Robin Frederick (author, Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting)

Let’s say you’ve just spent the afternoon writing a song and you feel you’ve got a good start on a first draft. The concept is strong, the structure feels right. Of course the lyric still needs work but you’re planning to go back and rewrite it. How about the melody? Will you go back and rewrite that, too? Or will you stick with what came to you on the first pass?

Many times, a songwriter who wouldn’t dream of settling for a rough draft of a lyric, accepts the first melody that comes along. Often these melodies are the result of old habits; they may sound dated and familiar. The writer may not even know that a melody can be rewritten, strengthened, and polished just like a lyric. To be fresh and current-sounding, give your melody the advantage of a solid rewrite.

=> Is your melody clearly conveying the song’s structure?
Create plenty of contrast between sections–verse, chorus, and bridge–by using a change of note range (low vs. high), note pace (fast vs. slow, choppy vs. smooth), or melodic rhythm patterns (different patterns of long and short notes).

=> Do you have a good balance of repetition and variation?
Check to see if you’re repeating the same note phrases and the same phrase lengths too many times. Listeners do like repetition, but too much begins to feel predictable and boring. Repeating a line once (sing the line, then sing it again) can be fine, but repeating it yet another time can be flirting with disaster. Try varying the note pitches and phrase lengths, create a surprise for listeners that will keep them interested.

=> Are your phrases well organized?
This may seem like an odd question but one of the hallmarks of hit songs–songs that a lot of listeners really like–is good melodic organization. Many hit songs use the following layout in the chorus melody: Sing the first line or phrase, repeat that phrase (with a different lyric), go to a new phrase and repeat it, then return to the first phrase with some variation. This is just one idea. Check out a few hit song choruses to see if you can hear how their melodies are organized.

There are many more ways to rewrite, refine, and strengthen your melody. Your goal is to write a melody that appeals to you and your listeners while underscoring your lyric with plenty of emotion. Try some of the ideas in this tip. If you make a change in your melody that doesn’t work for you, just hit the “undo button” and go back to what you had before.

Based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” by Robin Frederick
Copyright 2008 Robin Frederick. All rights reserved.