Make Your Melodies Memorable and Original

Today’s melodies and many of the great melodies of past rely on a handful of tricks to create that special something that makes them insanely catchy and memorable.

Here are three tips that will help you make sure your melody has everything it needs before you launch it into the world.

1.Use your melody to create unforgettable song structure.

If your song has a VERSE / CHORUS structure, make sure listeners know where they are by creating plenty of contrast in the melody between these two sections. Melodic contrast grabs attention and keeps your melody from sounding like it’s wandering aimlessly. Listeners like to have a sense of “place” in a song. They want to know where they are. 

  • Try a big leap up (or down) in the melody to launch your chorus. Then stay up there for a couple of lines before gradually dropping down to the verse note range. You can hear this is big hit songs like Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Roar” by Katy Perry.
  • Use a choppy melody in your verse with plenty of fast-paced notes. Then change to a smoother melody style in the chorus. Check out “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz or “Vertigo” by U2 to hear this type of melody structure.