1. Capture the idea right away
A melody that pops into your head in the shower will be gone in ten minutes. Record it on your phone, even whispering, even on "la la la." A few rules that make all the difference:
- Sing the idea several times, with small variations. You'll choose later.
- Mark the tempo by tapping your foot or fingers while you record. Rhythm is part of the melody.
- Sing dummy lyrics if the words won't come. Made-up syllables hold the rhythm of the words to come.
- Note your mood in the file name: "slow chorus, melancholy." A month from now, you'll be glad you did.
2. Let the melody grow
A good song melody rarely rests on one long idea. It rests on a short motif, a few notes that get repeated and varied. Listen back to your recordings and look for that motif.
- Think in questions and answers. A first phrase that's left hanging, a second that wraps it up. Often the second starts like the first and changes the ending.
- Keep phrases a regular length, two or four bars. The ear loves symmetry.
- Vary the shape. If one phrase climbs, make the next one fall. A melody stuck on three notes gets old fast.
- Leave room to breathe. The gaps between phrases matter as much as the notes, especially if you're singing.
3. Find the key
The key is your melody's "home": the note it can stop on and sound finished. To find it, sing your tune and stop at the end of a phrase that feels conclusive. The note that sounds final is very often the tonic. If the whole thing feels bright, the key is probably major; darker, probably minor. The guide on how to find the key of a song goes through the method in detail.
Without an instrument, you need a reference to name that note. Fredon recognizes the note you're singing or whistling in real time: hold the home note and read its name. Also note the lowest and highest notes of your melody: they'll tell you whether the song fits your voice.
4. Pick the chords
In any given key, six chords are enough to harmonize the vast majority of songs. Here they are for four common keys:
| Key | I | II | III | IV | V | VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major | C | Dm | Em | F | G | Am |
| G major | G | Am | Bm | C | D | Em |
| D major | D | Em | F♯m | G | A | Bm |
| A major | A | Bm | C♯m | D | E | F♯m |
For a minor key, use the major key whose VI is your tonic. A minor uses the chords of C major, with Am as its resting point. Em is often swapped for E major, which pulls back to Am more firmly.
The strong-beat rule
On the first beat of each bar, pick a chord that contains the sung note. An example in C major:
- the bar starts on E: C (C, E, G) or Am (A, C, E) both work;
- it starts on A: F (F, A, C) or Am;
- it starts on D or B: G (G, B, D);
- the phrase ends on C: go back to C.
When two chords fit, each gives a different color. Try both and keep the one that tells the right story.
If you don't play any instrument, Fredon's Melody mode can do this first pass for you. Sing your tune, up to sixty seconds; the app transcribes it, finds the key and suggests a chord progression, with alternative harmonizations for each note. Compare them by ear and keep the one you like.
5. Build a verse and a chorus
Most songs alternate between two main sections:
- The verse tells the story. Its melody comes back each time, but the lyrics change. It often stays in the middle or low part of your voice.
- The chorus sums it up. Same lyrics every time, often the song's title. It goes higher, holds longer notes, and it's the part people remember.
The secret is contrast. If the verse and chorus are too alike, the song never takes off. Change at least one thing: the pitch of the melody, the rhythm of the words, or the first chord. Starting the chorus on the IV (F in C major) instead of the I is often enough to give it lift.
A classic structure: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. The bridge appears only once. It brings a new melody, sometimes new chords, before one last chorus. Verses and choruses are usually eight or sixteen bars long.
6. Fit the lyrics to the music
In English, every word has a stressed syllable: to-MOR-row, a-GAIN, BEAU-ti-ful. Put those stressed syllables on the strong beats of the melody, and the sung line will sound natural. If a word lands "backward," change the word rather than the melody. Keep the dummy lyrics as long as you need: it's easier to find words that fit a finished melody than the other way around.
7. Record and organize your ideas
- Name each file with the date, the section (verse, chorus) and the key.
- Keep one sheet per song: the chord progression, the structure, the lyrics in progress.
- Record a complete version as soon as you can, even a rough one: voice alone, or voice and chords. That's the one you'll play for people.
- Learn three or four chords to accompany yourself. On ukulele, it takes a few weeks (see these easy ukulele chords); on guitar, barely longer (see the beginner guitar chords).
If the key you chose lands on hard chords, a capo lets you keep the fingerings simple: the capo guide explains how.
Mistakes that hold beginners back
- Wanting too many chords. Four well-chosen chords beat ten. Plenty of big hits have three.
- Changing key without meaning to. From one take to the next, your voice drifts. Before singing again, listen back to the starting note.
- Waiting for perfection. Finish one imperfect song rather than starting ten. You learn to write songs by finishing them.
- Neglecting the chorus. If you don't catch yourself humming it the next day, rework it before anything else.