Coming up with melodies?

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Coming up with melodies?

By justineastwick Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:08 pm
Hey, I was wondering what steps everyone takes to come up for melodies for their songs. I think that’s the greatest challenge for me as a producer at this point.

I think it’s a starting preference for me - start with a melody and build the drums around the melody. I’ve always done it this way, since I could remember. Anybody have any suggestions?

I recently got into using the PAD PERFORM mode. It helps, but slightly... Any input would be greatly appreciated!
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By TheUnfuckwithable Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:20 pm
justineastwick wrote:Hey, I was wondering what steps everyone takes to come up for melodies for their songs.


2 steps basically...

1. Dig something dope
2. Sample it
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By Lampdog Fri Oct 13, 2017 12:19 am
Turn on kybd.

Get busy.
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By justineastwick Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:29 am
Lampdog wrote:Turn on kybd.

Get busy.

Yeah, I’ve been fairing well with those drum samples (those 808s). I guess the melodies are the problem now. Well, not a problem, but I feel like my melodies are stale.
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By justineastwick Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:31 am
**** wrote:
justineastwick wrote:Hey, I was wondering what steps everyone takes to come up for melodies for their songs.


2 steps basically...

1. Dig something dope
2. Sample it

I wanted to do something from scratch. I know anything I come up with is going to be influenced by something I’ve been listening to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Travis Scott’s productions.
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By Ocular Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:02 am
If this;
justineastwick wrote:I wanted to do something from scratch. I know anything I come up with is going to be influenced by something I’ve been listening to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Travis Scott’s productions.

Then;
Lampdog wrote:Turn on kybd.

Get busy.


This question is kind of like a painter asking other painters how to paint. Now I know that this comparision is somewhat reductive, as music is slightly more abstract and subjective than visual arts, but the message is the same. No one can really answer this for you. Open up your palette of colors and start painting, regardless of what inspires you or influences you, whether it is Bob Ross or Jackson Pollock that comes out the other end, it is hard to say what is right or wrong.

Lampdog wrote:Turn on kybd.

Get busy.
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By justineastwick Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:48 am
Ocular wrote:If this;
justineastwick wrote:I wanted to do something from scratch. I know anything I come up with is going to be influenced by something I’ve been listening to. I’ve been listening to a lot of Travis Scott’s productions.

Then;
Lampdog wrote:Turn on kybd.

Get busy.


This question is kind of like a painter asking other painters how to paint. Now I know that this comparision is somewhat reductive, as music is slightly more abstract and subjective than visual arts, but the message is the same. No one can really answer this for you. Open up your palette of colors and start painting, regardless of what inspires you or influences you, whether it is Bob Ross or Jackson Pollock that comes out the other end, it is hard to say what is right or wrong.

Lampdog wrote:Turn on kybd.

Get busy.

Good artists copy, great artists steal... LOL, seriously though; I have an idea of what I want my melody or beat to sound like, but the work that goes into having it sound like that is another story, you know? Thought it be more ideal for me to start with one issue at a time... Might learn something for one of these guys that I can actually run with and develop, you know?
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By Harmoncj Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:38 pm
make a list of all 12 notes (a, a#, b, c , c#, etc...)
choose a note you like,
press it into the sequence somewhere and cross it off the list, you can't use it anymore
each time you add a note cross it off the list
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By Lampdog Fri Oct 13, 2017 9:35 pm
justineastwick wrote:Good artists copy, great artists steal.


I have always disagreed with that saying, and I just roll my own melodies.

Just keep practicing, you’ll get better, just like many of us did.
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Re: Coming up with melodies?

By Ocular Sat Oct 14, 2017 12:54 am
justineastwick wrote:Good artists copy, great artists steal... LOL, seriously though; I have an idea of what I want my melody or beat to sound like, but the work that goes into having it sound like that is another story, you know? Thought it be more ideal for me to start with one issue at a time... Might learn something for one of these guys that I can actually run with and develop, you know?


Okay, it's cool. Check out a plugin called Cthulhu by Xfer Records https://www.xferrecords.com/products/cthulhu
It is a chord and arp module. Play chords at the push of a single key.

Learn some chords and scales. This information is everywhere nowadays.

Buy some sheet music for Jazz or soul or whatever standards. Get a feel for how the chord progressions work.

It is a start. Sorry that's all I got.
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