How to Write Melodies (types to know + 11 key tips)
One of my favorite parts of the songwriting process is writing melodies. Hooks, catchy riffs and memorable lines are what I love most. And through the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks worth sharing.
So this is my complete guide on how to write melodies.
Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents Show
What Is A Melody?
A melody is the shape of your notes. It’s a collection of individual notes strung together that make up the vocal, usually lyrical, parts of a song.
A song’s vocals are usually made up of verse melodies, a chorus melody (or your hook) and sometimes a bridge melody.
So let’s look at some of the different types of melodies.
Styles + Types of Melodies
It feels like every other article has a different list of melody types and names.
So, while I like Splice’s video on melody types, here’s my take on things.
Topline Melodies
Topline melodies are your main, leading melody that sits front and center in your verses and hook.
It’s what your listeners will remember and sing to.
Harmonies
Harmonies are extra vocal layers that are separate from, but compliment, your topline melody and/or the instrumental sections of your song.
You can use simple harmonies to make your lead vocal sound bigger, quick harmonies to add dynamics or multiple layers to create gang vocals for an even bigger splash. The options are endless.
Riffs + Runs
Riffs and runs are a series of quick-hitting notes sung for a single word or a vowel sound.
They’re a more advanced singing technique, but they add a lot of personality and flavor to your lead vocals.
Directional Melodies
Directional melodies are made up of notes that are either ascending or descending.
For example, if you start on C3 and end at G3, that would be an ascending melody. But if you start on G3 and end on C3, that would be a descending melody.
Multi-Directional
Multi-directional melodies hop around, both ascending and descending throughout a scale to complete a vocal line.
They’re the opposite of directional melodies, which go in one direction (more or less).
Monotone Melodies
Monotone melodies are flat melodies and typically have just one (or two) notes.
These are common in rap songs, but I also like to use them in verses or for lead ups to some bigger moment.
Legato Melodies
Legato melodies are sustained notes that connect with smooth transitions.
These notes blend together nicely and add emphasis, drama and emotion to your song.
Staccato Melodies
Staccato melodies are the opposite of legato. These notes are not sustained and have sudden stops.
It’s similar to an arpeggiated effect. They add a lot of attitude, rhythm and personality to your song.
Jumping Melodies
Jumping melodies are lines that have big note gaps in them.
For example, jumping from a C3 to a E4 and then descending down (or around) would be a jumping melody (says me).
“Casual” Melodies
“Casual” melodies (as I’ve dubbed them) are lines that are either lazily sung, have some essence of speaking to them or are sung slightly “off” or “improperly” (on purpose).
They’re usually sung with artistic intention and add personality to your song. One song that comes to mind is Missed the Boat by Modest Mouse (the verses).
Call + Response
Call and response melodies are common in duets or for creating echo effects. They often have a “conversational” effect.
I also put melodies that use silence or long pauses between lines in this basket.
How to Write Melodies (11 techniques + tips)
Ready to write some epic melodies? Awesome.
While studying some formal music theory is helpful, these are my go-to moves and tips for how to write a catchy melody.
1. Looping Gibberish
Looping gibberish is when you loop a section of your song on repeat and ramble or hum random melodies over it, until you find an idea that hits.
It’s my favorite way to write melodies since it’s more intuitive, free-flowing and fun (IMO).
This method totally captures the essence and vibe of songwriting. And it sort of makes me feel like an explorer discovering artifacts (i.e., melodies), which is cool.
2. Use Repetition
Repetition is when you repeat the same phrase and notes in your song two or more times, back to back.
It’s great to highlight important parts of your song while making your melodies more catchy and memorable.
After all, repetition makes it easy for people to remember and sing along to.
If you look closer, you’ll probably notice a lot of pop songs will use this technique.
You can also use vocal throws and delays to add repetition to your melodies (even though these are technically music production techniques).
3. Use Motion With Intention
Motion is how your melody moves from one pitch to another (or how two or more melodies interact with each other). Two main type of motion are stepwise and skiwise motion.
Stepwise motion is when the distance between any two consecutive notes is no more than a half step or a whole step.
For example, moving from A → B or from C → C♭ would be stepwise motion. There are no gaps larger than that semitone or tone.
Skipwise motion are when the jump is between two notes that are not directly next to each other. Moving from A → C or from D → A would both be skipwise motion.
Understanding motion can help guide your melody writing intention and goals.
For example, do you want your song to use steps or leaps in the melody? You may want to use stepwise motion to make your song easier for people to sing along to, while skipwise motion can make certain parts of your song stand out more.
And when it comes to vocal layering and harmonies, you can have your melodies follow the same paralleled motion, a similar motion or a totally contrasting motion.
All of this motion stuff adds intention and purpose to what you’re doing. You can learn more about motion here and here.
4. Start With the Lyrics
I don’t usually start with lyrics, but whenever I do, I’m always pleasantly surprised.
