Level Up Your Melodies: 3 Tips That Will Change Everything
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- Опубліковано 16 тра 2023
- 3 crucial strategies for levelling up your melodies, and making sure your lyrics and melodies connect and amplify each other.
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ABOUT KEPPIE
Hi I'm Keppie! I'm a professional songwriter, and songwriting teacher. I've been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world- Berklee Online, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I've taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.
My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I've gathered with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.
Keppie's music is here:
www.keppiecouttsmusic.com/music
#songwriting #howtowriteasong #melody #songwritingtips #howtowritesongs
I hate to sound like a fan, but this channel gives more concrete useful songwriting advice then any other one I've seen
Kinda backhanded lol why not just say the second part of this without the first part…?
@@gabrielrf1 well, yeah. I just didn't want anybody to think I was a shill. I am a huge fan of this channel
@@JimmyDeLockewho the F cares if people think funny, inaccurate things. Their loss ❤️
Whatever, you’re probably just a fanboy. 🤪 I totally agree though! 😝
Ye sound like a full-blooded fsnboy
It’s so sudden but watching this for a while and writing notes hits me with the fact that this video is free.
Made me wanna cry.
Thank you so much for all your guys videos.
Anita Bakers melodies are at times melancholy then at other time they soar like an eagle. And here I am today dedicating my life to song. Melody needs to be it own series please 🙏🏼
The coolest exception to the stressed vs non stressed syllables concept that I recently found was "when the rain wa*SHES* you clean you'll know" in Fleetwood Mac's Dreams. It's crazy how that actually works better than if they stressed the first syllable of "washes", crazy how it even works at all and expresses the emotion that powerfully.
I've written two albums, but they are intuitive and built with the help of musician-musicians. Your mini-lectures are the information I've been looking for: craft, for when intuition or "inspiration" isn't there. I needed tools, and you've provided them. Nothing I don't KNOW, but nothing I've looked at as concrete technique. Your advice provides a structured playground in which the imagination can freely play.
I love the way Chaka Khan twists the words in 'Aint Nobody' the melody is the thing you hear on top with the words twisting in the shadows.
Just to add to the pile on of positive reviews for this channel, I really appreciate the balance of technical advice and artistic effect of making different choices. Really informative videos, with great practical application! Love it!
Definitely agree.
besides how much I learn here. I just love when you smile
Thanks, Tip No. 2 was particularly helpful for me. I always find so many variations and cool little bits of melody for the same chords that I have problems to fit it all together into one song.
Absolutely brilliant! Thank you for summing up and giving me the information I have been searching for and dreaming about for over 30 years. You are an amazing teacher and I can't wait for the next class!
I've been songwriting for a long time, and still learned some new tricks here! A font of inspiration that I just keep going back to is (big surprise!) John and Sir Paul. I'd read somewhere (Alan Pollack maybe) that John tended to write harmonies first and then build the melody from the chords. I do this often too. I call it the "Michelangelo David Method" -- a reference to how Michelangelo could see the finished David from the shapes in the raw marble. In the same way, I can often hear the melody in the chords before formally writing it. Paul tended to go in the opposite way, and mostly writes the melody first and builds the harmony around it -- and he is an absolute master when it comes to melody. A third option is to start with a drum and a rhythm. It's a fun exercise choosing the opposite of your preferred method. Speaking of, your advice on rhythm is so important. I'm not a drummer, but can't tell you how many times since I've realized how important it is that I'll find myself counting "one-e-and-a-two-e" (because the good stuff rarely lands on the downbeat!) to a melody or chord changes in inspiring songs. Focusing on rhythm and how the words scan has upped my game a lot!
Thanks for the masterclass! I will be passing this along to a lot of friends!!!😊
Always keeping an eye out for more from you it's so amazing, I find myself constantly rewatching your videos
I’m so glad I found your channel! Love these videos!
So great Kep! Another incredible video!
I love this channel! You’re a great teacher!
Literally got me to write the melody I was looking for. TY!!
Great topic, Keppie. Your examples are compelling and easy to understand. Well done!
Wow, great video. There's a lot to chew on and it definitely deserves a re-watch or two. Thank you!
Yep, it works! Keep doing it! Thank you!
So helpful and so natural, thank you so much, sincerely.
Great ideas, delivered clearly and succinctly.
Very encouraging.
