Time to wrap it up all together. This month we looked at writing melodies and writing lyrics. So what is more important, the melody or lyrics?

We will consider the melody of a song first. I’m sure we can all sing a melody of a song that has no real meaning to it. Or we have the experience of listening to a song and getting it stuck in your head… That is good melody writing. If you can sing along with a song or if you just can’t get a song out of your head, it is most likely because it has a great melody. Without great melodies, songs are easily forgotten or unsingable. Both of those are serious considerations for any song.

However, there are songs out there that have difficult melodies, but are so meaningful that they transcend the melody itself. “The Star Spangled Banner”, for instance, is always on the list of most difficult songs to sing. However, it is so meaningful that the song transcends the difficult melody. There are numerous other songs out there that are unsingable for most people, but have made their way into greatness.

My own opinion is that a great melody is more important than content… Now that I have lost all respect, let me earn it back. One common songwriting technique is to write timeless lyrics by writing lyrics that are somewhat vague. People tend to put their own personal meaning into a song that has a vague, but relatable message. Also, the more a melody gets stuck in someone’s head, the more chances they have to place their own personal meaning into your song. So, while content IS important, focusing on a catchy melody with vague but relatable lyrics may get you a little more attention.

The question can be asked, how important is the message of a song? Before you say very important… Ask yourself, how many songs do you casually listen to without consideration of the content? Let’s take a short look at how important content is for songs.

Many people would agree that the content of the song is what makes a song either great or fluff. However, we can all think of dozens of songs that have stood the test of time that would be considered… Fluff content. Not all songs need to dive deep into the psyche of the human experience. Sometimes a song can become an instant hit without having any meaning at all. This often has to do with a song being released at just the right time, or a song being associated with a particular event or emotion. Who still wants to party like its 1999… Probably most people who were born in the early 80s and before. That is because the fluff content of the song is overpowered by the associated emotions tied to the song.

In contrast, some songs hit chords in our fundamental thought process. Songs that are based on ideology can trigger very strong attachments and emotional responses. For me, “Amazing Grace” will always bring a tear to my eyes because I’ve played it at family funerals… In fact I can hardly finish the song. Songs about ideology can become major parts of people’s lives. Unlike fluff songs, people will often hang on every word in these songs. If you are going to write a song about ideology, make sure every word is carefully placed. You can really inspire or offend folks with how you make these songs.

So… How important is content? Well, if you’re writing about ideology content will be the most important part of the entire production. However, the one thing all great music has in common is the emotional attachment. Sometimes a fluff song, published at just the right time can be more impactful than the greatest  ideological song published at the wrong time. The only magical combination that can be said is; pay attention to what you publish and when you publish it. Just because you have a great song it doesn’t mean you should publish it right away…

Although I have already addressed some of this before, this topic is so important I could write about it in every blog post. You have to know the purpose of your melodies and make sure they are written to achieve that purpose. Do you want people to sing your melodies or just enjoy listening to them? There is a big difference in how you handle your pitch range and rhythmic selection depending on what your goal is.

Let’s start off with pitch range, do you want folks to sing along with your song? Some songs are specifically written so the majority of folks can easily sing along. Other songs are written slightly higher to produce songs for folks to enjoy listening to. If your intent is to write singable songs, then you don’t want to go outside the range of the D-D octave on the treble clef. Even that range may be a little big, as some people will struggle toward the ends of that range. However, most folks are able to sing the melody or find easy to sing harmonies if you stay in that range. Unfortunately, melodies in this range can seem a little uninspired and dull… So for melodies that are slightly more inspirational to listen to, you will most likely start exploring notes that can get as high as the G or A above the staff… Maybe even higher depending on the singer.

Along with pitch range, the rhythmic content is one of the most important considerations. My background is as a percussionist… So it took me a little time to realize that triplets and notes that are faster than eighth notes can be difficult for the average musician. If you are looking to create singable melodies you may need to keep the melodic rhythms simple and surround them with rhythmically interesting instrument parts. Regardless of if you are writing singable or just for listening melodies, writing rhythms that are complementary  (not the same) as your rhythm instruments will help your melodies stand out.

Although we are looking at these considerations individually, they all combine to create one experience, the melody. In my experience, the starting point always comes from a moment of melodic or lyrical inspiration. Then, I will start to adjust the range and melodies to achieve my goals. The most important thing is. To know what you are trying to achieve, it is impossible to hit a target that doesn’t exist.

What is more important; the melody or the lyrics??? Although you cannot have one without the other, they are not the same thing. A great message with a bad melody is usually as good as forgotten. Likewise, a great melody without a message is hard to identify with. This month we will look at 3 considerations when writing melodies

• Melodic range and rhythm.
• The song message.
• What’s more important; melody or lyrics