What Makes a Good Melody? Analysis of Melodies that Stand Out | EP 5

Although there is no definitive answer to the question "What makes a good melody?," in this video, I will do my best to provide a thorough response to the issue. First, I will review videos from three popular YouTubers:‪@12tone‬, ‪@ZachHeyde‬, and ‪@InsidetheScore‬ and summarize what according to them makes good melody. Then, I asked ChatGPT the same question and he mostly restated what these videos said. As a doctor of musicology specialized in music analysis I tried to find what these answers were missing and added my own list (see below) of elements. In addition, I analyze ten great melodies Baroque, Classical and Romantic composers in an attempt to find an answer to this question.

This video was requested by my student Clayton Steinhart ‪@ClaytonS_Composing‬. Feel free to check Clayton's channel where more of this music will appear soon    / @claytons_composing  

I’m Dr. Bohdan Syroyid and if you would like to study music composition with me, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email to [email protected] I would like to build a community of people interested in music composition and analysis so please feel free to introduce yourself to other viewers by telling a bit about your musical background and interests.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Summary of three great music theory YouTubers
00:08:22 ChatGPT trying to answer the question
00:13:43 Bach's Gavotte on Rondeau, BWV 1006
00:27:14 Handel's Lascia ch'io pianga
00:41:00 Mozart's Andante from Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 437
00:54:18 Mozart's Turkish March from Sonata in A major, K. 331/300i
01:03:10 Beethoven's Adagio cantabile from Pathétique Sonata, Op. 13
01:14:46 Schubert's Ständchen (Serenade) from Schwanengesang, D.957
01:27:58 Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Quasi Presto
01:35:00 Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major, Op. 9, No. 2
01:51:05 Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61
02:03:30 Verdi's La donna è mobile from Rigoletto
02:18:10 Wagner's Overture from Tannhäuser
02:39:30 Closing remarks and final thoughts on good melodies

If you want to listen to my music, check out @syroyid

These are the YouTube videos I analyze in the first part of the video:

1. Three Tips For Writing A Great Melody by 12tone
   • Three Tips For Writing A Great Melody  

• Leaps, skips and steps
• Static motion
• Functional harmony (tension and release)
• Phrases (questions and answers)
• Different forms: contrast, 2 questions, repeat, unanswered…

2. How to Craft an Unforgettable Melody by Zach Heyde
   • How to Craft an Unforgettable Melody  

• Whistle factor: range of octave and a half
• Use of motives and cells: rhythmic and melodic
• Raising motion in a melody, direction

3. What makes Good Melody? by Inside the Score (Oscar Osicki)
   • What Makes Good Melody  

• No magic formula
• Motion or direction
• Melody connects notes in a line
• Empathy: emotions people share and related to
• Rhythm and dance movement
• Melody telling a story: expression

What is missing in these videos?
• A discussion of the importance of silence and breathing
• A Schenkerian analysis of the arpeggio of the tonic in larger scale
• An exploration of the concept of balance or complementary ideas
• An analysis of color tones and non-chord tones
• Some thoughts on uniqueness and memorability

#melody #musiccomposition #musicanalysis #syroyid #classicalcomposer

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