As a conductor, performer, writer of music, music educator, and theorist, I found this video to be an excellent guide for folks building melodies, even as a model that can refresh the professional. Sometimes it's excellent to review things like this to learn about different approaches to the creative process. I found the class melody to be quite interesting as well as innovative as far as their use of leaps in the consequent phrase followed with appropriate stepwise motion in the opposite direction. An overall excellent video tutorial.
I agree 100%, what a Excellent Video to stumble up on, l went and brought another a Hal Leonard Wide staff Manuscript to take down all Examples and note taking, This is such a big help Explaining formats to follow for when l write over Progression`s And also how 8 bars are periods and 4 bars are Phrase`s i have even a better understanding of a AABA format and even how now to compose one.
I write my own melodies on my guitar and on my piano and I don't know anything about reading/writing music or these formulas. I only go by what sounds/feels good. This video has shown me what I was doing. I never thought about these concepts of tension and release before. Now I can understand better what it is that I was doing without even knowing it. I think its important to know the theories behind things because I have been stumbling across melodies for years. Now I think I might be able to compose something quicker especially when I get stuck In repetition and don't know where to go from there. I constantly find myself stuck with unfinished melodies. I believe this will help. Thanks for posting the video.
Agreed! I mainly go for what sounds/feels good. But I also like to know what I am doing, theory wise, so I can go for some types of sounds/melodies quicker than just randomly noodling/going for trial and error. Music theory must be seen as descriptive and not prescriptive :)
People say that: they do not read music (simply play what feels good). But that does actually work unless your playing is entirely alone. If you want to COUNT (so as to be in time with other players .. on the same note) you have to have measures (bars) and you must count 1-2-3-4 and know which measure are the others playing. Even drums and bass (rhythm) have to count. .. and to count you have to be cognizant of measures.
Well, music is very similar to language. It is like native speakers may not know their grammar but still use their language according to its rules. So they kind of "know" the grammar without conciously knowing it. Once they want to work with their language professionally (writer, lector, editor, teacher) a concious awareness of the grammar would be very helpful, though.
Erick Fenstermaker If you were happy writing whatever sounds felt good and you were happy with your results, by all means go back to that and forget about this video!
This video was (illegally) copied from this iTunes U site itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/basic-concepts-music-theory/id430414332?mt=10 where you can view this video in higher resolution and also hear the rest of this instructor's podcasts.
Look at all these clueless people in the comment section, thinking that music should be written "from the heart" without "following rules". How much music have you written, played, or studied? Music theory is a FRAMEWORK; once you have internalized it, you can intuitively pick the melodies and progressions that best suit the story you're trying to convey-establishing tonality first for your emotional base, substituting a minor chord for a major or vice versa, shifting to an out-of-key chromatic chord to emphasize a certain emotion, adding tensions to... well, add tension and color, understanding the guide tones of your harmonic progression and how to employ them to create tension and release, understanding which notes in a scale lead to which, and a metric shitton more that I could just keep on going on and on about. You can even intentionally disregard it, at times. There are certain things that you don't do in music because they just sound like shit to the human ear and have been established as such, and once you understand what these are, you keep going. But you NEED theory. Pretty much EVERY famous classical composer understood theory and manipulated it to their own tastes.
_I could just keep on going on and on about._ Please go on, this is the most informative comment for someone like me, who's trying to digest and learn it all, that I've read so far. If you have any references, be so kind and reference me to them. Contrary to what 21st century may seem like, even at this age it's hard to get hold of valuable information.
I totally agree. Music is a language, as is English. Poetry or a story can be written from the heart, but in order to write, you need to understand the rules of English.
***** Music, just like anything in life, is made up of certain elements. If you know the music theory, you have conscious control over all the elements of music and can easily manipulate them to create desired effects. It's just so much superior to know all the details, than not.
***** Well, that's almost true. Ok, you don't need music theory per se, but trying to make music without it is-I"ll extend your analogy-more like trying to pound a nail into wood using completely random objects around the house instead of just using a hammer. Maybe it works better; most of the time, it doesn't. The thing is, theory didn't exist before music did-it was developed over time by musicians who came up with rules that reminded musicians that doing "this" makes the listener feel "that", etc., which made composers' lives much easier and enabled them to develop more complex ideas. And there are certain "standard calibrations" that human ears across the world follow: Octaves, fifths, scales of different pitches, and tonics, which are the foundation of pretty much every musical system in the world. Of course, as musicians we have to avoid falling into the traps of predictability and strict formulaic composition as well, but mostly because the listener would get bored. And the final judge of any music one creates or mixes, too, really should be the ear-if it sounds great to your ear, it works; if it doesn't, maybe not so much.
Withme Whostoned Sorry for the wait. Most of this theory information I got by going on an archive binge across the Internet, skimming stuff off the top of various articles, but I have a lot of bookmarks too, and I'll just list a few of them here because I'm extremely lazy and I don't want to explain everything right now. www.thejazzresource.com/ Jazz theory is great. It was made for pushing the envelope, but thanks to its mostly sensory rather than theoretical tradition it doesn't branch so far off into the abstract and avant-garde so that it's entirely inaccessible, with the exception of free jazz. Basically, that means to me a greater realm of expression in music. www2.siba.fi/muste1/index.php?id=63&la=en A bit of explanation of how notes tend to work in scales, melodically. utminers.utep.edu/charlesl/chords.html A very big chart of harmonic possibilities. www.filmmusicnotes.com/ You'll be surprised how much you can learn from John Williams. www.howmusicreallyworks.com/ I haven't actually bought the book, but reading these first 6 chapters offered free did give me some valuable information. music.tutsplus.com/ Though this website is mostly for digital music producers, there are a few theory tutorials that I've found handy. The mixing tutorials here are also quite good for home producing. Remember: Don't trust everything, especially since I'm not exactly the greatest musician myself; just take and apply the parts that sound good (in practice, not on paper) to your music.
So many people in this comment section seem to be regarding this as a formula that removes all creative process from writing a melody... maybe because they weren't paying attention, lack critical thinking, or just knee-jerk commented and left the video. She didn't outline ANY hard rules at all. Not once did she say "you MUST follow this or your melody will suck". And even so, the process she gave basically boils down to this: First you figure out where you want your melody to go. Then you figure out how to take your melody there. Which isn't even remotely a formula, it's just a way of writing melodies that, face it, makes perfect sense.
