How to Write Melodies - Super Neat Beat Cheat Sheet

Рет қаралды 265,271

7 жыл бұрын

To learn more about Reason:
propellerheads.com/reason/
For years people have asked us to give some tips and tricks on how to write melodies. Now thanks to the Scales & Chords player in Reason 9, we've come up with a systematic and teachable way for arriving at a melody that doesn't just follow the often trite advice like "just play whatever sounds good" or "use your ear." If it was that easy, people asking for tips and tricks wouldn't be asking!
By the time your done, you should have a good idea on how to start your next melody - and even some ideas for how to use the same techniques to start your next chord progression too.

Пікірлер: 263

@kaj-nagibe 7 жыл бұрын

One of the best melody writing tutorial on the net in less than 10 minutes and this is coming from a person who studied many years in a conservatory.

@prohdusah 7 жыл бұрын

had nothing to do with reason more the presenters approach

@graxx1451 6 жыл бұрын

And this why you wilI NEVER be a good songwriter or write a hit. This is mechanical CRAP!!!

@mauriciofuentes7638 6 жыл бұрын

I don't understand your argument. What makes this mechanical? Is is because it's electronic, or are you trying to point at his method of forming the melody? Because I'm certain that every musician goes through a similar thought process when making melodies (unless they're into avant-garde).

@oneworld9071 5 жыл бұрын

Gra Xx what your inspiring comment comes down to is whether a composition strikes YOU as a "good" song(writer) or hit. Just because a song is a hit does not mean it's "good". The instrumentation, rhythm, harmony, and performance all figure into this concept of good song vs bad song, as well. As long as you've no idea whether or not a song was composed by the sort of tool and approach demonstrated herewith, you don't know from "mechanical crap". With a little randomization, humanizing, and swing injected after composing with quantization to grid, you'll be as oblivious as the layman. Would you consider sharing a link to your presentation/lecture on composition of melody? It would be reasonable to expect you to cover such sophisticated topics as leading tones, passing tones, and even the psychoacoustic effects of melodies in terms of such criteria as major and minor keys, modal foundations, scalar vs arpeggio methods, etc. In the opening narrative, this producer did state the purpose of this video; "people have asked for a beginner's tutorial on how to write melody". So..... what's a profoundly advanced expert such as yourself doing, lurking among "beginners"? Of course your intent was to encourage and inspire those without the resources to commit to Berklee, Peabody, nor Briton, among so many others.

@iOWNyouFOOLaskYOmama 4 жыл бұрын

What is a conservatory? 🤔

@gir711 6 жыл бұрын

My god man these tutorials have just been phenomenal and i don't even use Reason. This is by far one of the best melody writing tutorials that i have ever seen and i have been writing melodies for years. Even from a more "veteran" standpoint it is so easy to find something new in your videos! Thank you for what you do!

@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849 5 жыл бұрын

Life & Machine : this is one of the coolest compliments I've ever read on a KZfaq music tutorial. Seriously, as a music teacher myself, I thought your compliment was worthy of its own compliment!

@tyleranderson7089 5 жыл бұрын

Didn't even see this and I commented similarly above lol! "Propellerhead better be paying this guy millions!! He is legit the best thing for music on the internet, whether you have reason or not and you are trying to learn/write/record/understand music/recording. These videos are phenomenal!"

@thisisnfm 3 жыл бұрын

I've just binged like 10 of your videos in a row and I'm so inspired to start writing music again. Thank you for making them!

@mathaeis 4 жыл бұрын

As a complete newbie that's been wanting to make music for years and always found everything super daunting, this is really cool. Thank you for sharing!

@goste1919 4 жыл бұрын

This tutorial is so good..its so simple but until you see it yourself you might never have known.respect brother

@thegood9 3 жыл бұрын

I'm well-trained with 4 years of college level music theory, and still I find this a BRILLIANT distillation of the melody writing process. Nice, and simple...yet effective and systematic!

@valquireveljkovic 7 жыл бұрын

the reason tuts are my most favorite ones, i m always excited a new one comes up! so helpful and entertaining! thanks a lot!

@mgorsuch 7 жыл бұрын

Terrific tutorial, and the sort of thing that sets Reason apart for me. Thank you!

