Music Lesson: Exploring Melody

Introduction to Melody

In section two, we're looking at melody. Previously, we've explored riffs, which we now know to be short pieces of music, typically one bar long.

Here, we have a changing melody, with each bar being slightly different. We also introduce a D note. While we've played this previously in the course, you might not have realized it when we learned the names of the strings.

Remembering the Notes

To recap, we had:

• Eddie Ate Donuts (Good boy, Eddie!)
• You could also use Eddie Ate Dynamite, Goodbye Eddie.

Feel free to come up with whatever works for you. The key is to remember the notes in order.

Notation

We've already played the D note, referred to as the donut string, which is the third string from the top. So, Eddie Ate Donuts corresponds to this note.

Note Values

In this example, we're mixing up all the note values we've looked at so far:

• Quarter notes
• Half notes
• Quarter note rests

We need to watch out for these and closely examine the stave as we progress through the exercise.

Bar Breakdown

Bar One

• Four quarter notes: Nice and easy, played on the downbeat.

  Counting: 1, 2, 3, 4

The challenge here is transitioning between three notes on two different strings:

• Third fret on the E string (played with the third finger)
• Open A (do not let go of the neck)
• Final two notes are B (the second fret)

Bar Two

In this bar, we introduce our new note D. While we only play two notes here, the note values vary significantly:

• First half: Open D (downbeat on one, quarter note, one beat long) followed by a quarter note rest.

  Sounding like: (with that silence)

• Second half: A half note (two beats long).

When counting together, we have:

• 1, 2, 3, 4
• 1, 2, 3, 4

When counting, we should hear the word two with no noise coming from the guitar:

• 1, 2, 3, 4

To combine these two bars, it will sound like this with the silence on beat two in the second bar.

Bar Three

In bar three, we have:

• Open D string twice descending
• Moving down to the second fret on the A string (which is B)
• Followed by open A

All these are quarter notes as well, finishing off with half notes (two beats long) on the same note G (third fret on the E string).

Putting It All Together

We'll slowly combine these four bars this time, emphasizing the details in the rhythms.

Let's try it together: 1, 2, 3, 4

Highlighting Notes

• Rest: Complete silence.
• Half note: Let it ring out, allowing the sustain to carry through.

Next Steps

Let's give it a go with the backing track!