Week 9: Melody Shapes
This week we are going to practice creating variety in our melodies. This exercise was inspired by a lesson that Shane Adams gave in one of our song critique workshops. Shane is a member of 100 Days of Songwriting as well as a Berklee Professor, and owner/songwriter/producer at Artist Accelerator in Nashville.
Instructions
- Come up with a simple repeatable chord progression or use one from the Chords and Grooves box below.
- Set your time for 10 minutes.
- Pick a melody shape and play or sing it over the chords. Go easy on yourself and start on the 1, 3 or 5 of the chord.
- Experiment with all the shapes and/or shape combinations until the timer goes off.
Chords and Grooves
Key of C: | C / F / | G / / / |
Key of G: | G / C / | D / / / |
Key of C: | Am / F / | C / / / |
Key of G: | Em / C / | G / / / |
Key of C:
| Am / G/B / | C / / / | F / / / | F C G / / |
Key of G:
| Em / D/F# / | G / / / | C / / / | C G D / / |
Key of C: | C | C | F | C |
Key of G: | G | G | C | G |
Key of C:
| C7 / / / | C7 / / / | G7 / / / | G7 / / / |
Key of G:
| G7 / / / | G7 / / / | D7 / / / | D7 / / / |
Key of C: | C / Am7 / | Dm7 / G7 / |
Key of G: | G / Em7 / | Gm7 / D7 / |
Melody Shapes
What to Post
Post a 15 - 30 second recording of your favorite ones in the main feed.
Questions and Feedback
Is there any part of the lesson that could be more clear? What would make your experience better? Are there any benefits to this exercise that I am missing? Please leave feedback in the comments below. For more immediate assistance shoot me an email at rigel@100daysofsongwriting.com