Start With Melody
Oct. 28, 2020
If the melody is clear enough to be able to play it on my guitar, I can make it into a song by the following method. Since I already have a melody, it’s more about arranging for guitar rather than how to compose, but this idea is the basis of my composition. Let’s take the example of Oh! Italia.
First, I play only the melody on the guitar as a single note. If the key is fixed, I play it in that key, but if I’m not particular about it, play it in A major.
Next, add notes 3 degrees below the melody, except where I don’t want to add or it makes the song difficult to play.
Here, the note of F# (red arrow) 3 degrees below in the 3rd measure will eventually become C# (small note) 5 degrees below, but I leave it as it is without thinking too much. The melody is now in harmony.
Next, play the bass. In the case of A major melody, the bass is 5th string open (A) or 6th string open (E), and in some cases 4th string open (D), so I play either one. I play it and choose the one that creates the mood I want to express. In many cases I just decide the order of A and E. There is not a good answer for everyone. Let’s play an example of the order as a trial.
The red circled notes are reversed order as actual song. In this order, the same up and down as A, E, A, E repeats, creating a mood of being shaken by a boat. This is also good, but I chose the order of A, A, E, E, which is a straightforward flow. Please listen and compare.
When I listen to the sound with the bass, I notice that F# in the 3rd measure “sounds do not match”. Therefore, I search for a note sounds well, shifting the fret one by one within the reach of my fingers. In this case, I chose C# (blue arrow) 5 degrees down. Please compare it with above play. It would be more natural.
Next, add one more note where I want to make the sound rich. Since the little finger of the right hand is not used, the maximum number of notes of the guitar is played with the bass + 3 notes. So I only have to add one note. I look for good note that my fingers can reach, but if there’re not, I give it up.
In this case, the chords in the 3rd measure could be made into three notes within the reach of my fingers by setting the 2nd fret barre chord (purple arrow). It was the place I wanted to expand the sound.
It became like a classical guitar song in such an easy way. To summarize the procedure,
- Play the melody with a single note
- Add harmony 3 degrees below
- Play the bass that gives you the mood you want to express
- Change the harmony that doesn’t sound
- Add one more note where you want to enrich
The points of “no special knowledge required” are as follows.
- Play and listen, and
- Find the sound you like,
- One by one within reach of your fingers.
In this way I only need my own ears and hands. If I have more composing knowledge, it may be useful that I don’t have to search for the note one by one, or that I can know the note without playing it. But, there is no use in creating a song that my fingers can’t reach, and knowledge has nothing to do with whether I like the sound or not. I think the general composing knowledge is useful for professionals because they have to write a song in a short time. But I’m enjoying searching for sounds, and I can get to be accustomed to the guitar, so my method is good for me. The song made with this way is Oh! Italia.
⇒ Oh! Italia: Stuff Notation ↗️
There is one more thing that I did to make this song, but the basic approach is as described here. This method gives me the peace of mind that if I have a melody, I can make a song.
At first, I didn’t think this method for composition, but to tell my children how to play the classical guitar: “Melody with middle finger, Harmony with index finger, Bass with thumb”. When I improvised Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, they said “Wow”, but it’s easy.
There is one more thing I did for creating the song. I will write it in the next article.
Photo by Maruoka Joe on PhotoAC