Wow amazing and love your laidback attitude whilst delivering all this wisdom. You got me at the start when referencing attitude of “chords will get you to melody on its own” which i noticed isn’t enough and so which got me to this video
Great tips, as usual!!
I was struggling to come up with my own melodies. This video has made it so much simpler. Now I finally have a foundation to know how to make a catchy melody. Thank you!!
Just seen the first 30 secs and already I know I’m going to love this! Bravo to you guys from the UK ❤❤❤
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Brilliant ❤
Although there was nothing new to me, I still enjoyed listening. You are a great teacher.
I like hearing the way she frames things. Good refreshers and I picked up a lot of new things too.
There are always exceptions. ‘Born in the USA’ by Bruce Springsteen is pretty much a 3 note motif repeated through the verses and choruses !
Great Lesson and presentation! Thank you so much
this channel is really full of gems, so well articulated as well.
Awesome tips.
1) Use tonic words or sylab on the beat for more beliveble and " natural sounding".
2)
AA'BA principle.
3) tissitura
The range of note of each session
Session A from c3 to a3
Session B c4 to f4
Session C a4 to g5
Brings motion from abc.
4) intervals
Pre chorus
Max interval major 3rd
Chorus
Max interval > 3rd, like a 6 or 7th
Ex
i knew you were trouble by taylor swift
Need you now by lady A
5) contrast ascending and desending session.
Ex bury a friend by billie eilish.
These videos show all the tricks I learnt the hard way.
Ha ha.
Awesome videos. Such high quality.
Thanks for these tips! It really helps me to know I don’t have to worry so much about where to start and that it’s more about repeating and varying that initial melody.
And I love the melody of “The Longer I Run” by Peter Bradley Adams.
A fun exercise is to take a melody and harmony you really like and vary it to make something new. It's not cheating, believe it or not. Bach did this all the time!
Love your lessons....love your channel!!!!❤❤🎉🎉
Great stuff. Thanks, again!
This is really good! Thanks!
Another tremendously useful video! Thank you.
I just want to thank you for all of your videos they help a lot❤
This is Gold 🎉
Well organized teaching!
This is great, Keppie! 🎉
Great video, thank you!
Great lesson!
THIS CHANNEL IS PRICELESS!!!
You are an amazing teacher. Thank You
I’d love to see a video of you actually writing a song. Beginning to end! Love how you teach!
Always GREAT content.
i'm triple subbed to this channel. all the knowledge is on point.
So true, Keppie! We throw a few chords down and figure "oh, the melody will take care of itself" Maybe, but it'll be BORE-ING!
Hello I have come back to your channel many times for the very effective content and most recently used in a song I finished a year ago called (Everything With You) I invite you to listen not only because I'm very proud of this song but I believe I used every TIP from your Channel !!!
New to your channel and I absolutely love your content. Thank you!
Men, I love your videos, this one especially - incredibly helpful !
I’m learning a lot from them. Thay explain things really well.
Thanks for lecturing
You’re a beautiful human and I really enjoy learning from you. Thank you.
I love this section ❤️
Subscribed this is great!! Tysm :)
so helpful❤
You are infectively sunny and smart.
Great advice, great voice.🎉😊
I appreciate you!
Fantastic video, as usual! To expand on the strong-vs.-weak syllable discussion, think about words with more than one syllable. When you hear a song where the melody emphasizes the word's syllable that isn't emphasized in normal speech, it sounds really awkward and forced. So take the time to make sure your melodic emphasis aligns with the natural emphasis of multi-syllable words as well. Thanks!
I‘m new to this channel (today) and I’m already in love with you guys 😊
Such profound knowledge and on point, with superb and articulate visuals/animations e.g. “picking the perfect chords” or “writing great bridges” wich were my first views on this channel ❤
Thx so much, you are awesome teachers 🙏
Me too! Just found her and am loving the info!
@@corrina9171 I discovered the channel last week...phenomenal content!!! Cheers from Florida!!!
You aee a very good teacher❤
i hate to sound like other comments but I do love your videos, thanks for the insights, cheers!
Thanks!
Fantastic
As (mostly) lyrics first kind-of-guy, this is a most welcome lesson. Thanks.
It's funny how this works, isn't it? The harmony usually comes to me very quickly, to the point that the melody and lyrics can't keep up! But, I think, Jimmy Webb is more of a "lyrics first" person. And that guy is no slouch!
