How To Write A Melody

As a composer, being able to write a melody is fairly important. As with all things musical, start small and try to build on a solid foundation - do not start your composition journey by starting to try to write a symphony… I did that and it was doomed to failure.

Each composer writes differently but if, like me, you are a pianist then try figuring out a short two to four chord progression that works reasonably well and try humming a melody over it. It can be a simple couple of notes or something wild but if you sing it then you are much more likely to create something organic that is memorable - when using a DAW, Sibelius or any sort of computer input it’s very easy to write melodies that lack emotion or any sort of notability.

Get two to four bars down and play them repeatedly. You might find they change as you play them around and become better at performing them. You’ll also find that the will start to feel much more natural the more used to them you get. It’s generally recommended to play things stepwise with not too many leaps but do what you think sounds good - there is an audience for all sorts of music so if you like the sound of your melody then others will!

Phrasing is a much overlooked but very important element of making melodies coherent. Imagine if everyone talked in a constant monotone with no variation, talking to people would be very boring! Phrasing is like musical sentences and doing this effectively will create a much more natural feel for your melody.

With that in mind, don’t forget about articulation and dynamics - vary how loud notes are and how you hit them - if they’re short notes then are they staccato (bouncy) or held for longer (tenuto)? Make the phrases change in volume and breath some life into them!

To be able to write the future you must know the past - try transcribing melodies of tunes, be they pop songs or orchestral preludes that you love that you wish you’d written. You’ll see stylistic themes begin to appear that are specific to the composer and, if you’re transcribing melodies from an orchestral work then you’re likely to get some orchestration tips as well.

Not every melody you write will be good. But every time you try to write a melody you will get better at it, faster at it and the likelihood of you creating something that is both interesting, original and in your own voice increases.

Get writing now!

---

Explore More from Nick Pike

Nick Pike is a London-based composer, pianist, saxophonist, producer, and educator with over 15 years of professional experience. His music blends neoclassical piano with jazz, funk, and contemporary influences, drawing comparisons to Ludovico Einaudi, Yiruma, and Ólafur Arnalds. Alongside original compositions, Nick offers music services including scoring for film, TV, and advertising, piano and saxophone recording, arranging for strings and horns, and professional mixing and production.

Music & Albums – Original releases from solo piano to orchestral scores.

Services – Composition, recording, arranging, and production for artists, media, and brands.

Contact – Get in touch for lessons, commissions, or collaborations.