Melodic Structure
The motive has been created and lengthened into a phrase. The phrase has been developed. Now the task is how to put phrases together to make a complete song or tune. This is the final step in creating melody; setting the structure.
The topic of melodic structure is vast. But, this presentation will focus on what is useful to a singer-songwriters and composers of traditional style music.
Melodic structure can be divided into two topics. One is how to define the overall structure of a melody. The other is how to define the structure of melody within a part.
Overall Structure of Melody
Two structural forms are most useful for singer-songwriters and composers of tradition music.
1. Strophic Form
This is probably the original form of song. In strophic form the same music supports every stanza. Many folk song are strophic: Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Erie Canal, Farewell to Tarwatie, the 12-bar blues form, and so on.
The topic of melodic structure is vast. But, this presentation will focus on what is useful to a singer-songwriters and composers of traditional style music.
Melodic structure can be divided into two topics. One is how to define the overall structure of a melody. The other is how to define the structure of melody within a part.
Overall Structure of Melody
Two structural forms are most useful for singer-songwriters and composers of tradition music.
1. Strophic Form
This is probably the original form of song. In strophic form the same music supports every stanza. Many folk song are strophic: Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Erie Canal, Farewell to Tarwatie, the 12-bar blues form, and so on.
A more contemporary song in stropic form is Gordon Lightfoot’s Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbGGTjjxjvM
Look at the music and listen to the song. One, only one, eight-bar phrase is the sole melody of this song. This is strophic form. This highly successful song runs about 6minutes and 30 seconds long. It’s just one eight-bar phrase repeated over and over and over.
The strophic form is less common in instrumental music. Generally instrumental music has two parts and sometimes three distinct parts