How To Write A Catchy Melody That Will Wow Everyone!

Why learning how to write a catchy melody matters? That’s an excellent question! If you get the melody right you will be sure to be halfway through a great success!

In case you missed it this is what I talked about previously: How To Record Vocals Like A Pro!

So today I want to share with you these great tips on how to write a catchy melody that will work if you’re a beginner or even an advanced singer!

How To Write A Catchy Melody That Will Wow, Everyone!

When it comes to writing music writing a memorable melody is one of the most important things that will connect you with the listener of your song.

That’s awesome news, right? But the question is, how do you learn how to write a catchy melody?

In this post, I’ll be showing you several techniques which you can use to improve every melody you write because when it comes to songs it’s the melody that leaves a trace in your minds and helps you to easily recall a song.

What makes a really good melody?

There are several factors such as song arrangement, instrumentation, rhythm, harmony, tempo, etc that determines a good melody. With that being said, there is not one single rule that will solve all your problems when it comes to developing melodic ideas.

If you pay attention to most melodies you will notice that there are definitely common techniques that have been used over and over again to reinforce the power of the melody and keep hit songs interesting.

One thing that I believe that you have heard millions of time and which is true is that the best melodies are usually the simplest ones, so you see that simple things like intention, emotion and the performed delivery of the phrase play a significant role when it comes to the memorability of a melody.

So, what do you do keep things interesting when it comes to making a melody? Here are a few examples of how people have used melodic variations in their songs and remember these four important things when writing a memorable melody:

1. Repetition
2. Variation
3. Call and Response
4. Performance.

I’ll be discussing on each one of these but lets me add some extra tips that will help you along the way:

Improvising over other music

A great way to start Improvising is by brainstorming melodies in your mind and pick the strongest ones. That’s a way to start your tracks from a strong melody & chord progression.

Repetition in Your Melodies

For a melody to be memorable it has to be a recurring theme, also known as a motif, remember the song by Ludwig van Beethoven’s “5th Symphony” the famous “Ta Ta Ta Daaaa”?

Is a simple melody using only two different notes – and yet it spirals into one of the most recognized pieces in the history of music.

If you notice what makes it so brilliant is the repetition of the melody and the power of the performance when it first comes in.

Starting from the very beginning and going on you hear nothing but this melody going in a call-and-response form with one instrument answering the other and making slight variations to the original melody.

This helps us to know that Repetition is one of the first things to pay attention to when constructing melodies if you want your listener to remember your music.

Variation in Your Songs matters.

Variation, on the other hand, is a tool to remind the listener of the original theme and introduce more “action”, as listening to exactly the same thing can get rather dull.

Your Call and Response Strategy!

To reinforce the point about Repetition and Variation, as well as introducing our next technique, “Call and Response” form (also known as “question and response” or “question and answer”).

Call and Response is a way of playing with musical “tension and release”. You create tension by “asking” the question, and then you resolve it by “answering” it.

You can create that tension and release in a melody avoid landing on resting tones, also known chord tones. These are the 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of the current chord.

By ending on a passing tone (i.e. not a chord tone) instead, you can create tension that needs to be resolved.

Adding Rhythm to your melody!

Sometimes when you add rhythm to your progression, your mind will give you a hint of a melody.

Try making some drums for your chord progression with melodies turned off. Another way of adding rhythm can be to make your progression more rhythmic.

If you can make a great groove, chances are that a melody will pop into your head subconsciously. If you still can’t find a melody, try improvising to your own chord progression with an instrument you’re fluent with, using your voice.

To make improvising easier you can try transposing your chord progression to a key you’re familiar with such as C major etc.

Let’s talk about Performance!

Performance is that ineffable “wow” factor that the performer brings to your melody once it’s been written (If you’re the one singing your melody then you should bring that wow factor).

Performing a song a cappella also can really help you or the listener to focus on the words and the message behind the piece.

Try Using Velocity

Another tactic can be making chord progressions in clip view and sneaking in melodies with velocity. If you make a note louder, it will catch the listener’s attention.

If you’re going for a more condensed sound try inserting some notes around your chords. To separate your melody from the progression you can elevate it by an octave.

You can also try messing around with extended chords (7th, 9th, 11th, 13th). That will make your progression sound more jazzy + those additional notes can add more melodic value.

How to write better melodies

In order to develop better melody-writing skills try focusing on these four universal techniques chances are you have been already using them occasionally without realizing it:

1. Repetition
2. Variation
3. Call and Response
4. Performance.

A good practice is to start listening for each of these things in the songs you love and it will help you to develop a system that works for you and facilitates your songwriting process.

You can ask yourself questions like:

• Is my melody “cool”?
• Is it simple?
• Is my song memorable?
• Does it stay interesting along the way?
• Are other people going to relate to it and be able to remember it after the first listen?

If you get stuck in answering you might need to recruit some friends to help you answer a few of them.

If your answers to each of these questions aren’t “yes”, continue to check your melody for improvements via each tip mentioned.

A great thing to remember is to not overcomplicate it!

In order to not throw your listeners off, your melody must also suit your song.

Keep trying and take advantage of these simple techniques for writing better melodies, learn from the big hits you’ve loved and how they use these tips and integrate what you learn into your own songwriting process.

Sooner than soon you’ll find yourself creating catchy melodies and memorable songs more easily than ever plus you will wow everyone!

There you have it, How To Write A Catchy Melody That Will Wow Everyone!

What are cathcy melody tips that has helped you?

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See ya, Cosby!