Write the Chords, then the Melody
Lesson 21 from: Music Theory for Electronic ProducersTomas George
Write the Chords, then the Melody
Lesson 21 from: Music Theory for Electronic ProducersTomas George
Lesson Info
21. Write the Chords, then the Melody
Lessons
Introduction
00:58 2Basic Music Theory Terms
08:07 3Keyboard Layout and Octaves
06:19 4Working out Major Scales
08:58 5Perfect 5ths
06:42 63rds - Part 1
08:05 73rds - Part 2
07:39 8Perfect 4ths
04:36Chords and Inversions - Part 1
10:05 10Chords and Inversions - Part 2
09:13 11Chord Progressions - Part 1
10:22 12Chord Progressions - Part 2
08:26 13Inversions
08:53 147th Chords
09:48 15Chord Extensions
08:09 16Suspended Chords
02:40 17The Circle of 5ths
04:30 18Minor Scales
08:09 19Chords in the Natural Minor scale
09:56 20Harmonic and Melodic Minor
09:30 21Write the Chords, then the Melody
09:03 22Write the Melody, then the Chords
18:01 23Arpeggios
08:00 24Writing Bass Parts
11:35 25Writing Bass Riffs and Adapting Melodies
14:10 26Song Analysis - Chords, Part 1
10:17 27Song Analysis - Chords, Part 2
05:58 28Song Analysis - Melody
08:55 29Song Analysis - Arrangement
07:30 30Song 2 Analysis - Arrangement
05:04 31Song 2 Analysis - Chords
08:55 32Song 2 Analysis - Melodies
06:34 33Song 3 Analysis - Chords
11:41 34Song 3 Analysis - Melodies and Arrangement
06:55 35Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 1
10:22 36Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 2
18:47 37Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 3
18:49 38Create a Song from a Drum Beat - Part 4
08:21 39Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 1
08:16 40Create a Song from a Chord Progression - Part 2
08:07 41Create a Song from a Melody - Part 1
07:27 42Create a Song from a Melody - Part 2
09:05 43Modes Intro
04:10 44Ionian
00:43 45Dorian
04:31 46Phrygian
02:09 47Lydian
01:35 48Mixolydian
02:13 49Aeolian
00:39 50Locrian
01:50 51Dorian Mode Example
09:12 52Pentatonic Scales
12:27Lesson Info
Write the Chords, then the Melody
Hello. In this lecture, we're going to be looking at building a melody from a chord progression. So this basically means we write our chords out and then we can write a melody on top of this. This is the main way I like to write my melodies, but you can do it the other way around. You can write the melody first and then put chords to the melody, which we will be looking at the next lecture. So what we need to do, first of all is write out a core progression. So let's just pick a key, let's pick, say G major. So this is basically C major but with one different note and f sharp, we know this from doing tone, tone semitone, tone, tone, tone semitone. So we have all the notes of G major and then we can work out which chords go where. So we could try the first chord, which would be from looking at this A G major. So we have the root 23, the 3rd 45 and the fifth. And the gaps between here 12345, 1234 means this is a G major. So we could start with this one and then we could add on a differen...
