Understanding melody

What is melody?

Why isn’t a pattern or a pharse necessarily melodic?

Melody is defined as a logical progression of tones and rhythms — a tune set to a beat.

Pay close attention to ‘logical’

A melody isn’t a random combination of notes.

The notes have to relate and to follow from each otehr.

A melody has to make sense, or else it is just a bunch of noise.

Melody is a memorable piece of music.

It is a song you sing, notes you hum, a musical line that stays in your head long after the song is over.

The best melodies pack an emotional punch.

they make us jump with joy or weep with sadness.

When done right, a melody can tell a story without words, or reinforce what a song is all about.

Technically a melody is typically longer than a single pattern, and oftern longer than a single measure.

A melody fills out an entire phrase: 4 measure, or 8 or even 16.

It has a beginning, a middle and an end.

It goes somewhere and it has an internal logic.

Most important, a melody is hummable.

It sounds familiar, even when you hear it for the first time.

It flows, it takes you to some place new and brings you back home, safe and sound.

It is not just a bunch of notes.

It is a complete musical idea.

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