Melodic inspiration: composition tricks
Certain critics and musical analysts integrate this genre into the most recent pop avant-garde... Doesn't it seem contradictory to you? -the song seen as the last musical cry.... This second adolescence of melodies at the command of synthesizers makes many uncomfortable?
Think in terms of questions and answers, or reflects moods: singsong melodies, solemn, reflective, distant, carefree?
In the situation of electronic styles, bubbles, squeaks and noise disfigurements are a blessing and a curse at the same time: they give interesting aspects and accents to your melodies, but they are tricks that should not be used just "for the sake of it".
We are also talking about a musical genre that admits the eventual existence of real devices. The acoustic guitar is an obvious candidate - Takeshi Nishimoto's Monologue (above the preeminent opening image) is a showcase of melodic ideas, which preserves more in common with electronics than one might imagine.
One virtue of this style is that you have a greater range for sudden distortions and lo-fi assaults without warning: in other more convoluted styles, such as drum 'n' bass, the bases integrate so many treatments that there is hardly anything new left to give in the middle of the thing.
If, in addition to the main melody that supports your theme, you come up with another one along the way, incorporate it: the only condition is that it fits the predefined chord sequence. This way you will have a sort of alternative refrain for when you don't know where to go. Another option would be to use it as a bridge according to the canons, eight different measures after which you return to the original motif. Controlled variety consolidates the result and makes it sound more professional.
It is vital that the sounds of melodic electronics evolve, to introduce a dynamism that blends beautifully with the sinuous and captivating melodies. Automation over synthetic timbres and effects can breathe life into our first attempts. But let us now suggest other ways to add variety: the first is to combine different techniques and speeds, for an effect that emerges gradually sounds quite different from an instantaneous change in timbre, pitch, volume or any other characteristic.
A regular rhythm for your tune is a must if you want the track to work and grab your listeners' attention, which doesn't mean it should sound monotonous or repetitive - listen to Röyksopp's Eple (below), where melodic madness is tolerated thanks to a good rhythmic pattern. Take advantage of the pitch-bend wheel and MIDI CC control data to introduce noises, variations and surprises in the middle of each musical phrase.
Think of the way several traditional trance tracks use chords: in their Madagascar (1999), Art Of Trance showed us that, in certain cases, short chord-based motifs are far more captivating than monophonic melodies (we have the video at the end of the text).
At first glance, the fact that your melody is based mostly on the song might seem a bit cheesy, but we believe that your audience will appreciate it more than if you bombarded them with the umpteenth synthetic gibberish, impeccably produced, but without soul...
