Writing melodies

Hi,
 Not sure hoe much theory you know but try this.
1. Create a chord sequence.
2. Place two notes from the chord in each bar.
3. Finish on the tonic in the last bar.
4. Play it and sing it.
5. Add passing/non chord notes in between the chord notes.
6. Play it and sing it.
7. If this inspires further changes, make them.
8. Try to be quite random in your selection and not think about it too much. It doesn't take long and you can always make changes later. However, keep it simple to start with.
9. It's a bit like picking notes out of a hat. It often works for me when I'm not feeling inspired as long as I work within safe parameters.
Hope this helps,
                 Richard.

one of my cheat ways, is when i play around in power tab, i get a few staves and i just GUESS notes, i look at the layout of the music notation and generally see the vague pitch and just type in any numbers for the notes that are in that key...

loads of good idea's come from that, when they are developped and stuff added. very easy way to get a basic outline of a pattern you like.

I think that experience singing is probably a very useful tool for writing melodies.  It can give you a feel for phrasing that you may not get from just a guitar.

OK Now probably no-one will agree with this but i noticed that when a great melody is written ... it looks beautiful ... it's like the notes form a nice pattern...

dunno maybe i'm crazy or something
lol

peace
manti

Think of each note as a word.  Use the same note as many times in a row as you need to.  One, ten, a hundred times, as long as it's the note that feels good there.  Practice improvising and and start recording or writing down riffs you like.  Many times the best ideas can arise out of a little alone time jamming.  Just start in the middle of the neck somewhere, anywhere.  Hit a note a few times until you know what note to go to next.  Make it a song, a slow one if you can't think of the next note, a fast one if they come quick.  Most of all, put some feeling into each note.

OK Now probably no-one will agree with this but i noticed that when a great melody is written ... it looks beautiful ... it's like the notes form a nice pattern...

Nature inspires melody - look at the score for The Swan from Carnival Of The Animals (Saint Seans) - and compare the shape of the melody line to the big white bird.

A :-)

Try sentences, random ones, and singing them until you get something you like.

forrest:
when I'm not feeling inspired

alex_:
good ideas come from that

paul:
It can give you a feel that you may not get from just a guitar

amante:
no-one will agree with this

alan:
compare the shape of the melody line to the big white bird

You know what?

I'm playing around with cut-out newspaper headlines and trying to see if I can come up with anything that remotely resembles a verse, and then Helgi comes along with a work of art like this and puts us all to shame.

Ain't no justice no more.

A :-)

Glad you liked it.

It kinda flows, dunnit?