+Masaaki Hosoi Agreed, also she's teaching the basics of melody writing, its impossible to get someone who didnt write anything for his whole life (like me) and say "go crazy, no rules!", it will end up sounding like shit (as all my attempts did untill now), the same way you cant teach someone how to draw without teaching light and shadow techniques first, after the person masters the technique then it can go, "oh you know, i think i will make my shadows reversed" and it will actually look good because he knows what a shadow is and how it works.... You cant escape from the standard rules if you dont know them.
Trust me I got music theorie for some years from real teachers and I did not understand jack sh****. Themselves 33 minutes made it crystal clear to me now.
@@Asmr_kungfu I agree, most people just aren't that great at teaching. I often have the impression that some teachers like to make the student feel confused/dumb. This way of teaching is really great. It doesn't use unnecessary jargon, and is spoken in a really clear and understandable way. It's rare to find such content on the web.
I'm a piano Nooby and just started learning music theory several months ago. This is the first time I even thought about melody, and was fascinated. Very well explained. And I pictured that wild and crazy class writing that melody.
That's weird, I already knew all this even if I haven't taken any theory classes or anything else. The thing is, by listening music you will find out these things. But only if you LISTEN to the music. There's a difference between listening and LISTENING ;) When you analyze (try to break apart) really good melodies you like, you'll notice that a good melody is broken into many parts and a _really_ good melody has these parts relatively far apart. If they're packed too tightly, you don't have the time as a listener to appreciate or "have a good taste" of what has just been represented to you when it goes to a new thing already. This is why many find listening "virtuoso music" hard. They have so much happening in such a short period of time that it get's fatiguing for many pretty fast. If you're well versed in music (you make music or you play music) you train the regions of your brain that are able to process and listen the music better and thus you get to appreciate those virtuoso dream theater guitar parts or amazing 200bpm 16th note passages from some crazy keyboard players, but as a n "average joe" you generally don't have that affinity to do that.
I took AP music theory last year(my junior year) and cored a perfect 5 on the exam so I apparently mastered the course, but am having trouble applying my knowledge. I've been studying more theory but seem to be getting nowhere. I want to have a career composing mainly for wind ensemble and orchestra, and am also considering composing for film. This video was very helpful though! It supplied way more information than my textbook. Also, I've heard many melody with exceptions from the "rules" you applied, such as the oboe solo in the middle of the song "Fate of the Gods". It is a 16 bar double/parallel period in 3/4 with a basic dotted quarter note-eighth note-quarter note motif. What's unique about it is the pitches it uses. It starts on the dominant note and leaps to the median, and then resolves to the tonic in measure 4. But at measure 8 it ends on the supertonic with a half cadence. The previous eight measures are repeated with a little more embellishment, and it again ends on the supertonic, but it sounds complete! I assume it's due to the flutes continuing the song.
I understand this sentiment. I have learnt a great deal and achieved degrees, certificates and diplomas and haven't know how to use or apply them. I think put your story together you want to tell in music and write it, learning what notes create in the heart. Just a thought. I don't hear it in my head. I can only play and sing songs. It's fun doing the learning though!
Michelle Daley Exactly. It's hard looking at blank staves and thinking about what to write. I think one problem is that I criticize myself too much, maybe I should open up more freely. I have just composed a short melody for French horn in a 4 part chorale and it sounds nice! I used some simple techniques such as arpeggiation and non-chord tones and even learned some "cheats" to hide/avoid the parallel/direct octaves between the soprano and bass! I just have to practice more freely
You need to learn the rules, before you can break them! Knowing both what the rules are and why they exist is an excellent starting point for some creative writing.
I wrote a really cool melody halfway through this video by saying "here are the things I like and the rest I won't listen to" I've been playing for a while and I really like it!
You can teach people things that will help them. But a lot is intuitive. I watched a piano teacher teach a young girl the pentatonic scale, and then he asked her to improvise melodies using the scale he just taught, and she intuitively created some very catchy sounding melodies from that scale. I hate to say it, but there really is such a thing as "talent", but, that being said, the young girl got there quicker with the lesson, though eventually she would probably have figured it out on her own. The theory enabled her to "understand" why things work. Theory can't endow talent, it just gives a road for the vehicle of talent to travel on, and get their quicker.
@@bernard7057 However, it's written in Latin. Look for an English Translation. The book is also written in the style of a dialogue between a teacher and his student, which is a bit unique and weird. Other resources include Bach's Book of Clavier Sonatas, which are meant to teach the student virtuosity and skills of not only playing the keyboard but also understand harmonies and Composition and the essential parts of the fugue through playing clavier sonatas.
Thank you Ma'am, I have been searching to get an accurate explanation, here I got it. May God bless you to make videos atleast upto 8th grade. So that many leaners can be your deciples and one fine day some of them will reveal to the world that they were your deciples.
7:47 A wonderful exception to this rule is Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" melody from his Symphony No. 9-one of the most well known melodies in the world, it's made up entirely of steps
Good point. The rhythm of the notes may be as important as the notes themselves. Some pianist said something like: "Other pianists can play the notes as well as I can. But I can play the spaces between the notes better than anyone."
So true. Many have taken the Path of more exceptions and poetic liberty. It so nice to be back in 101 class. So the traffic cop is back. Great video. Thank so much
Wanted to Thank you for all, and everything you put in to this lesson. I would take classes from you anytime. So well done and broken down in small chunks. I played it twice. Marked it as a favorite. Hope to see more of what you have to offer. Thank you...
Fantastic video! A great presentation, and very well done. I applaud and highly commend your manner and method of teaching; they are together patient and comforting. Thank you so much!
Thanks for taking the time to do this lesson. I'm a guitarist who has just started venturing into the world of writing melodies (or putting proper melodies to paper) and this has been a great start. It has also helped me with my guitar theory, as your description of the intervallic relationships suddenly turned on a light bulb regarding deciding what key you are using/ writing in.