t code. Let's try the third, let's add on the B minor. So we have the B so it's 123, the D 45 and the F sharp. Ok, we can put this down in version. So it just looks a bit cleaner and sounds a bit smoother as well. Now we can add on and they've won as well. Just stretch this out a bit. Ok. So we could have, let's try ad so going through major minor minor major major, we know the G is a G major. The B is a 123. It's the first, it's major minor minor is a B minor and the D will be major minor, minor major, major ad major. So let's try the squad D major. So let's write in notes of D major. So going back here, we have the D, then we have the F shot. It's 123, going back again, 45, we have this a, let's move these around a bit invert these. Let's put the F sharp down here. Ok. And let's add on one more cord. Let's try an E so major minor minor major. Major minor, which is the six. Actually, let's put the six here and then put the D that last because the D will be 1/5. It would give a nice 5 to 1 which basically make the pattern go round and round. So I'm gonna move this just over here and then I'm gonna add on an E minor. So we know. So it's one this note here. 23, go back in for five. So we have the bay just gonna put this G no octave and maybe the E as well. No, the E up there. OK. So this is our pattern all from G major. These cords will all fit just gonna just move this. What mind that cluster sound? There we go and put this back really, really quickly, how we can write a core progression. OK. Let's just loop this. So we have G major, B minor, E minor and then D major really, really simple. OK. I'm just gonna add a loop to give a bit more flavor to this. So let's just find loops. Let's just search loop. See we got this will do it really simple. OK? So one thing I like to do is actually copy all of this over. I'm just going to color this differently just so I know it's a different one. And then I'm gonna go through delete all the bottom notes and just keep the top ones. So a lot of the time the melody is just the top note of the chord, it's just easy thing to start from. And then actually put this up an octave like so a case, this is just a really, really easy way. It's a bit boring. To start with, but it's a good starting point, we can add a few passing notes. So not always the notes in the chord, we can move them around a bit. Let's actually just uh duplicate this then. So we can play them both at the same time, let's say this. So it sounds a bit dull at the moment. Cos its just, yeah, what we can do is just draw in a few extra passing notes. So we know the first chord as a G major. So really, we kind of want to stick to notes in G major and we know the route third V is a GB ad but could be a bit kind of cheeky adding this F sharp in the melody too. We don't have to just stick to this. We can add in other notes, passing notes, passing tones, but it's a good idea to really stick to the notes in the chord to start with, but we can just add in a few other ones. So let's try this B here, which is the third and let's have a passing note of ne sharp, which is the seventh, then we have D the second one. So we know the code is B minor if you remember. So we have the BD and the F sharp. So let's see, BD and F sharp. So we start with ad could land on this could be quite predictable. We can move it to another note. We don't have to stay on this day. Lets try, lets try the D there, try an E there back to the F sharp and then we're going to go back to the E kind of play this melody in early. This is a good effect you can use. Next ch is a gab and E an E minor. So can use that. I'm gonna copy this shape from the start. So this is actually the seventh of the Emina and then this is the fifth Emina. So we're copying this melodic shape, but we're actually uh putting it on different notes. So let's try that. So I'm gonna move it over slightly. Continue this A. So we have the similar kind of shape. It is a little bit different. And then the last time I'm gonna do a similar kind of thing, copy this shape here and looking back this last call is a D major. So we have the D, the F sharp and the A. So this has ad E and F sharp. So we, and then an E so we could copy this but change it, modify it. It's quite like this shape, but I'm gonna change it a little bit. OK. So the D in F shops then it goes to an A but I'm gonna have this land on a different note. Try the D again. OK. So this is just a really quick melody. I'm not really too sure what it's gonna going to sound like, but I know it's gonna fit. So let's hear what this sounds like. OK, let's just loop this and uh play it again. I know it's fit but the, the, the rhythm's a bit boring to me. So you can add a few more in so I could do something like this. Remember as long as we stay in key, we can really add whatever notes we want. It doesn't have to be notes of the chord. We can add passing notes. It makes it a bit more exciting as well. So let's change this to an e that note didn't really work. So let's try this. There, there's a bit too much space at the moment. The song's very bare. So you can kind of make the, the melody a bit more complex, had a few passing tones. It's better, you can move it as well. So it's kind of offbeat. It's not always landing when the cor does just to kind of throw it around a bit just to stir it up. It doesn't have to be the same every single time. Let's try ac that I wanna put ac in even though it's the, the seventh but Kook maybe not that C let's try this b that's the thing. You can mess it up but it doesn't matter, just change it around and that works. Create a new midi instrument now. So we can add more of a synth sound. Really try more of a lead sound and drag this over and that works. So this is built just around these cords and it all works all fits and key. It's a few passing tones just to make it a bit more exciting. Like I said, there's no real fix through all. So it's a combination of sticking to the key using notes in the chord and also adding some passing notes just to make it a bit more exciting because if it's just the notes in the chord can be a bit boring. You have to look at the notes going down. And also for you need to think of the rhythms, you need to think what would be something quite exciting that people could sing along to me. This sounds quite catchy. It's not too predictable. There's a few passing tones, there's some rhythms, keep it flowing, keep it moving. But this is basically, basically how I would write melody from a chord progression. Next, we're going to look at it the other way round. We're going to write the melody first of all and then add the chords afterwards. So thank you for watching this lecture and I'll join you in the next lecture where we're writing the melody first and then adding the chords.
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