@NEVUoficial 7 жыл бұрын

this are the best produced tutorials i ever saw...please keep making them

@AtticusBleep 7 жыл бұрын

I thought it was rubbish until you changed the sounds and added the arpeggio and drums! Then... wow. Great tune.

@PaulOrtiz 7 жыл бұрын

Love these videos man. Been composing for most of my life and it's always nice to go back to basics and find new ways to approach things.

@dankamionkowski3783 7 жыл бұрын

great tutorial without getting too much into theory. i always like to think about creation of tension and release in creating a melody as well. thanks for all your great tips!

@MOONSIDESOUND 7 жыл бұрын

Great video as always! I have been using REASON for over 7 years now and I love where Propellerhead is heading!

@jord1242 7 жыл бұрын

WOW such an incredible video!!! Been looking for something like this to help my writing, this is perfect!!! Thank you Ryan!!!

@MarianoCrivello1 7 жыл бұрын

Another great propHead video. This just opened me up to a whole new approach to writing melodies with my remedial keyboard skills.

@seancharteris 7 жыл бұрын

Ryan we love your videos - they are professional, humorous, and rich in knowledge! Thank you!

@GregRband 7 жыл бұрын

Loving all the cool school I'm getting with the new Reason 9 upgrade and focus for me! Thanks !

@garethmillers5453 7 жыл бұрын

That was great. Thank you Ryan for being inspiring and motivating. After trying to learn music theory in my spare time after work for over two decades, moving to the other side of the world and still not getting any closer to writing anything, along comes Reason and flips all that hard slogging and makes life so much easier. Extremely grateful. How technology has moved on. I'm looking forward to the next video.

@godofrainbows 7 жыл бұрын

Yet another short and sweet, to the point, fantastic Propellerhead video.

@RevoltPlays 5 жыл бұрын

I have learned more tonight from these videos then the past few weeks of watching other tutorials, none compare to the quality of your content.

@maxwellfujs6124 6 жыл бұрын

Very unique way of approaching melodies! Great ingenuity and utilization of tools available to producers. Love it.

@garagec8 Жыл бұрын

I just came across this now, but some videos here on youtube are timeless. Congratulations

@angelfmusic 7 жыл бұрын

Your tutorials are so spot on. Much respect. Too many tutorials out there do not get right to the point. Yours does though. Thank you

@ethanrockneff 7 жыл бұрын

Just stumbled onto your channel, its fantastic man! You're videos are clear and concise. Love your stuff!

@tyleranderson7089 5 жыл бұрын

Propellerhead better be paying this guy millions!! He is legit the best thing for music on the internet, whether you have reason or not and you are trying to learn/write/record/understand music/recording. These videos are phenomenal!

@Murkcity11207 4 жыл бұрын

The simplicity in this blew my mind.

@denzillmusic 7 жыл бұрын

always find your tutorials quite informative and useful... keep them coming!

@johnghadimi 7 жыл бұрын

Another FANTASTIC video Ryan. Thank you, thank you. You are simply a superb teacher, and I for one look forward to your clips. This totally made my day. :)

@TomFeelz 7 жыл бұрын

Man, super informative. I say this as a music theory nerd & this is the best condensed version I've seen/heard with new technology to do the heavy-lifting on the theory side & drawing midi.. Amazing work man!

@neekrusher2085 4 жыл бұрын

This video summed up nicely how to write melodies over chords. I went to Full Sail University, yes I learned a lot from them, but, this video was dead ass simple enough to spark any creative, looking to write their own music using a DAW. I'm excited to be using Reason again. Salute.

@mysoberlife. 7 жыл бұрын

Oh Propellerhead, you always make videos that keeps my engine running. Inspired.

@SooshiShef 7 жыл бұрын

Glad this series is back! I'd love to see something that covers stuff like Synthwave or Future Bass, especially since Synthwave could cover some things like Kong Synth Drums and the RV7000 Gate section.

@samlittle885 7 жыл бұрын

really easy to understand,thankyou soooo much Propellerhead !

