having troubles coming up with melody

I'm no expert on the subject, and I'd love to hear how everyone else approaches it, but pretty much, I just play the chords I've picked and sing something, anything, that fits the chords. Sometimes I change the chords to fit what I feel like singing, sometimes vice-versa. I often have to play the chords, changing up the timing until I "hear" the song in the chords.

On a very few occassions, I find myself whistling something and then realise that its not a song that I've heard before. Then I try to record it as soon as possible and then figure out what the notes are later. One of the funkiest melodies I've ever heard was one that came to me that way, but I wasn't in a situation that I could capture it, so it is lost forever.

It comes to me a lot of different ways. A good way to get you started in a directions is take a riff or melody its to mess with it. replace a note, put it in a new key, change the lenths of notes, change the hammer on with a slide, this and that. another way I do it is just mess with the fret board, I play a scale pattern but ad some slides some outside notes and something will come out. Ierno thats how I do it. try it out maybe itll work for you, maybe it wont

Micheal

Generally speaking, the melody comes naturally to me - as I write lyrics first I just sing them and that's how I get my melodies. I then fit chords around what I have. A problem I always encounter is that a few days after I have come up with a song I tend to get it stuck in my head and then I start to think that it already exists. Then I go on a relentless search to find the song only to realise a week later that it's my own. Very odd.

One way to help you come up with melodies is to take a chord progression and fingerpick it. Then the individual notes you are playing may suggest a melody to you.

However you decide to get there the most important thing is to experiment - this way you will create all sorts of new and interesting melodies. Some good, some bad.

Good luck,

Pete. :)

Try pretending the song's already finished and it's a number one hit and your standing on stage (make sure no family members are around) and let the drums kick in. The crowd is screaming, and now you hear the bass. Let the whole thing get you excited. And take your time. You're so big, the intro can take minutes. And before you know it, you're ready and the first note comes out...and it sounds great...and other notes follow...and it all fits. Follow the rhythm you've built up and then record it before you forget it!