What is melody…?!
Musicians will likely answer this question with definitions from various music dictionaries.
But! How do you yourself understand what a melody is?! In simple terms.
Think about it, don’t read any further yet. Write down on a piece of paper what melody means to you. Find out below what this means to me.
Melody is a voice, it’s speech. When you create a melody, it is as if you are giving it your voice. It acquires its own intonation.
You can compare melody to human speech. Like our speech, it has a certain timbre, intonation rolls, rising or falling pitch, smooth or abrupt sound. Through subtle intonations, we convey our feelings, disappointments, anger, rage, joy, happiness, despondency, etc. through our voice.
An attentive interlocutor can pick up on such intonations and understand what’s truly gnawing at a person, what’s troubling them. As soon as a person becomes understood by those important to them, they calm down, and harmony is created in their life. Then again, after some time, subsequent events prompt a person to change their voice and mood, like a melody.
Sensitive composers, as if through antennas, recognize the voices of people, animals, abstract objects, the voices of history, politics, and economics, and convey to us the problems, threats, and crises that humanity sometimes faces, and even, in some places, offer solutions of universal significance.
A composer creates more than just a melody. They create a being capable of explaining, of grieving and rejoicing, of anger and calm, of shouting and whispering.
As in our speech, a melody can have leaps and smoothness, abruptness and prolongation. Most often, intervals act as so-called leaps in a melody. To convey smoothness, smaller intervals or scale-like movements are used. To convey concern for a problem or indignation, wide intervals, sweeping melodies, and complex chords are used.
The melody, under the composer’s “pen”, sometimes also leads a kind of monologue. She has a conversation with herself, sometimes asks questions without answers and thinks, then reflects on it. Just like a person, after all.
discusses
ponders
cries
gries
yearns
screams
is silent
is angry
is indignant
whispers (like a prayer or a secret)
yawns
laughs
remembers
imagines
analyzes
rejoices
thinks
dreams
searches
A double melody, in two forms, is already a dialogue. When creating, it is very important to maintain polyrhythm (proportion), logic, and aesthetics.
One argues – the other agrees / disagrees / avoids the argument
asks – answers
listens – tells
speaks – interrupts
puts forward – discusses
considers – quotes
echoes – agrees
criticizes – defends
teaches – learns
attacks – fears
If there are more than two melodies, things become even more complex. It’s necessary to assign roles, build relationships, and facilitate a conversation (perhaps no more than three melodies at a time for better listening and following the events).
A melody looped in a loop indicates that the composer is paying more attention to this motif than to the rest. You need to be as sensitive as possible when listening to such fragments and determine what the composer wanted to “say” with them.
A melody that is widespread, branching, and flowing is a voice. And when you suddenly want to create a melody, try to understand for yourself why you liked it and why it should sound that way. Then determine what the melody shows and how it does it.
These are just melodies. But what can the accompaniment do, and how does it complement the melody?!
An interesting question, but we’ll leave it for another time. Some might be interested in the answer, but let’s not forget the principles of effective learning—microlearning.
(There’s already enough information here to digest.)
Melody is the “voice” of our souls and the world around us, the planet, the Universe.
Hear your soul’s melody and create a masterpiece!
