How to Write a Good Song: The Basics for Creating a Catchy Melody

Learning how to write a good song can be tough at times. Being concerned with your melody, chords, song structure, and lyrics can really intimidate the average beginner. I've learned through my trial and errors of songwriting that one thing holds true, your melody is the key to forming great compositions.

Seriously, whenever you listen to a new song and you can't get it off your mind what is it that you remember? Most times it is the repetition of about 3 to 5 notes which are stringed together in a way to completely carry the song and as a result making you a fan of the song.

Learning these basics to forming a memorable melody will help you learn how to write a good song;

Keep it simple

This is probably the most important. I was listening to a song on the radio the other day and it was number 1 on the countdown the station was having. The amazing thing about the song was that the melody contained only four notes! The key was that the notes were very well put together and the instrument chosen to carry it fitted well. Nothing complex just simple and right to the point. Always remember to never over do it.

Find a home note

Your home note is the note that your melody will be built around. For example, if my melody starts with a C note I would have the last note in my melody that same note or very close to it. Listeners hate huge jumps in intervals for the most part and I can't blame them. Having your melody jump from E6 all the way down to C5 is quite extreme and disturbs the flow of the melody which brings up my next point.

Keep your notes close to one another

This is important when learning how to write a good song. Keeping your notes close together helps your melody to become cohesive for lack of a better term. It is something about notes close together that makes a melody memorable. I really think it is because of what I mentioned above about extremes. Close notes prevent the sudden change of things.

Find your motif

A motif is the part of the melody that is repeated. It may be a note or it may be three notes. For example, with a melody that goes C, D, E, B, A, B, C, D; C and D will more than likely be the motif. The important thing about a motif is that it usually follows a certain rhythm along with those certain notes. Work on this aspect and your melody will pretty much construct itself.

Be creative

Never copy anyone. Learn from them and make their ideas your own. Usually the hits come from someone who is not afraid to step out of the box. Always experiment with different techniques and learn what works and what does not. Songwriting is all about trial and error but above all let your ear be the judge.