Beautifully explained, it is a pleasure to listen to an educated professional teacher which is self evident in the presentation. Unlike so many who seem to think they have mastered a subject and only perpetuate misinformation.
But period and sentence are completely different terms. Sentence is defined by Schoenberg, it has 2 measure long basic idea and then 2 measure long repetition of basic idea then typically 2 measure long fragmentations (shortened version of basic idea generally) and then cadential which is also 2 measure long unit. The first four measures are called presentation and the rest called continuation. Period, on the other hand has a 2 measure long basic idea and 2 measure long contrasting idea. Therefore in the antecedent (which is the first four measures in a period) you have 2 melodic-motivic units. The most important feature of a period comes just after the antecedent. 4 measures [WEAK CADENCE] 4 measures [PERFECT CADENCE] ---> this is the formula for a period. weak cadence is a cadence type where we do not observe a feeling of completedness. It could be either a half cadence (which is the case in most periods) or an imperfect cadence (soprano ends on 3rd or 5th degree of the scale). After the weak cadence we observe returning of the basic idea and then contrasting idea, finally there is a cadential unit where a perfect cadence is a must. In the sentence perfect cadence is NOT a must at the end. Sentences can end with a half cadence but periods can NOT. there are also sentential units, compound sentences, compound periods, hybrid themes combining sentences with periods etc. You have a lot of options. BUT please note that these are primarily for classical music repertoire, I mean Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven music. Nevertheless composers like to have structural moulds at hand, they use these but often they modify these basic concepts.
Ok I figured out who this teacher is: Jamie Henke at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. iTunes U only has this one video of practical music theory, though. The rest of the podcasts are audio-only and from a non-music majors' introductory class. Gonna keep looking though. I played guitar by ear for a good thirty-five years before I started studying music theory beyond the abbreviated piano lessons I took when I was little and hated hated hated even though I never stopped loving music itself. This is one of the clearest explanations of melody writing I have yet found, and I want to take the all-video class that Henke must have made if there is any justice in this world. Yes, one can write music by ear without a lot of music training--I did it for a long time--but it is really difficult to do efficiently even with a very good ear and obsessive listening habits. So I'm coming to this a bit late, but learning the rules that I was breaking left and right in the old days is in fact challenging and is making me a much better musician. This video is a gem.
Thank you. I know the rules but can’t seem to create interesting melodies - super helpful!! Your class’s melody opening reminds me of the Korngold Violin Concerto
I am retired now, but I have just started to read music and play the piano. I found your video informative. I never understood Scale Degrees ;however, this has given me a much better understanding. Thank you very much. Terry Wright.
Thank you so much, ma'am! In terms of melody, this really helped me in the process of trying to write the best music I can! If you could do more videos on music theory like this would be amazing!
Good tutorial. I find interesting looking at my songs that most of them do not look at the Rest vs Tension idea that is patent in the beginning and end of the phrases in the tutorial. In fact, i feel that when you write a melody you are communicating something, like telling a story. Its more or less like starting the story of the 3 pigs, saying either "Once upon a time", or "It was a hot summer night and the 3 little pigs were gathered with their mother at their porch"... Once upon a time, is C. Every people uses "Once upon a time" but the most imaginative story tellers will say something more! Starting a phrase in this or that note in a particular scale, has a lot of meaning, plus the conjunction of melody and harmony progression, will intensify a lot the tension and and resting feeling of a given moment in the music. I think as others stated, it's important to know the rules, then brake them, then take care of the breaking with help of some other rules, and then break this rules again. ;) I guess in the end what's important is that we always do new things, that touch people's heart and soul!
For me, it almost always starts with a tune in my head and the general "vibe". However, this is not necessarily major or minor-ish feeling - often it moves between them. Especially, when I separate chorus and verse parts - very often it's minor verse, major chorus. And now the problem - I'm not a musician and I'm not yet used to manipulate with chord progressions and modes to get a finished musical piece out of my idea. I often end up with something that might be musically correct, but doesn't convey the feeling I intended when the tune was playing in my head. So, I'm struggling with "oh, that's too sweet, let's try minor"... "oh, now it doesn't fit with the previous chord, let's fix that, too" ... "oh, now this phrase feels too much finished, but I want the listener to feel like wanting for one more repetition of chorus". Sigh. Have to learn about tonics, dominants, subdominants and more exotic chords (suspensions etc.).
Wow! I spent so much time in music classes as a kid, and none of it gelled in my head. Now I’m 50, and this short and simple video has opened up a whole new world to explore. Whether I write my own stuff or just find a new appreciation for other peoples - this is just wonderful. Thank you so very much!
Wow !!! That was a long lesson (including internet access failure) but it's worth the waiting and the sitting, I did learn to write a melody. Thanks. You're a great GURU.
I wake up with a melody in my head,but then it the real work to determine the key, the chords and the bass line; and the accompaniment. 5 per cent inspiration, 95 per cent perspiration! I hate composing with chords, though it you get such a head start if you do!
To determine the key sing the first note and pluck the E or the B string and slide your finger up the fretboard until you reach the note (example Bb) and that is your key .. and most likely the first chord . If Bb is the root (or tone) that is the 1 chord so first try to use a 1-4-5 (example (C-F-G7) chord sequence. If it is more of a doo-wop use a 1-6-2-5 chord sequence (example C-Am-Dm7-G7) Here is how chords GO TO chords The 1 can go to any note in the scale. It is root. It is the tone note or “tonic.” the 2 goes to the 5 the 3 goes to the 6 the 4 goes to the 1 or 5 the 5 goes to the 1 the 6 goes to the 2 Like this 1 → 3 → 6 → 2 → 5 → 1 C - E7 - Am - Dm - G7 - C 1 → 4 → 5 → 1 → 4 → 5 C - F - G7 → G - C - D7 1 → 6 → 2 → 5 (Doo Wop) C Am Dm7 G7 If 1 chord goes to the 3 chord 1 → 3 (C to E7) and 3 goes to 6 (A7) and 6 goes to 2 (D7) and 2 goes to 5 (G7) then you have the “Five Foot Two” called the “Circle Progression) C - E7 - A7 - D7 - G7 - C is 1 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1 If 1 chord goes to 4 chord it is 1 - 4 - 5 progression. If 1 goes to 5 chord ithen it goe to the 1 (right?) Yes If 1 goes to 6 chord (A7 or Am) then 6 goes to 2 and 2 goes to 5 and you have the classic 1-6-2-5 or 6-2-5-1 used in many nice jazz tunes andalso Doo Wop Eb-Cm-Fm7-Bb7 C-Am-Dm-G7 If 1 goes to 2 chord which is D then 2 goes to the 5 and 5 goes to 1. This is called 2 - 5 - 1 example is Dm7 → G7 → C But because Dm7 if the relative minor of F and so it is kind of like a 1 - 4 - 5 which is our basic TRIAD, So you know how ROOT can go to any chord and there is a logcial sequence back to root. We have looked at one, two, three, four, five, six and seen how they progress back to one. Karen Ramirez explains it well (but her circle of 5ths is backwards .. she does it that way) (kind of screechie but good content)
Thanks for that. it should be possible to do things by ear and theory; after all, Sib 7 lets you sing your melody into notation, literally, From a philosophical view, I like that feature.
