Melody with Yeo
In this video...
Yeo talks about the melody in the song The One That Got Away by Al Parkinson.
The song uses notes from the C Major pentatonic scale to build a melody line.
Getting started
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- Start improvising and sing your lyrics a cappella (just your voice, no instruments)
- Sing your lyrics over the chords you have chosen or any chord shape you know
- Try repeating one or two lines and improvise new melodies each time
- Record voice memos as you go. It’s easy to forget
- Try not to judge your melody ideas. Just generate lots and workshop them later
Talking already has rhythm and melody.
Try this:
- Say a line from your lyrics out loud, like: “I don’t want to see you again.” or “I miss you.”
- Notice which words:
Go up or down in pitch
Are emphasised
Are spoken quickly or slowly - Now sing it the same way — just follow your voice.
Pentatonic scales: Perfect for writing melodies
A LOT of melodies use notes from the pentatonic scale. Pentatonic scales only have 5 notes which usually sound good together.
Major Pentatonic includes these notes from the major scale: 1, 2, 3, 5 6.
Example: C major pentatonic = C D E G A
Minor Pentatonic includes the following notes from the major scale: 1, b3, 4, 5, b7.
Example: A minor pentatonic = A C D E G.
C Major Pentatonic and A minor pentatonic have the same notes (they just start in different places).
That’s true for all major/minor relatives:
G Major ↔ E Minor
F Major ↔ D Minor, etc.
A minor pentatonic
C major pentatonic
Activity
- Listen to ‘Broken Leg’ by Blue Juice
- Pick a section (verse, chorus, pre chorus, bridge, etc)
- Work out the melody – use letter names, notation, piano roll, or the Ableton Playground
Tip: Try playing the melody on an instrument you know to help figure it out.
Hint: The melody ONLY uses D Major Pentatonic: D E F# A and B.
Creating your melody with a pentatonic scale
Making your melody work
A DEEPER LOOK AT WHAT MAKES A MELODY POWERFUL, EMOTIONAL, AND MEMORABLE
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Melodic shape is the outline or contour of your melody. Different shapes can create different moods:
- Rising (Ascending): The melody moves higher in pitch. This can create energy or a sense of build-up
- Falling (Descending): The melody moves lower, which often feels calm or resolved — like the end of a phrase
- Wave-like: The melody goes up and down. This shape can keep a listener’s attention and add movement
- Flat: The melody stays on the same note. This can feel intense, tense, or focused.
Try this:
Choose a song with a melody you like.
Ask yourself:
Does the melody rise, fall, stay flat, or move in waves?
How does the shape make you feel?
Does the shape change in different sections (verse, chorus, bridge)?
Now, draw the melody as a line across the page to show its shape.
Need inspiration? Try “Chandelier” by Sia.
Can you identify the shape of the melody in the chorus?
What would it sound like if the melody moved downward instead of up? How would that change the feel of the song?
The climax of a song is its emotional peak — the part that feels the most intense or dramatic.
A high note, a powerful chord, or a moment where the music builds to a strong emotional point.
Listen to your melody and identify where it feels like the music is building to a peak. This is usually in the chorus. The song Chandelier gradually builds up to the chorus, listen and see if you can hear the climax in the chorus.
Try this:
Play through your song and mark where the energy feels highest. Is it at the start of the chorus? Or maybe when the lyrics hit a key moment? Need inpiration? Try “Chandelier” by Sia. Where are the climax points in this song?
Strong melodies often use a short, catchy idea that repeats – like a hook
- Repeating it helps your song stick in people’s heads
- You can repeat it exactly or change it slightly (shift it up, down, or tweak the rhythm)
- If you use it too much, it can get boring – try mixing in some variation to keep it fresh
Try this:
Hook Test!
Got a melodic idea you like? Try singing it a few different ways, change the rhythm, shift it higher or lower, or repeat part of it.
Which version sticks in your head? That’s your hook
- Can you sing it back straight away?
- Would someone else remember it after one listen?
- Does it stand out from the rest of your melody?
Hooks Aren’t Always Melodic
Not all hooks live in the main melody. A hook can also be:
- a rhythmic idea
- a riff or bass line
- or even a lyric
In “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala, the bassline is one of the main hooks. It repeats throughout the song and is instantly recognisable — even before the vocals start. But there are other hooks in this song – what melodic and lyrical hooks can you hear?
Got lyrics? Your melody should support your message. Happy lyrics over a sad sounding melody probably won’t get your message across.
Try this:
- Emphasise important words, put them on strong beats or on higher notes
- Match the melody’s shape and energy to the emotion of the lyrics (A gentle line might stay low and smooth; an angry one might leap or use shorter punchier notes)
The better your melody fits your lyrics, the more your message will land.
Try this:
Take one line of your lyrics. Circle the most important word. Now sing the line a few different ways — try putting that word higher, louder, or on a stronger beat. Which version tells the story best?
If you need help finding a rhythm
Create a visual version of your melody by dragging notes into place. Try moving them to different parts of the bar until you hear a rhythm you like.
(B) Clap it out
Play your chord progression and clap or tap different rhythms over the top. Once something clicks, try matching your melody to that rhythm.
Stuck? Try one of these
Random Melody Generators
Try using a random generator to get you started! This works best if you have a rough idea of the rhythm for your melody in mind, but it’s not required.
- Choose 5 notes from your pentatonic scale
- Add them to a wheel (like this one)
- Spin to choose notes in a random order
- Don’t remove notes – repeating notes is great
- Not loving the result? Swap notes out for ones you prefer
Using Chord Tunes
You can also build a melody using notes from the chords.
Example Chord progression
G – D – Em – C (I – V – vi – IV)
Here are the notes you can use from each chord:
G = G B D
D = D F# A
Em = E G B
C= C E G
Try this:
- Start by picking a note from the first chord (like C, E, or G)
- Then move to another note in the same chord or jump to a note from the next chord in the progression
- Keep going until you find something you like!
Once you’ve got a melody, try singing your lyrics along with it.
I have a melody, but i want to change the rhythm/timing
The importance of space
Remember that music is the combination of sound and silence. Good melodies have both sound and silence. Sometimes fewer notes = more impact.
Consider slight rhythmic displacement
Rhythmic displacement happens when you slightly move an existing melody line to begin at a different point in the bar. Try starting your melody 1/4 or 1/8 note after the downbeat.
Moving the melodic phrase
Consider beginning your melodic phrase either before or after the bar has begun. See this video for some different examples of how this could sound.