This strategy is especially good if lyric writing is your strength. Starting with confidence is always a good thing.
Also, lyrics add a lot of story and emotional direction to your song. These things can definitely guide your melody writing.
So if you’ve never tried this approach, take out your notepad and start with some words. See where that takes you.
Recommended: Equipment for Singers (what to get)
5. Start Voice-Memoing All Your Random Ideas
Getting into the habit of capturing all of your random ideas will make you better at writing melodies.
I keep these as loose notes in three main places:
My Voice Memos app
My Google Drive (from my old phone’s voice app)
BandLab
I have thousands of random phone recordings of potential melodies and song ideas. These are awesome for inspiration, so whenever I’m feeling stuck, I can sift through old notes and recordings for a creative spark.
It’s a smart musician habit and a great strategy since you’ll have a personal library of melody ideas, which you can pull from at any time.
6. Write From Your Flow State
Sometimes, I feel like songwriting (and art) is more like channeling.
I don’t know where the ideas are coming from, but they just pour out and I look back and wonder how I came up with them. This is what flow is.
Creative flow is when you’re so immersed in the task at hand, you lose track of time and logic or reason fall away. I always try to optimize my workspaces and time for it.
So here are some tips for writing music in flow:
Get rid of distractions
Listen to your gut and follow your intuition
Try the Flowmodoro technique
Identify bottlenecks to your flow (and solve or avoid them)
Recommended: How to Find Your Creative Flow
7. Study Your Favorite Artists + Songs
This tip is about becoming a more active listener.
We can learn a lot from our favorite music. It’s like this: to know the road ahead, ask the person coming back.
When you listen to music more actively, you become more analytical. You start to pay closer attention to the notes and how they line up with the rest of the song.
You may ask deeper questions too, like “why did the artist choose this direction or sing a certain line in a certain way?”
These interpretations offer clues and guidance for how you can write melodies.
You can find inspiration for ideas and insights about the songwriting process and what sounds good.
Active listening is an awesome way to level up your writing.
8. Use AI
We have the technology. Why not use it?
(and psst, don’t worry, it’s not cheating!)
AI is simply a new tool that unlocks more creativity and workflow efficiency.
As an independent artist, you’re already doing everything (from writing and production to marketing and distribution). So finding ways to optimize your creativity and songwriting is just a smart move.
AI has a ton of exciting tools for songwriters – too many to name in one post (and things seem to change every week).
So my best advice is to start down a rabbit hole or two and test out some of the different options available.
Here are a few AI songwriting tools on my radar:
SongStarter by BandLab
Recommended: Does Technology Limit Creativity?
9. Sing Without Any Instruments
This one is similar to tip number four (on starting with lyrics). But here, you may not have any lyrics at all (or maybe just a phrase or two).
Singing without your instrument or any background chords is liberating and gives your creativity some more room to run and explore.
You’re less concerned with lining things up to a chord structure or sitting perfectly in the pocket. Your focus is on finding a melody. You can clean up the timing and all that later.
I like to also use visualization for this strategy. So you can imagine instruments and how the song will sound once it’s fully built out as a mental guide.
Otherwise, just play around humming and stumbling around until you find an idea that resonates.
Record it, and keep humming it over and over. Often, it’ll evolve and develop naturally the more times you hum it.
10. Keep Your Melodies Simple
Have a chorus that’s just two lines repeated and a total of three notes? Epic. Because that could be a serious banger.
Complexity doesn't mean better. Sometimes (often), the simplest melodies are the most memorable.
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed, step back and be a minimalist. Less is more.
You don’t need complex runs, epic jumps or groundbreaking note combos. Focus more on the emotion, rhythm, story and nuance of the melody and where it sits in your mix.
Stress less and have more fun by keeping things simple.
Besides, complexity is just made up of simpler parts layered on top of each other anyways.
Recommended: Songwriting Tips for Beginners
11. Be Authentic
Authenticity is one of those things that makes an artist and their work great.
You can’t copy it and often, it doesn’t follow any particular template or formula. It’s your uniqueness.
Infusing authenticity into a melody helps people to instantly recognize who is singing a song (even if they’ve never heard it).
It becomes part of your differentiation and brand as a musician.
For example, DJ Khaled often yells his name or recognizable catch phrases over his tracks and Michael Jackson boosted his signature sound with his own set of unique noises.
What makes you different, unique or even weird is what makes you authentic.
So lean into your that – it’s an artistic asset.
Recommended: How to Be More Authentic
Conclusion (practice + have fun)
There are many terms and strategies for writing a solid melody or a great hook.
When you’re using repetition or motion or my personal favorite, looping and singing gibberish, writing melodies requires practice.
It’s a creative skill you’ll hone over time the more you work on it (like anything).
So the most important thing is to lean into your authenticity, never compare yourself to others and have fun.
Want More? Okay. Here’s More.
