Hey Friend,

I’m back from snowy Ohio and ready to get back to it - guitar that is. The j.o.b. … well that’s another story!

But not one I’m going to bore you with.

Thanks for letting me take a little break. It was good to just turn everything of in my brain and relax (at least mentally). 

Over the next couple (or few) weeks, I want to look at the relationship between melody and harmony. I’m going to create exercises that explore how intervals are affected by the chord that’s played underneath. 

When we talk about melody, it’s typically about the notes a singer is singing - the main musical theme. The supporting chords (harmony) provide a base over which the melody floats.

But how are the notes to create a melody chosen? What about the chords? Does the chord dictate which notes can be used, or vice versa?

These are the things I want to explore with you. I’m sure examples from songs will work their ways into the lessons, so it should be fun.

The goal is to hopefully help you start hearing how melodies come about in the songwriting process. 

There is no chicken or egg conundrum (which comes first?) when it comes to putting a song together. A song might start as a chord progression, or it could be a short riff, or it could be a full melody floating around in your head. I’ve even had song ideas start as a beat.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn this into a songwriting lessons, but I think when you start to get an understanding of how note choices affect the way a song feels, music takes on new depth.

Anyway, gotta start getting ready for work. Talk to you tomorrow - have a great one!

Peace~

Dave