This was such an awesome video. It taught me so much and I cannot for the life of me understand how effortless it was to learn from you. You are awesome!
I may be wrong on this one but I will say that if you can read and write in any language, then you should be able to understand Music Theory. This is only for people with the desire to learn music in it's true form.
@@jamesking5508 You're a human piece of excrement hellbent on keeping humanity focused on the unimportant. I'm sure Jesus would care more about you being a pleasant and kind human than judging people based on factors out of their control.
My parents had to squeeze out extra money for me to take piano lessons back in the 60's. I started when I was 10 years old. By the time I got to lessons like this, I was paying TUITION in a 4 year University of which cost us Thousands of dollars. I can't believe my eyes when I see complained posted in some tutorials. Then I understand that anyone who has any complains are not here to learn music from the "C" scale on up. They want to be Jerry Lee Lewis in 2 weeks. lol However, with ALL the music I have been trained for, I still come back to lessons like this. I am a 65 year old Female Musician of over 50 years and here I am still learning and refreshing my knowledge. Thank You Very Much.
For a person who is learning music by himself, all of this free education makes my heart melt with gratitude, thanks a bunch.
Soda
Sodaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
@@thatonefrankie what?
I second that! (your original statement)
if you take it serious use libgen and pirate all books, you wont get anywhere at this pace
Look at humans. They spread knowledge around voluntarily. Teachers want to teach.
Thought about this kind of people minutes into watching this video. What kindness! ~
rawstarmusic
K
Said never by the sophists
You're a human, too. Just saying. Do something good with that.
The "Too many leaps" example is Jazz.
I've had to wait over seventy years to know this?
Should be part of any school curriculum!!!
(Thank you!)
As a conductor, performer, writer of music, music educator, and theorist, I found this video to be an excellent guide for folks building melodies, even as a model that can refresh the professional. Sometimes it's excellent to review things like this to learn about different approaches to the creative process. I found the class melody to be quite interesting as well as innovative as far as their use of leaps in the consequent phrase followed with appropriate stepwise motion in the opposite direction. An overall excellent video tutorial.
I agree 100%, what a Excellent Video to stumble up on, l went and brought another a Hal Leonard Wide staff Manuscript to take down all Examples and note taking, This is such a big help Explaining formats to follow for when l write over Progression`s And also how 8 bars are periods and 4 bars are Phrase`s i have even a better understanding of a AABA format and even how now to compose one.
I just learned more about music in these 33 min than I have in the previous 56 years !
Me too! 🤣
So did i !
Indeed
I totally agree with you and feel the same.
The "Too many leaps" example is Jazz.
I write my own melodies on my guitar and on my piano and I don't know anything about reading/writing music or these formulas. I only go by what sounds/feels good. This video has shown me what I was doing. I never thought about these concepts of tension and release before. Now I can understand better what it is that I was doing without even knowing it. I think its important to know the theories behind things because I have been stumbling across melodies for years. Now I think I might be able to compose something quicker especially when I get stuck In repetition and don't know where to go from there. I constantly find myself stuck with unfinished melodies. I believe this will help. Thanks for posting the video.
Agreed! I mainly go for what sounds/feels good. But I also like to know what I am doing, theory wise, so I can go for some types of sounds/melodies quicker than just randomly noodling/going for trial and error.
Music theory must be seen as descriptive and not prescriptive :)
People say that: they do not read music (simply play what feels good). But that does actually work unless your playing is entirely alone. If you want to COUNT (so as to be in time with other players .. on the same note) you have to have measures (bars) and you must count 1-2-3-4 and know which measure are the others playing. Even drums and bass (rhythm) have to count. .. and to count you have to be cognizant of measures.
Well, music is very similar to language. It is like native speakers may not know their grammar but still use their language according to its rules. So they kind of "know" the grammar without conciously knowing it. Once they want to work with their language professionally (writer, lector, editor, teacher) a concious awareness of the grammar would be very helpful, though.
Erick Fenstermaker
If you were happy writing whatever sounds felt good and you were happy with your results, by all means go back to that and forget about this video!
you clearly did not read what I wrote. If you did you would not have posted this nonsense.
This video was (illegally) copied from this iTunes U site itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/basic-concepts-music-theory/id430414332?mt=10 where you can view this video in higher resolution and also hear the rest of this instructor's podcasts.
moral of the story? Mozart does what the fuck he wants.
debussy is a better example, but even he had rules he followed. john cage on the other hand...
Rule #1 in songwriting
THERE ARE NO RULES
Look at all these clueless people in the comment section, thinking that music should be written "from the heart" without "following rules". How much music have you written, played, or studied?
Music theory is a FRAMEWORK; once you have internalized it, you can intuitively pick the melodies and progressions that best suit the story you're trying to convey-establishing tonality first for your emotional base, substituting a minor chord for a major or vice versa, shifting to an out-of-key chromatic chord to emphasize a certain emotion, adding tensions to... well, add tension and color, understanding the guide tones of your harmonic progression and how to employ them to create tension and release, understanding which notes in a scale lead to which, and a metric shitton more that I could just keep on going on and on about. You can even intentionally disregard it, at times.
