Melodies

HI Jon,

> I don't agree with the above paragraph, for the most part. *Never* doing
> something certainly won't yield much fruit, but unlike counterpoint,
> orchestration, all the task/craft-like aspects of music-making, I still
> think that the best of the melodists are tapping into something inside them
> that isn't 'work'-related.

Perhaps I can chip in here. People tell me that melodic invention is one
of my strong points, and I certainly find it very easy
to make up tunes, and there is no feeling of effort to it; it is just
a whole lot of fun to do.

I haven't worked at it. However I htink it is something that has just come
partly from being around other people who do it - I think it is something that
rubs off. Also listening to live concerts, - did a lot of that when
I was at univ. and enjoying hearing the pieces by young composers in a very active
music dept.

Another thing is that I used to improvise for hours on end at the piano
and I think that helped.

Also just letting oneself sing / whistle when one feels like it - if one
is inhibited there I think it might make it harder. While if it is just
fun and one enjoys it, maybe that shows up in the tunes?? Loosening up
exercises of some type to release ones melodic inhibitions?? No suggestions
there as I haven't needed them. May help that I'm an amateur and don't
feel that I need to be good at it at all.

However, a couple of years ago I did a thing where every day i'd just whistle a
tune and write it down - one a day at least, which was fun to do and
may do it again. There, the thig is to just make up anything, doesn't
matter if it is good or bad, and write it down, I think will help
to make the proces of inventing tunes more effortless, though I
did it rather to try to make it easier to write out the tunes
that I whistle, which originally was rather a slow process - the
technical thing of figuring out what all the notes were to write down.

Sharing music I'm sure is a help too - listening to
work by other composers and the feeling of being in a community
of people composing using the same general materials.
Gradually we may learn together more about the melodic
potential of all these new tunings we are exploring just
by trying it out, and when someone makes up a nice tune,
maybe something in the way it happens will inspire others
to make new tunes of their own in related tunings.

Robert

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Robert Walker" <robertwalker@n...> wrote:

> However I htink it is something that has just come
> partly from being around other people who do it - I think it is
something that
> rubs off. Also listening to live concerts, - did a lot of that when
> I was at univ. and enjoying hearing the pieces by young composers
in a very active
> music dept.

this is part of the "work" i was talking about -- listening and
immersion.

> Another thing is that I used to improvise for hours on end at the
piano
> and I think that helped.

that is, of course, another major part of the "work" i was talking
about.
>
> Also just letting oneself sing / whistle when one feels like it -
if one
> is inhibited there I think it might make it harder. While if it is
just
> fun and one enjoys it, maybe that shows up in the tunes?? Loosening
up
> exercises of some type to release ones melodic inhibitions?? No
suggestions
> there as I haven't needed them. May help that I'm an amateur and
don't
> feel that I need to be good at it at all.

excellent. yes, getting past the inhibitions can be major "work" for
many musicians.

> However, a couple of years ago I did a thing where every day i'd
just whistle a
> tune and write it down - one a day at least, which was fun to do and
> may do it again. There, the thig is to just make up anything,
doesn't
> matter if it is good or bad, and write it down, I think will help
> to make the proces of inventing tunes more effortless,

i'm glad you agree that this kind of work can get you closer to that
transcendent/magic state of being an excellent, melodically creative
musician.

> though I
> did it rather to try to make it easier to write out the tunes
> that I whistle, which originally was rather a slow process - the
> technical thing of figuring out what all the notes were to write
>down.

believe it or not, even this kind of "work" is very, very helpful --
even though the final result, of effortless creation, doesn't bear
any resemblence to this process or even remind you, in any way, that
you went through it.

> Sharing music I'm sure is a help too - listening to
> work by other composers and the feeling of being in a community
> of people composing using the same general materials.
> Gradually we may learn together more about the melodic
> potential of all these new tunings we are exploring just
> by trying it out, and when someone makes up a nice tune,
> maybe something in the way it happens will inspire others
> to make new tunes of their own in related tunings.

music springing from interpersonal cultural exchange always seems
richer than music springing from a vacuum, doesn't it?

thanks for your remarks!
>
> Robert

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Robert Walker" <robertwalker@n...> wrote:

> Perhaps I can chip in here. People tell me that melodic invention is one
> of my strong points, and I certainly find it very easy
> to make up tunes, and there is no feeling of effort to it; it is just
> a whole lot of fun to do.

What is a little different is coming to a new scale and harmonic palette, and contriving melodies for these.

--- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Gene Ward Smith" <genewardsmith@j...>
wrote:

/makemicromusic/topicId_3807.html#3814

> --- In MakeMicroMusic@y..., "Robert Walker" <robertwalker@n...>
wrote:
>
> > Perhaps I can chip in here. People tell me that melodic invention
is one
> > of my strong points, and I certainly find it very easy
> > to make up tunes, and there is no feeling of effort to it; it is
just
> > a whole lot of fun to do.
>
> What is a little different is coming to a new scale and harmonic
palette, and contriving melodies for these.

***Personally, I find this approach certainly as valid and possibly
expanding the concept of "melody...": having "melody" derived from
harmonic structure...

J. Pehrson