02-08-2017, 03:34 AM
Quote:How do you write good melodies and chords?
I'm also interested to hear what people say about this. It's kind of funny, but looking back on the music theory classes I took in college, I realize that the whole concept of melody was hardly even mentioned. They were really into harmony. We spent countless hours analyzing chord progressions. We did study voice leading, but that isn't really the same thing. Basic questions like, "What makes a good melody?" or, "Why do some pieces sound more tuneful than others?" just didn't get discussed.
Regarding chords, that page summarized things pretty well, but left out a few things I consider important. The fundamental chord progression in most western music is I-(various chords)-V-I. Progressions almost always start on I. They then wander through various chords, but eventually make their way to V, from which they return to I again. That V-I transition is called a cadence, and it gives a strong sense of resolution. Anywhere you want a satisfying feeling of arrival, put in a cadence.
Important exception: after you reach V, sometimes you'll move to vi or (less often) iii instead of I. This is called a deceptive cadence. It sounds like the chord progression is resolving to I, but (surprise!) it didn't really resolve, and here it is on an unstable minor chord from which you can go on to do other things. (Why vi or iii? Because those chords each share two notes with I, so it almost sounds like it's resolved to I.)