@sdsnick25 5 жыл бұрын

Some good tutorials on here. Really helpful and explained well for all levels to understand

@gattmolson 7 жыл бұрын

This helped me more than anything I've watched so far. Thanks!

@xXspiellionXx 7 жыл бұрын

Very well made! Really simple and easy to follow! Its also nice to see that the comments are so nice and kind compared to the rest of youtube :)

@kerchicks 7 жыл бұрын

Such useful tips! Thank you Ryan!

@mickefinn909 5 жыл бұрын

Fantastic video helped me more than any other video I could find

@chekromlek1918 3 жыл бұрын

Short, clear, practical! Thank you so much for your great tutorial

@alexpadillo8750 7 жыл бұрын

Great video...I've just started really getting into Scales & Chords and it's addictive

@clearwavepro100 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing this! It is fantastic to hear a person-to-person style of teaching like you did here. ~not at all an easy subject :)

@bearknucklesketching9317 7 жыл бұрын

BAM! just subscribed! I've been looking for this kind of video Forever!!

@MixingGBP 7 жыл бұрын

Good stuff, Ryan. You rock.

@Matiasguzmanp 7 жыл бұрын

I love this kind of tutorials and I think me and many more people would like to see more of this. I think a good topic would be some mixing techniques like some other ones you have! :)

@VTOLKits 7 жыл бұрын

One of the best tutorials to make good melodies...!

@amnishubby24 7 жыл бұрын

ryan this video was so detailed i love it reason is so amazing

@motionon 7 жыл бұрын

This is very motivating, Ryan !! Thanks, brother! Kudos to you, Vato !! :D

@tomhar9719 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks man ! I think we need more tutorials like this :D

@St4bilityMusic 7 жыл бұрын

I also want to note that pentatonic scales are really useful too, especially in swing time. You can hit any random notes within a pentatonic scale and it'll sound good almost all the time. That is, as long as you keep some sort of steady rhythm. I've heard Jazz musicians use them a lot when improvising but I'm not one myself nor have I ever talked to one so I can't confirm this. For a minor pentatonic scale remove the 2nd and 6th notes, and for a major pentatonic scale remove the 4th and 7th.

@sarahmocke 4 жыл бұрын

This is brilliant. Inspiring for a newbie like me who just wants a first small success.

@sullyskillz09 7 жыл бұрын

This is amazing and will help me to actually write music thank you

@demarremiller7589 5 жыл бұрын

Bravo sir, you are an EXCELLENT teacher.

@Marylegs14 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ryan, these videos have been really helpfull and inspiring.

@Richman2736 7 жыл бұрын

More of this please!!!! Brilliant!!!

@mansmooth255 7 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial. This was very useful information. Thanks

@DonVincenzooGame Жыл бұрын

i learn something so i love you !! thanks a lot !

@oneworld9071 5 жыл бұрын

Newcomers to this particular tutorial should note that in the opening narrative, this is an answer to years of requests for a beginner's tutorial on how to write a melody. Some will balk that the method used is, by default, a "mechanical" method...... that may be true as it is a sequencer; there exist options to quantize to grid to assist in laying the foundation. The narrative continues by saying the notes and rhythms will be adjusted later in the presentation for the purpose of "humanizing" the melody........ meaning the mechanical nature of the melody can also be made more natural sounding by various methods. Quantization other than "to grid" is very useful in this context. This effect is achievable by such tools as "humanize" in the sequencing process. It can be so good at it you'll wonder if it's even possible it's a sequencer playing the part(s). Very often, the empty vessel can be filled with just a little mental and auditory elbow grease. Writing melody can be extremely challenging, depending of course on the chords and rhythms...... I believe that as a prerequisite, the system that defines which chords are major and/or minor based on song key is essential. The chord sequence such as: Maj min min Maj Maj min min (dim7) C Dm Em F G Am Bdim7 C whether you're using a sequencer or pencil all qualifies as a "grid". It'll tell you what scalar system is to be your guide. This chord system is essential for determining melody notes that lead to the next chord...... and why? ALL of this is about creating anticipation and resolving it by handing over the chord that will satisfy that feeling "this is going somewhere...... but where, and will it get there at the "right time"?" Well, sequencers are fantastic for quick trial n' error. I can compare those like Frank Zappa and Steve Vai, world-class MASTERS of composing complex melodies over sophisticated rhythms directly onto manuscript, in ink, to the phenomenal comics artist R. Crumb and his ability to draw with dip-pen and ink an entire book on a "first-take" basis. No penciling-in and finalizing with ink, but real-time composition. I'd spent some significant time while growing up watching composer/arrangers in the Navy and Army bands, respectively, writing out big-band charts with fountain pens :) Until such a rare talent is developed, needing no piano other than their mind's ear in knowing what notes will lead to chords, etc. the sequencer is the next "man's best friend" :) It's not the aspiring composer making it sound mechanical (unless that's the intent) but the default perfect performance of a sequencer.