There are certain things that you don't do in music because they just sound like shit to the human ear and have been established as such, and once you understand what these are, you keep going. But you NEED theory. Pretty much EVERY famous classical composer understood theory and manipulated it to their own tastes.
_I could just keep on going on and on about._ Please go on, this is the most informative comment for someone like me, who's trying to digest and learn it all, that I've read so far. If you have any references, be so kind and reference me to them. Contrary to what 21st century may seem like, even at this age it's hard to get hold of valuable information.
I totally agree. Music is a language, as is English. Poetry or a story can be written from the heart, but in order to write, you need to understand the rules of English.
*****
Music, just like anything in life, is made up of certain elements. If you know the music theory, you have conscious control over all the elements of music and can easily manipulate them to create desired effects.
It's just so much superior to know all the details, than not.
***** Well, that's almost true.
Ok, you don't need music theory per se, but trying to make music without it is-I"ll extend your analogy-more like trying to pound a nail into wood using completely random objects around the house instead of just using a hammer. Maybe it works better; most of the time, it doesn't.
The thing is, theory didn't exist before music did-it was developed over time by musicians who came up with rules that reminded musicians that doing "this" makes the listener feel "that", etc., which made composers' lives much easier and enabled them to develop more complex ideas. And there are certain "standard calibrations" that human ears across the world follow: Octaves, fifths, scales of different pitches, and tonics, which are the foundation of pretty much every musical system in the world.
Of course, as musicians we have to avoid falling into the traps of predictability and strict formulaic composition as well, but mostly because the listener would get bored. And the final judge of any music one creates or mixes, too, really should be the ear-if it sounds great to your ear, it works; if it doesn't, maybe not so much.
Withme Whostoned
Sorry for the wait.
Most of this theory information I got by going on an archive binge across the Internet, skimming stuff off the top of various articles, but I have a lot of bookmarks too, and I'll just list a few of them here because I'm extremely lazy and I don't want to explain everything right now.
www.thejazzresource.com/
Jazz theory is great. It was made for pushing the envelope, but thanks to its mostly sensory rather than theoretical tradition it doesn't branch so far off into the abstract and avant-garde so that it's entirely inaccessible, with the exception of free jazz. Basically, that means to me a greater realm of expression in music.
www2.siba.fi/muste1/index.php?id=63&la=en
A bit of explanation of how notes tend to work in scales, melodically.
utminers.utep.edu/charlesl/chords.html
A very big chart of harmonic possibilities.
www.filmmusicnotes.com/
You'll be surprised how much you can learn from John Williams.
www.howmusicreallyworks.com/
I haven't actually bought the book, but reading these first 6 chapters offered free did give me some valuable information.
music.tutsplus.com/
Though this website is mostly for digital music producers, there are a few theory tutorials that I've found handy. The mixing tutorials here are also quite good for home producing.
Remember:
Don't trust everything, especially since I'm not exactly the greatest musician myself; just take and apply the parts that sound good (in practice, not on paper) to your music.
So many people in this comment section seem to be regarding this as a formula that removes all creative process from writing a melody... maybe because they weren't paying attention, lack critical thinking, or just knee-jerk commented and left the video.
She didn't outline ANY hard rules at all. Not once did she say "you MUST follow this or your melody will suck". And even so, the process she gave basically boils down to this:
First you figure out where you want your melody to go. Then you figure out how to take your melody there.
Which isn't even remotely a formula, it's just a way of writing melodies that, face it, makes perfect sense.
+Masaaki Hosoi Agreed, also she's teaching the basics of melody writing, its impossible to get someone who didnt write anything for his whole life (like me) and say "go crazy, no rules!", it will end up sounding like shit (as all my attempts did untill now), the same way you cant teach someone how to draw without teaching light and shadow techniques first, after the person masters the technique then it can go, "oh you know, i think i will make my shadows reversed" and it will actually look good because he knows what a shadow is and how it works.... You cant escape from the standard rules if you dont know them.
+Masaaki Hosoi so u have just shortened 33 min video to a simple 3 sentences. you should get paid for that.
+Masaaki Hosoi She explains at the begening with a quote !!!! :
"to study music, you must learn the rules
to create music, you must forget the rules"
IM WITH U
You must understand the rules before you can break them
When you try to learn music theory from RUclips cus U have no money for a teacher. 😉
Try?
4real tho
Did this work?
Trust me I got music theorie for some years from real teachers and I did not understand jack sh****. Themselves 33 minutes made it crystal clear to me now.
@@Asmr_kungfu I agree, most people just aren't that great at teaching. I often have the impression that some teachers like to make the student feel confused/dumb.
This way of teaching is really great. It doesn't use unnecessary jargon, and is spoken in a really clear and understandable way. It's rare to find such content on the web.
I'm a piano Nooby and just started learning music theory several months ago. This is the first time I even thought about melody, and was fascinated. Very well explained. And I pictured that wild and crazy class writing that melody.
i’ve just found this video and it’s literally everything i’ve been looking for, literally!!!, thank you for creating this video
Same here, I agree!
i third that! sample and yet so relevant!!
“That’s a lot of blank real estate”
God bless you 😂
That's weird, I already knew all this even if I haven't taken any theory classes or anything else.
The thing is, by listening music you will find out these things. But only if you LISTEN to the music. There's a difference between listening and LISTENING ;)
When you analyze (try to break apart) really good melodies you like, you'll notice that a good melody is broken into many parts and a _really_ good melody has these parts relatively far apart. If they're packed too tightly, you don't have the time as a listener to appreciate or "have a good taste" of what has just been represented to you when it goes to a new thing already.
This is why many find listening "virtuoso music" hard. They have so much happening in such a short period of time that it get's fatiguing for many pretty fast.
If you're well versed in music (you make music or you play music) you train the regions of your brain that are able to process and listen the music better and thus you get to appreciate those virtuoso dream theater guitar parts or amazing 200bpm 16th note passages from some crazy keyboard players, but as a n "average joe" you generally don't have that affinity to do that.
