What makes a great melody? How do we know when we’ve heard one? Is a great melody a static idea, or is it specific to musical genre or artist?
Melody, like the pillars of lyric, chord, and rhythm in songwriting, is completely within our control as writers. Yet many of us feel that our melodies could improve or grow in some way, and we don’t quite know how. The key is understanding what our options are and recognizing the gap between those options and what we’re currently writing.
No pillar of lyric, chord, rhythm, or melody stands alone in a song. Each interacts with the others, and together they create a musical experience that, with any luck, captures the attention and emotions of our listeners. Melody interacts with lyrics to form the lead vocal line, so in this article, I’d like to focus on that lead vocal line as a way of discovering when melody is truly elevating the power of a song and its overall message.
Prosody
There’s a useful term in songwriting that describes the congruence between words and music: prosody. When words and music agree, we say a song has good prosody. When they conflict or their messages don’t align, there is a lack of prosody.
You can think of prosody as musical body language. It’s the way the lyric is being expressed. We’re all familiar with body language in spoken language. Hesitating or lifting our vocal tone can suggest doubt, while strong, punctuated delivery can suggest eagerness, anger, or urgency. The same is true in music. Rhythm and pitch shape infer meaning, whether we intend them to or not.
When it comes to melody, we primarily control rhythm and pitch. Pitch refers to the notes we sing; rhythm refers to when and for how long we hold those pitches. Short, punctuated melodic phrases often translate excitement more effectively than long, drawn-out pitches sung behind the beat. Ascending melodic lines tend to convey rising energy more clearly than descending lines. Ample rest or breathing space within a vocal line can communicate calmness or contentment better than a melody crowded with pitches and lyrics.
The more aligned the lyric message is with the body language of the melody, the stronger the emotional response from the listener. Lyric and melody begin to function as one. So when refining a melody, we can examine the lyric line by line, identify the intent behind the words, and explore melodic choices that amplify that intent.
Below are some melodic tendencies to try, depending on the emotion carried by the lyric or section you’re writing.