@innovexpert2157 Жыл бұрын

Just one word : GREAT !!! ❤

@Hosenanzugtasche 7 жыл бұрын

Absolutely great.

@Chrispie79 7 жыл бұрын

Just what. Needed... Good job boys

@murderinc.hunting7686 3 жыл бұрын

I've been looking for this type of video for years

@Samji3877 7 жыл бұрын

REALLY helpful - a really easy way to just - START!

@andrewameny7347 7 жыл бұрын

Wow. This is genius. Reason has come a long way. It is literately telling you what notes and chords are in any given scale. It's like quantizing for notes, opposed to rhythm. But, I never thought I'd see the day that one can compose music without knowing any music theory. I don't if this is a good thing or a bad thing for music as an art form.

@budsticky 7 жыл бұрын

Thing is..those that know theory will, in most cases, make better music in the long run. Even in this video it is just showing melodies that feature chord tones in the important spots. This has a particular sound, but it's not terribly interesting at all times. Those that have knowledge will understand that putting non-chord tones in strong places in the beat every once in a while creates tension and interest. People with that knowledge will have a better chance of creating more interesting melodies. That's just one example, but the point is knowing theory will always be beneficial even when you have software that aids in composition. If this lowers the entry point for making music the hope is more people will seek out further knowledge as they get into the software...so good thing/bad thing? Depends how you view it.

@andrewameny7347 7 жыл бұрын

You made some good points. And, they were very well articulated if I may add. For a second there I started to believe that my years of studying music theory were not well spent and were all for naught. But after reading your reply, you reminded me that my knowledge of music theory will always be of use regardless of how advance software programs become.

@overseastom 2 жыл бұрын

@@budsticky hey, I know your comment is 5 years old at this point, but I don't suppose you'd be able to give me a hint as to what kind of non-scale additions you mean? Like, I'm making a song in C minor, are you saying that sometimes adding a chord or keys that *aren't* in that scale can provide interest? Are there any/many rules to know what will or won't work, and are they simple enough for a KZfaq comment section? :P Cheers mate, I hope you're still enjoying making music!

@budsticky 2 жыл бұрын

@@overseastom It is kind of a lot for a KZfaq comment, but to simplify: Let's say you're playing over a C minor chord which is just C - Eflat and G. If you're melody is always landing on the strong beats like the 1 & 3 and it contains notes from the chord it will kind of sound plain and possibly a little hokey. If you instead stress, say a D, it can give your melody a little more edge. But the thing is you don't want to totally avoid those chord tones. It's just that if you hit some notes that are a little jarring against the chord and then resolve them it will give the melody some tension and release..which is what music is really based on. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b7Cgac-QsamudHU.html The guy explains it pretty well in my link above. Also, for minor keys you can kind of go a little off with the harmonies because there are several different kinds of minor scales and people borrow from among then within the same song all the time.

@reinoldg 7 жыл бұрын

Beautiful !

@davegutt 7 жыл бұрын

these have been exceptional

@duanemiller5726 5 жыл бұрын

I'll watch this again but very enlightening ...I am light in the head from so many ideas...and wakkyweed

@chuckler2k 7 жыл бұрын

brilliant! thanks for making this video!

@haisooni 4 жыл бұрын

That's a brilliant tutorial.

@smokeshows69 5 жыл бұрын

I want to hear this entire song haha I actually love it

@philthy.basement 7 жыл бұрын

That was awesome and eye opening 👍🏽

@senzanome7801 4 жыл бұрын

WOW!!! This is AWSOME!!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!