I agree there is also a difference in listening and LISTENING and L I S T E N I N G. :)
Willie B Lol you guys... I agree tho
There's a different between hearing and listening. I know I'm 1 year late, but I'm bored.
good point, i read an entire book on that subject
Ur so dumb...
Music is not the only thing I start with a tonic 😉🍸
Show yourself out plz.
G & tonic.
+rawstarmusic nice
VictoriaSobocki. hi
I'll second that :-)
The dotted notes look fine on my screen, and I found the lesson very useful.
I took AP music theory last year(my junior year) and cored a perfect 5 on the exam so I apparently mastered the course, but am having trouble applying my knowledge. I've been studying more theory but seem to be getting nowhere. I want to have a career composing mainly for wind ensemble and orchestra, and am also considering composing for film. This video was very helpful though! It supplied way more information than my textbook. Also, I've heard many melody with exceptions from the "rules" you applied, such as the oboe solo in the middle of the song "Fate of the Gods". It is a 16 bar double/parallel period in 3/4 with a basic dotted quarter note-eighth note-quarter note motif. What's unique about it is the pitches it uses. It starts on the dominant note and leaps to the median, and then resolves to the tonic in measure 4. But at measure 8 it ends on the supertonic with a half cadence. The previous eight measures are repeated with a little more embellishment, and it again ends on the supertonic, but it sounds complete! I assume it's due to the flutes continuing the song.
I understand this sentiment. I have learnt a great deal and achieved degrees, certificates and diplomas and haven't know how to use or apply them. I think put your story together you want to tell in music and write it, learning what notes create in the heart. Just a thought. I don't hear it in my head. I can only play and sing songs. It's fun doing the learning though!
Michelle Daley Exactly. It's hard looking at blank staves and thinking about what to write. I think one problem is that I criticize myself too much, maybe I should open up more freely. I have just composed a short melody for French horn in a 4 part chorale and it sounds nice! I used some simple techniques such as arpeggiation and non-chord tones and even learned some "cheats" to hide/avoid the parallel/direct octaves between the soprano and bass! I just have to practice more freely
Exactly what I was looking for also.Great job!
One of THE BEST tutorials on music I have seen ( and I've seen a lot and I'm only 4 minutes in).
The "bad" example of too many leaps actually sounds quite good in a creepy, horror context.
Awesome video however, thank you for the shared knowledge.
So true!
Very cool once you consider it.
There`s lot’s of hidden logic that binds that phrase. (Pattern, direction, rythm, repetition of pattern, common tones, etc)
You need to learn the rules, before you can break them! Knowing both what the rules are and why they exist is an excellent starting point for some creative writing.
I wrote a really cool melody halfway through this video by saying "here are the things I like and the rest I won't listen to" I've been playing for a while and I really like it!
You can teach people things that will help them. But a lot is intuitive. I watched a piano teacher teach a young girl the pentatonic scale, and then he asked her to improvise melodies using the scale he just taught, and she intuitively created some very catchy sounding melodies from that scale. I hate to say it, but there really is such a thing as "talent", but, that being said, the young girl got there quicker with the lesson, though eventually she would probably have figured it out on her own. The theory enabled her to "understand" why things work. Theory can't endow talent, it just gives a road for the vehicle of talent to travel on, and get their quicker.
Pentatonic is really easy to write in
What you're teaching I will probably never think about While writing music.
What a wonderful teacher. I learned so much from this. Her explanations are so clear and helpful.
I agree
It's good.
Yeah, I wish we had the internet when I was young.
A really informative video! Thanks for sharing
For anyone who wants to go even deeper into the art of composition, I recommend Fux's _Gradus Ad Parnassum,_ which taught the greats like Bach.
Ty, I've been looking for a book like this
@@bernard7057
However, it's written in Latin. Look for an English Translation. The book is also written in the style of a dialogue between a teacher and his student, which is a bit unique and weird. Other resources include Bach's Book of Clavier Sonatas, which are meant to teach the student virtuosity and skills of not only playing the keyboard but also understand harmonies and Composition and the essential parts of the fugue through playing clavier sonatas.
@@theblackdeath4398 ok, thank you, I found an english version online
Does she have any online courses? I would love to pay and learn more.
Thanks so much madam.U showed a beautiful example of how to compose.
Excellent teaching, so clear and helpful. Thank you for this!
Was the best piano lesson For someone like me that does not play by ear
Thank you Ma'am, I have been searching to get an accurate explanation, here I got it. May God bless you to make videos atleast upto 8th grade. So that many leaners can be your deciples and one fine day some of them will reveal to the world that they were your deciples.
Perfect lesson: Perfect delivery. Thank you.
7:47 A wonderful exception to this rule is Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" melody from his Symphony No. 9-one of the most well known melodies in the world, it's made up entirely of steps
Good point. The rhythm of the notes may be as important as the notes themselves. Some pianist said something like: "Other pianists can play the notes as well as I can. But I can play the spaces between the notes better than anyone."
great video...... so much to learn
A lesson that makes perfect sense, thank you for adding some sanity to the subject...
I liked your calm and wise style. Nicely explained. Thank you...
Wow! Thank you so much for this lesson. The way you have explained it makes it so clear. I’m off to write my melodies!
Excellent really useful and informative
My deardest lady, don't let these bastards commenting here get you down. I have learned so much from you. xxxx
So true. Many have taken the Path of more exceptions and poetic liberty.
It so nice to be back in 101 class. So the traffic cop is back. Great video.
Thank so much
Wanted to Thank you for all, and everything you put in to this lesson. I would take classes from you anytime. So well done and broken down in small chunks. I played it twice. Marked it as a favorite. Hope to see more of what you have to offer. Thank you...
What I say is you have cleared my doubts regarding melody writing. Thank you madam. Moreover I appreciate your efforts in presenting this video.
wonderful i love this
Fantastic video! A great presentation, and very well done. I applaud and highly commend your manner and method of teaching; they are together patient and comforting. Thank you so much!
Thanks for taking the time to do this lesson. I'm a guitarist who has just started venturing into the world of writing melodies (or putting proper melodies to paper) and this has been a great start.
It has also helped me with my guitar theory, as your description of the intervallic relationships suddenly turned on a light bulb regarding deciding what key you are using/ writing in.
