To hold you in time

The doctor gave me some strong medicine, I'm finally feeling better. The eating rampage that was Christmas in the UP is over and I've started my 20 week marathon training regimen over, and I'm starting to shed the stupid 10 pounds I gained over the holidays - this week I lost 3-4 pounds, which is good. The stupid cat at my in laws house was playing with me and she accidentally scratched my finger, so I've been holding off from playing guitar. I've been writing a lot, I wrote one song and it sucks. Songwriting is an art form that may take me a while to master, I don't want to just record stuff just to have an album out - even though there's a good chance not many people will hear it I want it to be stuff that I'm proud of. I read that REM wrote 40 songs in the first two months they were together and only two of them got recorded - it may work out like that for me. I probably won't try to produce a 'finished' recording until I have something I really like. It's really all about the vocal melody - I'm still amazed at people who can write great ones, mine always seem droney or derivative. I did stumble across some good advice in my googling the other day-

I have a technique that can help with a pedestrian melody. I don't know where you're at in your development so this my be a little... advanced? Nah. It's not. OK...

I can spit out decent melodies all day long. They're completely run of the mill but very decent, diatonic melodies. Bleh. Who cares? Static is not inspiring. One day I read a very good analysis of The Beatles writing and the author pointed out something that you don't hear a lot in most pop writing... but you do in the GREAT pop writer's works.

Using a non-chordal tone on the main beat of the melody line. Stay with me...

Take McCartney's Yesterday. We all know it's in F, but let's pretend it's in C for the sake if illustration.

On a C chord...
Yes(D) ter(C) day(C)

He starts with a D, not a C, not an E, not a G, the notes of the chord. But with a D. Then he quickly resolves to the C. It's the simplest thing, but very, very powerful.

This isn't to say they do it all the way through the song, but keep it in mind. When you've got a cool, workable melody, check to see if you can SUSPEND things every now and then by using non chordal notes in places of importance. Down beat to verses, choruses, etc. then resolving in a place of lesser importance. It keeps them interested.

On a C chord
Take a sad song and make it Be(A) ter(G) er(F) er(E)

The first syllable of better Be(A) is a non chordal tone right on the 1!