
Discover six practical tools to make melodies stand out and carry your lyrics in a catchy, beautiful way, then apply them on guitar or keyboard with a PDF cheat sheet.
This lecture shows that melodies should be catchy and beautiful by matching lyrics to a simple, singable line. Keep melodies simple and memorable by using few notes and phrase breaks.
Explore how tension and release, or call and response, make melodies sound like a conversation by pairing musical phrases with chord progressions and resolving the tension.
Chords are already doing half the work, shaping melodies across cheerful and dark progressions. Explore how different progressions invite a distinct vibe, and learn new songs to spark fresh inspiration.
Explore how rhythm shapes melody by varying note lengths to create catchy tunes; rearranging rhythm can upgrade melodies and make them more engaging.
Repetition drives catchiness by using one melody per song part (verse, chorus, pre-chorus) and repeating it 2–4 times.
Balance steps and skips to craft memorable melodies; use neighbor tones and larger intervals sparingly, noting that verses stay laid-back while choruses gain emotional impact.
Explore how simple, singable melodies balance tension and release. Experiment with rhythm and chord progressions, and become a constant student of your favorite melodies to craft new, catchy tunes.
Build a 3-6 song melody playlist, then test core points in real world by humming, analyzing patterns, and focusing on 2-3 techniques to improve melody.
The melody of your songs is called "the topline" for a reason... (We are talking about the melody that you are singing the lyrics with)
It's the "vehicle" that you put your lyrics on top of, so it is literally what would make or break your songs.
So, in this mini-course, we will have a look over the techniques that created some of the most unforgettable melodies we all know - so that you can use them yourself.
Everything will be very practical - for each tool, I will also show you exactly how you can go to your guitar/keyboard right now and put it into use in the next song that you are writing.
Also, everything is backed up with fancy graphical animations of the melodies that will help you understand it all not just audibly, but also with your eyes.
The tools are:
Tool #1 - Catchy Melodies Are Often Simple & Singable
Tool #2 – Using Tension & Release / Call & Response
Tool #3 – The Chords Are Already Doing Half of the Work for You
Tool #4 – It’s All About the Rhythm
Tool #5 – Repetition Is Your Best Friend
Tool #6 – Keeping a Pleasant Balance Between Steps & Skips
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Your whole music listening experience would also become a lot more enjoyable, since you are going to have a deeper understanding of why you like the melodies that you like.
(Yes, I know it is a big promise, but wait until you'll feel it yourself - it's real)
Who am I?
My name is Alon Cooper, I am an artist and a music instructor based in Austin Texas and in Amsterdam. Since 2016, over 100,000 students have learned from my online courses.
As an artist, I release new songs to Spotify every month and play shows with my band.
The tools in the course are tools that I've learned by distilling the best information from 100's of lessons, resources, and books about songwriting and melody writing - and bringing you nothing but the most practical, useful information.
I'll see you inside.