Thanks. The framework approach I can use!
in a rush? 15:50 the magic starts
Very easy to follow and super informative. Thank you so much for these lessons.
Beautifully explained, it is a pleasure to listen to an educated professional teacher which is self evident in the presentation. Unlike so many who seem to think they have mastered a subject and only perpetuate misinformation.
Super amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this! I know this video is old but it's timeless!
“How do you write a melody?” is a question, requiring a question mark. “How to write a melody” is an answer, and does not.
One can still ask "how to write a melody?" In the context of confirming you understood someone correctly🤣
But period and sentence are completely different terms. Sentence is defined by Schoenberg, it has 2 measure long basic idea and then 2 measure long repetition of basic idea then typically 2 measure long fragmentations (shortened version of basic idea generally) and then cadential which is also 2 measure long unit. The first four measures are called presentation and the rest called continuation.
Period, on the other hand has a 2 measure long basic idea and 2 measure long contrasting idea. Therefore in the antecedent (which is the first four measures in a period) you have 2 melodic-motivic units. The most important feature of a period comes just after the antecedent. 4 measures [WEAK CADENCE] 4 measures [PERFECT CADENCE] ---> this is the formula for a period. weak cadence is a cadence type where we do not observe a feeling of completedness. It could be either a half cadence (which is the case in most periods) or an imperfect cadence (soprano ends on 3rd or 5th degree of the scale). After the weak cadence we observe returning of the basic idea and then contrasting idea, finally there is a cadential unit where a perfect cadence is a must.
In the sentence perfect cadence is NOT a must at the end. Sentences can end with a half cadence but periods can NOT.
there are also sentential units, compound sentences, compound periods, hybrid themes combining sentences with periods etc. You have a lot of options. BUT please note that these are primarily for classical music repertoire, I mean Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven music. Nevertheless composers like to have structural moulds at hand, they use these but often they modify these basic concepts.
Thanks for this excellent tutorial. I learned things about music theory, I never understood before. This completely works for my learning style.
I have to compose 2 contrasting 8 measure themes for my music class and I don't have any idea where to start but wow this really helped
A VALUABLE & NEEDED Tutorial...that can assist do many..for FREE.
Well Done and thanks fir your TIME and Generosity.
Thanks you for sharing keep it up 👍
Ok I figured out who this teacher is: Jamie Henke at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. iTunes U only has this one video of practical music theory, though. The rest of the podcasts are audio-only and from a non-music majors' introductory class.
Gonna keep looking though. I played guitar by ear for a good thirty-five years before I started studying music theory beyond the abbreviated piano lessons I took when I was little and hated hated hated even though I never stopped loving music itself. This is one of the clearest explanations of melody writing I have yet found, and I want to take the all-video class that Henke must have made if there is any justice in this world.
Yes, one can write music by ear without a lot of music training--I did it for a long time--but it is really difficult to do efficiently even with a very good ear and obsessive listening habits. So I'm coming to this a bit late, but learning the rules that I was breaking left and right in the old days is in fact challenging and is making me a much better musician. This video is a gem.
Music theory is not a set of rules, it's a guide.
Hey, did you find anything?
Thanks for the heads-up, my friend. I might have run into the same problem.
@@liammay7756 Unless you are doing counterpoint because then it is a set a rules.
Thank you. I know the rules but can’t seem to create interesting melodies - super helpful!!
Your class’s melody opening reminds me of the Korngold Violin Concerto
This video did a great job to show us a very practical and easy model on how to write a melody!
I am retired now, but I have just started to read music and play the piano.
I found your video informative. I never understood Scale Degrees ;however, this has given me a much better understanding. Thank you very much.
Terry Wright.
Classic! I wanna double like. :)
Great explanation. I've been looking for a good introduction to starting writing melodies, and this is it.
Are we going to ignore how good the audio quality is for 2011
Thank you so much, ma'am! In terms of melody, this really helped me in the process of trying to write the best music I can! If you could do more videos on music theory like this would be amazing!
you voice sounds like Dory. :)
ddeeej haha I was just thinking of that too. More like Ellen (even tho they're the same voice)
Jesse Chao Even though Ellen voices Dory.. Dory just sounds different than Ellen, you know what I'm saying?
thats exactly what I thought!!! its calming also
Thank you for producing this informative lecture. You clearly put a lot of work into producing it.
Thanks for the lesson! Exactly the kind of in formation I was looking for.
Good tutorial.
I find interesting looking at my songs that most of them do not look at the Rest vs Tension idea that is patent in the beginning and end of the phrases in the tutorial.
In fact, i feel that when you write a melody you are communicating something, like telling a story. Its more or less like starting the story of the 3 pigs, saying either "Once upon a time", or "It was a hot summer night and the 3 little pigs were gathered with their mother at their porch"... Once upon a time, is C. Every people uses "Once upon a time" but the most imaginative story tellers will say something more!
Starting a phrase in this or that note in a particular scale, has a lot of meaning, plus the conjunction of melody and harmony progression, will intensify a lot the tension and and resting feeling of a given moment in the music.
I think as others stated, it's important to know the rules, then brake them, then take care of the breaking with help of some other rules, and then break this rules again. ;)
I guess in the end what's important is that we always do new things, that touch people's heart and soul!
How 'bout start with "It was a dark and stormy night"?
For the "too many leaps" part around 9 minutes in, that melody actually would work if you were going for a more ominous and mysterious sound.
Yea I actually felt like I'd be something Id write
For me, it almost always starts with a tune in my head and the general "vibe". However, this is not necessarily major or minor-ish feeling - often it moves between them. Especially, when I separate chorus and verse parts - very often it's minor verse, major chorus.
And now the problem - I'm not a musician and I'm not yet used to manipulate with chord progressions and modes to get a finished musical piece out of my idea. I often end up with something that might be musically correct, but doesn't convey the feeling I intended when the tune was playing in my head. So, I'm struggling with "oh, that's too sweet, let's try minor"... "oh, now it doesn't fit with the previous chord, let's fix that, too" ... "oh, now this phrase feels too much finished, but I want the listener to feel like wanting for one more repetition of chorus". Sigh. Have to learn about tonics, dominants, subdominants and more exotic chords (suspensions etc.).
