksons. "Shake Your Body" from The Jacksons Live. Sony/1981.
2. Led Zeppelin. "Stariway to Heaven" from Led Zeppelin. Atlantic1990.
3. The Bee Gees. "Night Fever" from Saturday Night Fever. A&M/1995.

This week, you’ll learn how to use counterpoint between the bass and melody to contrast song sections.

Objectives By the end of this week, you’ll be able to use counterpoint to contrast song sections that have: • two different bass lines in the verse and chorus. • the same bass line in the verse and chorus. • a riff bass line. Different Bass In Verse and Chorus

One of the most effective ways to contrast sections is to use different bass lines in each. Listen to this example, and follow the bass line. Notice how the new bass line in the chorus helps it to contrast with the verse.

Listen to three hit songs that use the following tools: 1. Parallel in verse and oblique in chorus. 2. Similar in verse and oblique in chorus. 3. Similar in verse refrain and oblique in chorus.

Sections Against the Same Bass Riff

You can also the same bass riff through the verse and chorus. To create contrast, write a melody that uses a different type of counterpoint in each section. The key is in the melodic contrast. In this example, notice the parallel motion in the verse, and the oblique motion in the chorus, over the same bass riff.

Listen to two hit songs that use the following tools: 1. Oblique in verse, parallel in chorus. 2. Parallel in verse contrary and parallel in chorus.

Song Against a Melodic Riff

Creating a song against a melodic riff works the same as a bass riff. The only difference is that a riff is in a different instrument. Notice that the verse and chorus melodies are in contrasting counterpoint to the riff.

Listen to four hit songs that have parallel counterpoint in the chorus. 1. Contrary in verse, parallel chorus. 2. Contrary in verse, parallel chorus. 3. Oblique in verse, parallel chorus. 4. Similar in verse, parallel chorus.

Recap

In this lesson you learned to create contrast, build intensity, and create emphasis, using the tools of counterpoint. Now that you’ve been introduced to these tools, practice them consistently. Once you develop facility with these tools, you’ll be able to use them to respond to any melodic bass line.

UNIT 1: Rhythm A. Ideas Lesson 1. Note Lengths Lesson 2. Phrase Lengths and Space Lesson 3. Phrase Beginnings and Stressed Words Lesson 4. Phrase Endings Lesson 5. Ending Titles on the Downbeat B. Song Sections Lesson 6. Exact Repetition Lesson 7. Varied Repetition Lesson 8. Internal Repetition Lesson 9. Contrasting Ideas Lesson 10. Number of Phrases Lesson 11. Contrasting Sections UNIT 2. Melody On Chords A. Ideas Lesson 12. One Chord Tone Lesson 13. Neighbor Notes Lesson 14. Two Chord Tones Lesson 15. Passing Notes Lesson 16. Arpeggios Lesson 17. Scales B. Song Sections Lesson 18. Keep the Rhythm, Change the Shape Lesson 19. Repetition Lesson 20. Sequence Lesson 21. Inversion Lesson 22. Shorten the Motive Lesson 23. Lengthen the Motive Lesson 24. Contrasting Sections UNIT 3. Melody Across Chord Changes A. Ideas Lesson 25. Connecting Chords 1. Common tones. 2. Direct. 3. Connect. Lesson 26. In-Sync Phrasing Lesson 27. Out-of-Sync Phrasing Lesson 28. Longer Melody Phrasing Lesson 29. Major Melodic Cadences Lesson 30. Minor Melodic Cadences B. Song Sections Lesson 31. Verse/Refrain Song Form Lesson 32. Verse/Chorus Song Form Lesson 33. Verse/Prechorus/Chorus Song Form UNIT 4. Melody Over Chord Changes A. Ideas Lesson 34. Major Pentatonic on One Chord Lesson 35. Major Blues Lesson 36. Major Blues Over Progressions Lesson 37. Minor Pentatonic Scale Lesson 38. Minor Blues Lesson 39. Mixolydian Melody Lesson 40. Dorian Melody B. Song Sections Lesson 41. Major Blues Song Lesson 42. Mixolydian Song Lesson 43. Dorian Song UNIT 5. Melody Against Bass Lines and Riffs A. Ideas

Secondary Strategy:
"What do you do when that is not working well enough?"
"What do you do when that is not working at all?"
"What do you do when it cannot work?"

Sustaining Emotions:
"What is the background feeling that keeps you engaged in writing hit melodies?"
"When you are writing hit melodies, what emotion is always operating in the background of your experience to help keep you writing hit melodies?"
Signal Emotions:
"What is the background feeling that keeps you engaged in writing hit melodies?"
External Behavior:
"What are you doing on the outside that is essential to manifesting writing hit melodies?"
Contributing Factors:
Note them if the arise