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Q: I usually get stuck on the first melody that I think of but all my melodies are starting to sound the same. How can I rewrite my melody?
A: Most of use know how to rework a song lyric to make it stronger but melodies are often left out of the rewriting process. Try these tips to work on your lead melody line:
1. Break up a series of similar lines into different lengths. Turn a long line into two shorter phrases or run two short phrases together by adding notes/words.
Should you sing your own songs? There’s no rule that says every songwriter must be a good singer. You don’t have to be Adele or Bruno Mars or Ed Sheeran. You can write hits for other artists.
But don’t underestimate your natural ability. As the writer of a song, you can bring emotional authenticity and insight that a hired vocalist might miss. Many times it’s more about phrasing, presence, and character than hitting the pitches perfectly. Still, you can give yourself some help when writing your song and recording your track with these tips.
1) Figure out the highest note that you sound good on. Then figure out the lowest note. Try to keep your melody between those two notes. If you sing your own song while you write it, you can identify those places where you’re getting too close to your top or bottom notes then hange the melody at that point.
2) Emphasize your strongest vocal notes in your melody. If your high notes are weak, use them as passing notes only; don’t try to sustain them or use them for important words.