Wow! I spent so much time in music classes as a kid, and none of it gelled in my head. Now I’m 50, and this short and simple video has opened up a whole new world to explore. Whether I write my own stuff or just find a new appreciation for other peoples - this is just wonderful. Thank you so very much!
Wow !!! That was a long lesson (including internet access failure) but it's worth the waiting and the sitting, I did learn to write a melody. Thanks. You're a great GURU.
I wake up with a melody in my head,but then it the real work to determine the key, the chords and the bass line; and the accompaniment. 5 per cent inspiration, 95 per cent perspiration! I hate composing with chords, though it you get such a head start if you do!
To determine the key sing the first note and pluck the E or the B string and slide your finger up the fretboard until you reach the note (example Bb) and that is your key .. and most likely the first chord . If Bb is the root (or tone) that is the 1 chord so first try to use a 1-4-5 (example (C-F-G7) chord sequence. If it is more of a doo-wop use a 1-6-2-5 chord sequence (example C-Am-Dm7-G7) Here is how chords GO TO chords
The 1 can go to any note in the scale. It is root. It is the tone note or “tonic.”
the 2 goes to the 5
the 3 goes to the 6
the 4 goes to the 1 or 5
the 5 goes to the 1
the 6 goes to the 2
Like this
1 → 3 → 6 → 2 → 5 → 1
C - E7 - Am - Dm - G7 - C
1 → 4 → 5 → 1 → 4 → 5
C - F - G7 → G - C - D7
1 → 6 → 2 → 5 (Doo Wop)
C Am Dm7 G7
If 1 chord goes to the 3 chord 1 → 3 (C to E7) and 3 goes to 6 (A7) and 6 goes to 2 (D7) and 2 goes to 5 (G7) then you have the “Five Foot Two” called the “Circle Progression) C - E7 - A7 - D7 - G7 - C is 1 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1
If 1 chord goes to 4 chord it is 1 - 4 - 5 progression.
If 1 goes to 5 chord ithen it goe to the 1 (right?) Yes
If 1 goes to 6 chord (A7 or Am) then 6 goes to 2 and 2 goes to 5 and you have the classic 1-6-2-5 or 6-2-5-1 used in many nice jazz tunes andalso Doo Wop
Eb-Cm-Fm7-Bb7
C-Am-Dm-G7
If 1 goes to 2 chord which is D then 2 goes to the 5 and 5 goes to 1. This is called 2 - 5 - 1 example is Dm7 → G7 → C But because Dm7 if the relative minor of F and so it is kind of like a 1 - 4 - 5 which is our basic TRIAD,
So you know how ROOT can go to any chord and there is a logcial sequence back to root. We have looked at one, two, three, four, five, six and seen how they progress back to one. Karen Ramirez explains it well (but her circle of 5ths is backwards .. she does it that way) (kind of screechie but good content)
Thanks for that. it should be possible to do things by ear and theory; after all, Sib 7 lets you sing your melody into notation, literally, From a philosophical view, I like that feature.
DRA Hodson You can play your melody in every key, randomly pick one and figure it out. Worry about picking the key you like later.
@@Gitfidlpickr there's an app for that
Too many leaps is my favorite.
Excellent explanation and demonstration. Is there and accompanying harmony lesson for fitting chords to the melody?
Proudest way a musician gets a period
Everyone hums music they made up. What I do is hum something I made up and write down the notes.Then I can play them on my violin later.
+Joumana Rashad but how do you know what notes they are?
+TinaDidSomthing -_- If you play any instrument, you would know the notes.
+Joumana Rashad ikr
thats not always true lol
same
Jamie? You are a gifted teacher, speaker and drawer. We at RUclips are blessed as your students are. Not one stumble, ummm, him or haa
Thank you for the video. It was simple and easy to follow!
WOW ! Amazing. I've never heard this before. Thank You.
This was such an awesome video. It taught me so much and I cannot for the life of me understand how effortless it was to learn from you. You are awesome!
I guess it's the wonderful theory and practical guide combined. Thank u for bring ing out such a beautiful video.
Great lesson . your lecture on how to structure the period or phrase in advance is exactly what I needed to come up with good melodic ideas
very enlightening and comprehensive explanation; thank you!!
Nice lesson! Pretty useful information and you explain it very well.
I may be wrong on this one but I will say that if you can read and write in any language, then you should be able to understand Music Theory. This is only for people with the desire to learn music in it's true form.
I started to write songs when I was like 7 or 8 and I still write songs as a young composer, but this helped me a lot.
You can check out my song on my channel. I don't know how good I actually am.
Thanks! I think I've learned something, I can't wait to go over this again and try it!
The G Tonic is my favorite release of tension after a long day at the office
My whiskey sings hymns going down my throat
You can do all that but you can also whistle up something instantly
1:25 "now that looks like a bunch of blank real estate..."
*It's free real estate*
😂👌
invest in real estate
Excelent show and tell. I enjoyed the whole video.
very useful ....thanks
Thank you. You make it so easy to understand.
i love how she sounds like ellen degeneres
Ellen Degenerate? remember Sodom and Gomorrah
james king 😂 😂 more people need to hear this
@@jamesking5508 You're a human piece of excrement hellbent on keeping humanity focused on the unimportant. I'm sure Jesus would care more about you being a pleasant and kind human than judging people based on factors out of their control.
@@totalbrainfail1812 mann you insult like true gentleman. Respect
So true, remember that God loves his children so much that he will torcher them for eternaty if they don't kiss his ass.
My parents had to squeeze out extra money for me to take piano lessons back in the 60's. I started when I was 10 years old. By the time I got to lessons like this, I was paying TUITION in a 4 year University of which cost us Thousands of dollars. I can't believe my eyes when I see complained posted in some tutorials. Then I understand that anyone who has any complains are not here to learn music from the "C" scale on up. They want to be Jerry Lee Lewis in 2 weeks. lol However, with ALL the music I have been trained for, I still come back to lessons like this. I am a 65 year old Female Musician of over 50 years and here I am still learning and refreshing my knowledge. Thank You Very Much.
Great lesson, do you have anymore?
Realy I learned great informtion.Thanks a lot.