Songwriting Habit: Creating a Melody

In my previous post Using Riffs, I explained how you can use riffs to build a song.

In this post I am adding the next step - creating a melody to form a verse.

Melody is the most important reflection of your words. 

It is a form of expression that goes beyond what you are saying and touches the listener's emotions. The melody's shape reflects the story your song is telling. This is something you can consider when developing your melody. How does it's shape reflect what you are singing about?

What emotion do you want the melody to convey? 

To help you, there are a variety of structures when forming a melody for your verse. Here are a few examples:

Example 1 - AABB

This is when the melody of line 1 & 2 are the same. Lines 3 & 4 are the same but sound different to 1 & 2.  Listen to Ed Sheeran's song Perfect which is a good example of this.

Example 2 - ABAB

This is when the melody of the 1st and 3rd line are the same and line 2 and 4 line are the same.

Listen to Maroon 5's song She will be Loved which shows this.

Example 3 - AABA

This is when the melody of lines 1, 2 and 4 are the same. Line 3 of the Verse is the only different one. 

In my song I have used the AABA structure for my verse. You will first hear an introduction using riffs followed by the 4 line verse.

Now it is your turn.

There is no right or wrong structure to choose. Pick the one that naturally fits over the chords you are using. Take note that repetition is the key, with a touch of variety just to spice up your melody so it doesn't sound too much of the same. Lastly think of the shape of your melody and ask yourself if it is reflecting what your song is about.

By the way can you guess what the song is about???