Melody
Just like rhythms, melodies sound good if they contain repeated sequences.
Do you know this children’s song? (It’s called Fr?re Jacques.)
This song simply repeats both the rhythm and melody in bars 1 and 3 to
create bars 2 and 4. But if you look more closely, you’ll see that the melody in
1b (E-F-G) is the same as the first three notes of the melody in 1a (C-D-E)-
but a third higher.
This is an example of a melodic imitation: a section of melody, which is
repeated at a different interval. However, Fr?re Jacques is probably not the
most interesting song in the world, so let’s look at another example!
This is the “Gloria” chorus from the Christmas carol Ding Dong Merrily on
High!:
The rhythm of each bar is the same, but the melody is in sequences, with
each bar starting one step down in the key of G major.
There are several types of sequence which you can use to generate new
melodic phrases, so let's look at them in more detail.
Sequences
This is the bar we’re going to sequence.
Imitation
Change the starting note but keep all the relative intervals the
same:
Inversion
Turn the melody upside down:
Retrograde
Write the melody back to front:
Retrograde Inversion
Upside down and back to front:
Augmentation
Double the note values:
Diminution
Halve the note values:
Of course, you can combine any of the above types of sequence.
Your new melody should be a mix of your own ideas and some imitation of
what’s already there - your new ideas need to be linked to the two bars
you’ve already been given. Be inventive, but don’t stray too far away!
(By the way, don’t worry about remembering all the names of the different
types of sequences; you won’t be tested on them!)
Cadences
(See Lesson 11 for basic information about cadences.)
Although you are only writing a single line of music, you should keep in mind
the chords that could accompany your melody.
In a short, 8-bar tune, the end of the first phrase will often (but not always)
end on an imperfect cadence. This means that the end of the phrase would
sound good if it was played with chord V. The chord which comes before V is
up to you, but common imperfect cadences are I-V, II-V, IV-V and VI-V. Make
sure that the notes which end your first phrase fit into one of these cadence
chords.
The end of the second phrase should end with either a perfect or a plagal
cadence. A perfect cadence is V-I and a plagal cadence is IV-I. Perfect
cadences are more common, and they sound more final than plagal
cadences. Plagal cadences are common in religious music (but don’t let that
put you off!) You should always end your composition with a tonic note,
sustained for at least a crotchet's (quarter note's) length.
Make sure the notes you have chosen for your melody fit the cadences at
these points. (Don’t forget that your passing notes won’t be included in the
chord).
Modulation
You can make a stronger sounding cadence if you make your music
modulate (change key). If you start writing a piece in G major, and you want
to finish the first phrase on chord V, this means you will make your music
modulate into the key of D major, (because D is the fifth note in the scale of
G). Remember that the only note in D major which isn’t in G major, is C sharp.
So if you include a C sharp, your music will have modulated into D major.
If you include a modulation in your first phrase, you must make sure that you
modulate back to the tonic (original key) by the time you get to the end of the
piece. If you modulated from G major to D major by including a C sharp, make
sure that you use a C natural in the second phrase, so that the key of G major
is clearly re-established.
(You don’t have to include modulations for Grade 5 Theory, but you might
get more points for your answer if you manage to do it successfully!)
Performance Directions
Whatever instrument/voice you’re writing for, you will need to include
performance directions for the player/singer.
You must include:
• Tempo (speed). Use the accepted Italian terms.
• Dynamics (volume). Indicate a starting dynamic, and indicate gradual
increase/decrease of volume with hairpins.
• Articulation (instrumental music=attack). Adding the right articulation
indications will increase the marks you get for this question - but make
sure you use them in the right places and don’t overdo it. (See the next
lesson for more on this.)
Top Tips
My best tip is to keep in your mind that a little goes a long way. Do a little
imitation, a little inversion, add a few directions to the player - but be sparing.
Take a look at some of the music you’re playing right now- just how many
directions can you find in the space of 8 bars? Not many, I’d guess!
If you try to write something very complicated, you’re more likely to get into a
mess. Keep it clean and simple, but make sure you do add some directions,
which are both relevant and meaningful.
Read more: 12. Composing a Melody: General Tips - My Music Theory
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general-tips.html#ixzz2S8q8NGk6
