![]() I would be lying if I told you that you could be a master of the string overnight. These types of songs are perfect for building confidence and fundamental guitar-playing skills. As a guitar teacher, I recommend beginners start with super easy guitar songs that only have a few chords. Add more variation if you feel you need to.When you’re first learning to play the guitar, it’s tough to know where to begin. Try to change one measure first, leaving all the others the same.You can create variations by modifying the rhythm, the notes, or the chords.Experiment with making variations on the repeated portion of your idea.If you’re using this concept for a chorus, repeating the words is often more common.Repeat the melodic idea in the same exact way, with the same chords, but different words.Write it out (as best you can) and include the chords of the progression.Create a simple 4 or 8 bar song writing idea.These are two subtle ways to change up your material. What we have done here is modify the chord progression, and also modify the melody. In measure 6, we use an F major (instead of A minor), and in measure 7, we use D minor (instead of A minor). In this measure, the melodic line is different from it’s “parent” idea. Can you find where the variation is? It’s measure 7. You repeat the idea, with some variation. In A minor, the first 4 measures outline the idea. This line could be a melody for voice, a guitar riff, or a violin figure. And, like previous examples, the chords stay the same, and the words are also different on the repeated figure. This is an example of modified repetition. Can you see any differences? There are! In measure 8, the melody is slightly different than bar 4. The first 4 bars show the basis, the next 4 are a repetition of the melody. ![]() If you break the idea into 4 bars, you can see further the logic of the melody. This example shows an 8 bar melodic idea, presented in G major. Below are a few examples showing small changes you can make to your own melodies. It is important to remember that just as too much repetition can be overwhelming, too much variation will result in loss of the listener understanding the unity between the ideas. You can hear examples of this from song writers such as Garth Brooks, The Beatles, Ryan Tedder, and so, so many others! The repeated idea can be modified rhythmically, melodically, or both. ![]() The next step forward is taking your melodic idea, repeating it, but modifying it in some fashion. Too much variation and your song will feel ungrounded. Re-using your material makes your music feel unified.Plenty of bands/songs are writing by re-using melodic material.You can always rewrite material! Keep writing.The melody is 4 bars long, and the note material is repeated exactly as before, with different words. The chord progression repeats again in the next 4 bars. After the first idea is played (4 bars), to clarify, we repeat the same melodic material, and like the previous example, we change the words. Presented in G major, the chords are G, D, Em, C, then repeated again. Students should experiment with their own ideas, and re-using melodic material once, even 3 times.Įxample 2 is another idea based on the same concept. Using the same melody and writing different words is one way to use material you have already presented. In measure 5, the melody is exactly the same, but the words have been changed. In the first example, the melodic idea is 4 bars long. Try it! It may seem simple (especially if you’re writing your epic hit song!), but simple repetition will help your tune, and your melody, to stick out! Let’s check out some song writing examples! If you listen to the links above, you’ll find the chorus of each tune is based on melodic repetition. Some examples include song writers like Neil Young, Sting, Billy Joel, Metallica, and The Beatles. Despite the thought that this seems so easy, this idea is used all the time in the chorus section of pop tunes. Be repeating it, you are highlighting the importance of the line. This is a simple, effective way to improve your melody. ![]() The first 3 examples will show melodic ideas that are repeated exactly the same way. These ideas can be used for any kind of melodic idea, be it for guitar, voice, soloing, anything. If it takes you a long time to move past this point, this article will help you by presenting a few ways to proceed effectively. You try to fit your ideas into a structure, and it just doesn’t seem to work out? Maybe you have a few already, but you don’t know what to do with them? Perhaps you have a pretty good melody, but don’t know what to do to improve it? Do This to Improve Your Song Writing Now Using Repetition and Variation To Write Better Melodiesĭo you want to write songs, but don’t know where to start off?ĭo you struggle to create interesting melodies?
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