Melody Writing & Motivic Development
Great melodies start from small motifs. This week you write, develop, and outline chord tones with intent.
Learning Goals
Lesson Content
Motifs
A motif is a small, memorable musical idea — two or three notes with a distinctive rhythm. The opening four notes of Beethoven's 5th Symphony are a motif. Great melodies build from motifs developed over time.
Development Techniques
Take a motif and transform it: repeat, transpose up a step (sequence), invert (flip the contour), augment (stretch the rhythm), or diminish (compress the rhythm). These techniques keep a melody coherent while avoiding repetition.
Contour, Rhythm, Range
Contour is the shape of the melodic line — up, down, arc, wave. Rhythm gives the melody momentum. Range is the distance from lowest to highest note. Memorable melodies balance all three.
Aligning with Chord Tones
On strong beats, land on chord tones (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th). On weak beats, you can pass through non-chord tones. This is why pop melodies feel "right" with their chords.
Practice Activities
Activity 1: Write an 8-Bar Melody on the Synth
On the Synthesizer, compose an 8-bar melody over a I-vi-IV-V progression in C major (C-Am-F-G, repeated). Land on chord tones on strong beats. Keep the motif small.
Activity 2: Record Your Melody with Metronome
Set the Metronome to a tempo that feels right for your melody. Record yourself playing it cleanly in time — on paper, in an app, or on an instrument.
Activity 3: Note Reading Mastery
Reach 30 correct with 85%+ accuracy in Note Reading on Advanced. Composers who read fluently can capture ideas fast.
Activity 4: Duration Hearing Mastery
Reach 25 correct with 80%+ accuracy in Duration Hearing on Advanced. Memorable melodies have memorable rhythms.
Activity 5: Interval Mastery — Melodic Shapes
Reach 30 correct with 80%+ accuracy in Interval Training on Advanced. Every melody is a sequence of intervals — own them.