@alexcvx3906 7 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video!

@StephenRybacki 7 жыл бұрын

Nice! Thanks Ryan!

@panderpaderp 7 жыл бұрын

Ah I need a get a copy of Reason! This was super neat!

@By-Design 4 жыл бұрын

Good job. ⭐️

@raffitchakmakjian 7 жыл бұрын

haha, it sounds so rudimentary up until the last minute, then it's pure gold. Good stuff, I've been producing for a while and I still learned something new! That's a nice lead preset btw. I don't have or use Reason, been telling myself to get it for 5 years now.

@heavypet 7 жыл бұрын

Hah, Raffi, I was thinking just exactly the same thing! Anyway, you should pick up Reason. You can lose yourself for hours (in a good way). It is finely crafted software.

@doodoostickstain 7 жыл бұрын

you won't go back to whatever you've been using after you try. especially if you're familiar with the physical racks. Go get the demo! free 30 days what have you got to lose? I've been using Prophead product since ReBirth, have tried almost everything out there, including newcomers like Reaper. VSTs are a crippling system that overwhelms the user with underwhelming software. the only thing that i'd say compares for sheer creative force is Omnisphere/Trilian, but those are like the insane close cousin of Reason. you can somewhat see the resemblance, but entirely different worlds.

@Scubadog_ 7 жыл бұрын

As a filthy millenial, I was horrified to press tab and see all the routing. Up until now I've only worked with FL studio, so physical hardware is a bit of a dark and expensive area that I haven't looked into. I'll probably go back and try it again when I get a proper keyboard to play with, because the built in computer keyboard thing is a bit of a pain to deal with. Aside from the UI, Reason looks very interesting, though.

@mactube72 7 жыл бұрын

Amazing..Thanks for this!

@goobagel 7 жыл бұрын

So I doubt you (Ryan) remember this comment, but a few days ago you replied to one of my comments where I said that I didn't have reason, I just loved the videos... well since then I've tried the free trial of reason and I absolutely fell in love with it. When I have the money, I will most definitely pick it up. By far the best music mixer I've ever used. I also used plenty of these tutorials for the little song I made, and they really help a lot. Keep up the amazing work!

@RyanHarlin 7 жыл бұрын

That's so cool to hear. Thanks very much for taking the time to let me know how you're getting on with Reason and that you like it (as much as I do too!). Definitely keep your eye on our channel because there's a lot of material here already and I've got more tutorial ideas planned. /ryan

@goobagel 7 жыл бұрын

Ryan Harlin thank you!

@readventurekids 7 жыл бұрын

That was fantastic!

@jaysaget1280 7 жыл бұрын

This was amazing!

@joebeard 7 жыл бұрын

I quite often suffer from writer's block when trying to create new melodies, and will switch between different methods of song writing in an attempt to produce a decent framework for a track I'm working on. Even though I don't own Reason 9, this video has shown a really great way of systematically developing a melody that also does a great job of selling the features of the newest Reason release, without binding every concept you have discussed to it. I would love to see a continuation of this tutorial as a series on song writing, if you can find the time.

@RyanHarlin 7 жыл бұрын

I agree with all of that joe and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have more songwriting ideas planned. The big one that I've left out of this tutorial is how to write hooks. Sometimes "hook" and "melody" gets interchanged as words but they're not always the same thing and there's ways you can take a melody and make it more "hooky." So I'll probably work up that tutorial in the near future too. And my other idea is about how to write two different chord progressions that go together for A sections and B sections. /ryan

@gregserenade6653 7 жыл бұрын

Great post!

@CPtheCreator 7 жыл бұрын

THIS IS JUST GENIUS!!!

@happyduck1424 7 жыл бұрын

This was really good thank you

@simplejournal9613 5 жыл бұрын

awesome, thank you!

@Rdon_Ranger 4 жыл бұрын

This helped a lot 👏🏾

@bobmcboberson816 7 жыл бұрын

I was watching this and thinking "Ok, that's decent I guess? Where is he going with this?" then within the last 30-60 seconds you brought together an amazing catchy song.