This One Melody Tip Will Make Your Melodies GREAT

Writing great melodies can seem like a dark art - in this video, I show you ONE incredibly powerful element of melody writing that can transform a stale melody into one that dances.

[pseudonymlifts]

This is why I record every second of jamming/songwriting that I do. Often you get a rhythmic improvisation that works so, so well that it makes the entire melody, but the thing is it's very hard to actually remember such subtleties. If you don't have it down, you'll probably remember a more 'square' version of what you did and wonder why what seemed to exciting suddenly feels lame and stale. It's also why it's so important to rehearse a lot and play in front of people a lot. When you get stiff and scared, your rhythm is the first thing to suffer. When you're comfortable, phrasing flows.

[officialWWM]

I’m a vocal coach. This topic is something I spend so much time on with my students. Starting the vocal either a beat early or a beat late, can really push and pull a song. To me, it’s the difference between good and great singers.

[Dennisonutube]

I love it when u singing!Cuz i like ur voice, dont know if you read it...Have a beautiful day & keep it up!

[rideshareglobalprotest]

I have watched hundreds of videos of music. This is the first time I was given permission to start off beat. THANK YOU!!!!

[OurgasmComrade]

Neil Young started his phrases just after beat one of bar one in so many of his songs because he knew the ear-catching effect of it!

[johnlind]

One word for this video: WOW! It is somehow liberating to have someone clearly articulate something you know intuitively. In practice, I play/sing other songwriter's tunes this way and I consciously enjoy it - even if the song wasn't written this way originally. It is just the way I sing and the tool I use to make the song more interesting to myself. But for some unknown reason, I have literally NEVER applied this to the songs I am writing. DUH!
Thanks so much (seriously, you two are the best, most positive, thing going on social media!)
John - Gig Harbor, WA 🤓

[PrincesaRapunzel]

I've discovered this channel recently and definitely is one of my top discoveries of the year, and we are still in february! Thanks for your priceless content (:

[iwritethehooks]

Kurt Cobain was the master of melodic phrasing.

[yobrojoost]

Yep, phrasing is sooo important! I love syncopating, it adds a lot to the dynamics.

[christopherhudson]

Bing Crosby attributed his success to his phrasing, which he said he learned from Louis Armstrong … good on you for bringing this to the forefront … you’re doing great things.

[sub-jec-tiv]

Great video. Phrasing is equally important in instrumental music or solos within songs. And one of the most important things to remember in both, is: don’t forget to leave some empty space. Empty space allows musical storytelling, an endless river of notes becomes an abstraction, which can be exhausting.

[QualityTBD]

I love your channel, I've been writing songs for a long time, I went to school for it (and I would like to believe I've gotten pretty good at it). But I've only recently started teaching songwriting, and being a good writer is very different from being a great teacher. Your videos have been a HUGE resource for me in learning how to express these concepts in an effective and accessible way.

[kiillabytez]

A perfect example is The Searchers' Needles And Pins, in which the lyric starts on the 2nd beat and continues this way, (even through the Bridge) throughout the song.

[eddywinter]

Great lesson (as always)! One of my favourite examples is S&G's 'Bridge over Troubled Water' where in the verse each line it starts 'late' on the 2, but the chorus switches to starting on beat 1 for impact.

[iluvsyphonfilter]

I always struggle with melodies, thanks for making this video!

[petermuller]

Brilliant. I intuitively did this often, but understanding it helps, using it in a controlled way and for polishing existing songs.
The things said about dynamic phrasing do not only apply to sung melodies, but to every melody, also guitar solos, piano. The video reminded me of the most beautiful improvised guitar solo, i ever played :)

[mr.skinskull]

Your insights are fantastic, accurate and immediately applicable

[TigerRogers]

Excellent video!! I have done this in some of my previous songs. But i've never been really aware of it - or done it deliberately!! It's more a case of a word or 2 that didn't sound right - & the emphasis had to be shifted!!

[Timsimmonds]

Great tip which I do by accident as I'm often concentrating on the guitar chord changes then sing on the down beat. Thx for sharing a cool song too!!

[creampopsongs]

Most of my songs get like a few dozen views on YouTube. I watched your video here, changed the beat where I put the lyrics of this children's song I wrote so that the emphasis for the first word of each phrase is on the off-beat (actually beat 3.5 of a swing beat) instead of on the more predictable pickup beat, beat 4, and it made the song so much more fun. It is now by far my most popular song with more than 5, 000 views in just one week. Is that the reason? I don't know. But you have a great idea here. Thanks!