@@Jesse615 As is a certain Mr. Zimmerman.
love burnaboy melodies
I’d like to point out - you don’t necessarily need lyrics, when you speak the lyrics over a beat. You can just use sounds, instead of lyrics, to work out an interesting cadence!
I hse dye-diddle dye all the time
"I'm so stupid, stupid am I' because I preferred the wrong I took a bow Melody. God bless all.
Lol same
cool vid!!!
Some melodies that stand out in memory: Unchained Melody, Rachmaninoff's "Full Moon and Empty Arms", Stardust, Lamentos (Pixinguinha).
This channel is amazing. Thank you so much :)
A quick question.. not really clear about the 3rd tools of the contrast section
How do you apply a descending session in a rising one?
You mean creating a layer of melody that goes down if your main line goes up?
Thank you :)
A song I very much love for its melody is Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine". And it illustrates that the bridge needs to be different, but not too different. The first five notes are almost the same, except that the E changes to E flat, which makes it minor. I'd say that the bridge needs to look like a different section of the same jigsaw puzzle.
-- J.S.
"different section of the same jigsaw puzzle" - beautiful way to put it!
Great choice! Porter was such a master -- the E to Eb is a great example. Paul does something similar in the pre-chorus verses in Penny Lane.
Number 1 is a key one. See Manic Street Preachers for how not to do it.
As for the rest, there are literally hundreds of successful well-loved songs that ignore these tips.
Apply with caution lest we all sound the same.
The lyrical content over a drum pattern especially helps when writing Rock songs. It also helps when deciding whether or not a phrase needs to be reworded to keep rhythmic integrity.
I have no musical ability (at present). But I really like your videos.
Domino by Jessie J. She jumps a whole octave on "Rock my world". wow
Question: what else can I do to continue on my melody writing journey?
The first tip can also be reversed in the right context! If you want to heighten the abrasiveness of a song that's in a harsher style, you can deliberately twist the emphasis around to underscore the sense that something isn't right. Manic Street Preachers' album The Holy Bible has some stunning examples of this.
Sibylle Baier I Lost Something in the Hills, Linda Perhacs Hey, Who Really Cares and Margo Guryan Love Songs and Someone I know
Is there a best time of year to pitch a song to an artist? Nov/Dec don’t bother etc. An artist I want to pitch to has recorded new material in Jan and is now touring, so should I wait until Sept/Oct to pitch? Thanks v much in advance 👊
Can you have a melody with just two notes? What is a melody?
PLEASE do "How To Find Slant Rhymes" I am having trouble with that. I would love to see that video!
I think she already covered that about two weeks ago. You think of a single slant rhyme yourself then use a rhyming dictionary to get rhymes for that - make sense?
Hey mellow - check out the video called "The Biggest Mistake Beginner Songwriters Make". It's all slant rhyme :)
ie it's about slant rhyme (not that slant rhyme is a mistake lol)
@@htws I didn't understand it quite well
@@htwslol I love this clarification comment 🎉
Penny Lane by the Beatles has an incredible melody
Lady Grinning Soul - David Bowie.
Great content as usual thank you, BUT those ANNOYING little POP sounds are sooooo DISTRACTING!
ATC - la la la la laa This one: ua-cam.com/video/Se237UXFKlQ/v-deo.html
no advice in the world is gonna help you write a hit if you don't have it in you. how many students of songwriting ends up writing hits?
Yeah but what if the hit makers were never students? Stay positive ponyboy
What are you talking about??Great songwriters spend their entire lives honing their skills and writing song after song to get to that hit.
Lol. Please go and check out the alumni list from Berklee. Or any of the articles Berklee publishes each year listing the number of Grammy nominees that studied there on the roster.
@@htws how many of these graduates get to have any major success? one out of a thousand? is it really worth the money when you can study on your own? i read that john major dropped out after one year or so.
@@safeasmilk1 you can learn the craft, but not the art. and you need both to write great songs.
If it's a really organically beautiful song, music and lyrics will come up simultaneously. You just sit down at the piano or the guitar and it comes to you. If that never happens to you, stop songwriting because you will only ever come up with manufactured ideas copying lazy patterns you've seen in a youtube tutorial. There is absolutely NO magic in that.
Get a bit of make up and do your hair a bit,
How mean humans are to each other. Sad
Judging from your profile picture…you should take your own advice.
@@GordonPavilionboom. Roasted.