Is [catchy] melody important?

Are you an 80's kid? Something tells me, you're an 80's kid. You're getting old, jaded, and cynical. Just like me .

80's kid!

I think there's still a pretty wide range out there. Even in hard rock you have bands like Godsmack who wouldn't know a melody if it bit 'em on the backside, but then you have bands like System of a Down who can be incredibly melodic and mix it with pure mayhem and bands like Nickleback and Foo Fighters who do have strong melodies. I think alot of the popular female singers still have strong melodic songs - Kelly Clarkson, Natasha Beddingfield, etc.

Y'know what I think have dissapeared from rock are the great harmonies! That's what made Alice In Chains such a standout band in the Grunge scene - their harmonies were so brilliant and dissonant.

You just keep working on those melodies, buddy

Ya know, if Santa would just take off those silly mittens...

The guitar would be a lot easier to play and he wouldn't feel a desperate need to smash it!

I must admit I listen too much to talk radio, where melody is not important at all. But I do think it's still important in what little pop music I still listen to. Perhaps you should listen to what passes for modern "country music." I haven't listened to much of that recently, but about 20 years ago it had taken on much of the sound of the R&B and rock of earlier decades.

My most recent "music station" while driving is the Spanish-language 105.7 "Viva Atlanta" and with my knowledge of Spanish, about 99.9 percent of what I get out of it is the music (though there's the occasional English line). It plays a good variety of "pop" sounding music.

Yeah, I think melody is important, on the other hand if you can make a really good, sincere rap, I say go with it!

benbradley said:

I must admit I listen too much to talk radio, where melody is not important at all.

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Hey, NPR has some of the best musical snippets between stories!

Melody is king, a gift from the gods. What makes one combination of notes trite and pedestrian and another, not that different, haunting and timeless is one of the great mysteries of music.

I can't track it down, but I've heard that Londenderry Air (Danny Boy) is a melody the Irish consider given to them by the Fey, or God, or something like that.

Nothing is simpler, or harder to find, or more beautiful, than a great melody.

I think one of the pathways to a great song(in my so very humble opinion) is to have a logical progression with unusual changes in notes and interweaving of melody lines. In contrast, much radio pop music is so predictable it becomes mind numbing. Hack music is like hack writing, easily reproduced and predictable. The best place I have found to get interesting music is http://music.download.com/ because they have such a wide and strange selection. I will warn, not every track is free,and the big name bands are pay only tracks, but you can listen to them for free.

Which part is the melody? The hummable part? Is that where the singing is? I can't imagine that part going away. People still sing in pop, right? Except for that rap stuff, but we are talking about songs here, right?

I loves me a great melody. Nevermore by Queen, for example, is just beautiful. It certainly meets the criteria Ray outlined above. Freddie could have sung it a capella and it still would be glorious.

Ray, I dislike most of the current music. That's why I listen to oldies stations and still play a bunch of my old record albums. When my daughter asked me to list some CDs I might want for Christmas it was really hard to come up with any.

Eternal Student said:

I think one of the pathways to a great song(in my so very humble opinion) is to have a logical progression with unusual changes in notes and interweaving of melody lines. In contrast, much radio pop music is so predictable it becomes mind numbing. Hack music is like hack writing, easily reproduced and predictable.

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yep.

maestrowork said:

I was working on some melodies these past few days and I got to think: Are melodies still important? I mean, so often I listen to the new songs and they seem to have great arrangements, beats, play, etc. but entirely forgettable melodies. So often I listen to hip-hop, for example, and have no idea what the melodies are (and thus every song sounds the same to me) -- and don't even mention something like Rap.


Or am I being too cynical? Once in a while I do hear a lovely tune (Goodbye Philadelphia by Peter Cincotti, for example), but by and large I'm unimpressed with the current crop of songs out there.

What do you think?

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You've got it very right, Maestro. The music put out today doesn't seem to have the depth that came out of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Granted there are still good songs coming out but IMO they are few and far between. The new styles like Rap and Hip-Hop are practically impossible for me to listen to - like chalk on the board for the most part. Those styles have so many wannabes, I see little actual creative effort and they are repetitious. I admit I can't speak from much experience since I don't listen to that genre of music, but it only takes one poke in the eye from a sharp stick to know I wouldn't wish for it to happen again.

My tastes include classical, old and new; now those are artists who put thought in their work. The music I grew up with still holds my interest and I'm a pushover for great guitar playing. As a guitarist, I appreciate artists who write their own music and lyrics, and in the combination strike a cord in my soul; something I find lacking in most of today's music. Before someone brands me as an old fogie, keep in mind I've listened to a lot of music over the years and for me it's the difference between fine literature and a tabloid fluff piece. I can tell when someone spends effort on producing a song, and when they just put it out to get it out. Thanks for the chance to speak my mind on a subject dear to my heart, Maestro, good luck with writing your songs and books.

rhymegirl said:

Ray, I dislike most of the current music. That's why I listen to oldies stations and still play a bunch of my old record albums. When my daughter asked me to list some CDs I might want for Christmas it was really hard to come up with any.

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Record albums? I hear they actually still cut real vinyl though the market has diminished. A friend of mine still has crates loaded with albums - original classics from way back, no less - and a new turntable to play them. Ah, the good old days even if they are more bulky than CD's and MP3 players.

Here's that Atlanta station I mentioned earlier: http://vivaatlanta.com 105.7FM
The site allegedly streams the radio station, but it didn't work for me, but googling one of the song names I saw in the site brings up this video of a 'typical' song they play (IMHO, this is one of the better ones):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWA59qwfGL0
That song and a lot of others they play remind me of pop music from the '70's when I was a teenager (thus it's "my" music). Unfortunately, not knowing Spanish, I can rarely understand a word they sing (though some songs have a line or chorus in English).

But this is the "best radio station" I've heard in a while...

So, Ray, is that a catchy melody?

Catchy melodies should be banned. They get in your head, and you can't go to sleep. Whatever you do, do not listen to old Beach Boys records at bedtime.

caw