How to Create an Original Melody

Here's a method I use that works. First, sit down at your piano or keyboard and just improvise. I suggest improvising first because music that is created in this way is at its freshest. It's not adulterated or thought up. It is pure inspiration. Now, there will come times during improvisation where you may say to yourself, "this is nice and I'd like to develop it." You see, now you have an original melody to develop.

The trick is you don't need a lot of material to begin with. JUST TWO BARS IS ENOUGH to start you on your way. I usually work within 8-bar phrases so I know that the melody will usually end or repeat itself after 8-bars. I say usually because sometimes, the melody does not want to fit nice and neat into a predefined 8-bar phrase. But more times than not, the 8-bar phrase will serve you well

Now, to be able to grow the initial 2-bars of inspired melody into 8, you can either harmonize the melody with a few chords or just write out the rest of the melody as it comes. Once I have the first 2-bars, I usually have already identified what Key the piece will be in. It then becomes a matter of choosing a few chords from the Key and the rest of the material is easily flushed out into 8-bars. In the piece "Rainforest," I use 2 chords for an entire 8-bar phrase ( 4-bars for G Maj. and 4 for E-minor) and improvise the melody on top.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lesson s.html for a FREE piano lesson!

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Oh My Aching Head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?

We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a... Read More

Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask

Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet... Read More

Learn to Read Music Online

If you or anyone you know wants to learn to... Read More

Be An Organized Church Pianist

Playing in front of a congregation each Sunday is no... Read More

Jealous Again - Jealousy Among Musicians

Jealousy ? do you feel it? Do you sense it... Read More

Mp3s ? The Future of Music?

Mp3 music is audio that has been digitally encoded and... Read More

Karaoke Singing

This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke... Read More

Music Licensing

Music licensing can be a very confusing subject. My... Read More

Record Collecting Still Thriving in the Twenty-first Century

It may surprise many to find that the hobby of... Read More

Free, Legal Music Online

Almost everyone has heard about the massive crack down on... Read More

Composing for Dummies

When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think... Read More

Composing George Winston Style

If you're a fan of New Age piano, no doubt... Read More

The Downfall Of The #1 Southern Gospel Station

Back in the 90's we had a local Southern Gospel... Read More

How to Create Backing Tracks If You Dont Play All the Instruments... or Any

Congratulations! Your singing has become amazing, and it's time the... Read More

Piano Playing For Adults: More Fun Than Sex And Not Nearly As Dangerous!

OK, so I lied about the fun part.Maybe piano playing... Read More

The Life and Music of Beatle George Harrison

Propelled into fame as one of the Beatles, along with... Read More

So You Wanna Learn How To Start a Record Label?

Well, you love music so much that you have decided... Read More

Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes - When Improvising

Mistake #1 - Thinking about what you're going to playA... Read More

Born to sing, Britney Spears is as big as ever today

Britney Spears was born December 2 1981 as Britney Jean... Read More

Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some... Read More

How to Construct Chords and Improvise

How To Construct Basic Chords on the PianoThe easiest way... Read More

Live Music!

"Live music." That common saying may contain some truth, but... Read More

Songs Await Singer

I Want To Grow Old With You (C)Chorus: I want... Read More

Structure Of A Successful Music Website

Ideally each page of your website should serve a specific... Read More

Guitar Players...Learn About The Point Of Discipline

Have you ever started learning a lick or exercise and... Read More

Turn It Up: Plugging Into The Perfect Guitar And Amp Settings

Yowza! Did you hear that hideous noise? It sounded like... Read More

Reaching For The Soul Zone

Every searching artist wants to get there. It's that magical... Read More

How to be Creative at the Piano

So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More

Sheet Music ? Violin and Other String Instruments

The violin is a bowed stringed instrument and is the... Read More

How to Get Past Creative Blocks

When I first began playing the piano and improvising, there... Read More

An Introduction to CD Mastering

While many people think that the mixing of the separate... Read More

Story of 50 Cent

G-Units 50 Cent , was born 6th of July 1976... Read More

How to Play Piano Using a Few Chords

How many chords do you need to create a piece... Read More