How to Make Really Good Melodies (for beginners)

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MY GEAR:
DAW (Music making software): Logic Pro and Ableton Live
Studio monitors (speakers): Yamaha HS8's
Headphones: Audeze LCD X (open back)
Camera: Canon 80d
Computer: Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip and 2 TB hardrive
Midi controller (keyboard): Komplete Kontrol 61
Interface: Scarlett Clarett 2 pre
Desk: a cheap one from ikea
Chair: also a cheap one from ikea
My favorite plugins that I use the most:
XFER Serum
Sylenth 1
Nexus 3
Kontakt
RC 20
Valhalla Shimmer
Valhalla Vintage Verb
Shaperbox 3
XFER OTT
Fab Filter Saturn 2
Fab Filter Pro C 2
Arturia Pigments
Baby Audio Comeback Kid
Output Thermal and Portal
LABS Soft Piano
Hardware that I use behind the scenes but not in videos:
Elektron Octatrack (my fav)
Elektron Digitakt
Korg Minilogue XD

[@doggame2189]

so this is how 2017 roblox tycoons made their music

[@redhandedninjastar]

Shut up bro why does all electronic music have to be associated with roblox tycoon music 😭

[@doggame2189]

@@redhandedninjastar cuz it brings back memories

[@simplicityd8703]

Was thinking the same thing

[@simplicityd8703]

@@redhandedninjastar Its the synth and how its played not all electronic music

[@greeen.v2]

@@redhandedninjastar bro got pressed

[@julianbruce7595]

now this is how you do a youtube short and still make the tutorial useful!

[@ALindaBlox]

true bro

[@brasswoddens]

Bro thanks for this. It helps me to generate melodies much faster without thinking anymore.

[@tobiasd.g.519]

You want to think, I mean this guy literally just put down notes and copy pasted them around so idk

[@AshenExiled]

How to make really good melodies: stop making bad melodies

[@GWBROHP]

IM TRYING 😭

[@DoorMSM]

​@@GWBROHP how to trying : try it

[@Dannyp010]

Holy Jesz wept captain…. THIS IS IT… nobody seem to understand it these days but thank you for reminding me they’re still out there… people like you gives me hope in the music industry!

[@pianolover3711]

IT HURTS ME HOW UNINSPIRED AND SOULLESS THIS IS 😭 THIS WAS A STAB IN THE HEART

[@RockRizzy]

It's targeted to beginners bro. While it's not the most creative thing, it's effective.

[@BM9K1]

​@@RockRizzybot comment bro

[@RockRizzy]

@@BM9K1 says a dude with the name BM9K1

[@BM9K1]

@@RockRizzy It's an abbreviation lol

[@RockRizzy]

@@BM9K1 sounds like something a computer would say.

[@MarvelNot]

I've written songs for many years, and I agree: chords first is the way to go most of the time. I read a book called "Six Steps to Songwriting Success" years ago that advocated a melody first approach because "people don't sing chords." I never agreed with the author on that. Great songwriters like Tom Petty, Rob Thomas and Ryan Tedder have all mentioned singing over a compelling chord progression first to find a moving melody. Great lesson!

[@felixmarques]

I often think “melody first”-but the melody has an implicit cord sequence. It takes a second to think of what chords would go under it. It's still very interesting and often better to sidestep them a little and try to reharmonize.

[@RockRizzy]

I don't think there's any right way. I think you go with whatever works best for you and the song you're working on.

[@ValugaTheLord]

Beat first, Bass second, melody third. Truth is, there is no magic bullet to this, you can start with melody you can start with percussion. You can start by beatboxing you can start by singing.

[@usualdosage7287]

I believe making good melodies comes from the subconscious and any technical guide to making them is only gonna limit you

[@deitunegold4593]

I hate it when you say beginners 🤦🏾‍♂️. This is really helpful for anyone to keep in their arsenal!💯🔥

[@AthemTV]

Maybe you're right, but most advanced musicians use this, because it's the base to start with ^^

[@DzBaN.]

Meh, begginers or masters, everybody is learning smth new

[@treybcd]

that lead tho edit: pls keep liking so i can keep coming back and listening

[@limentos]

It gives me a positive vibe watching Alex always smiling while teaching us! 🤩 (talking about other videos😂)

[@The.digitalprincess]

That a freaking good melody is it a full song?

[@kiltacular280]

Bot comment

[@tilsgee]

​@kiltacular280 how?. He get music verified on his channel?

[@CapybaraGamingPC]

@@tilsgee people can buy channels verified or music verified and bot comments

[@TimeWisely]

@@kiltacular280 I love these comments, instantly assuming it's a bot. You do realize that the music badge is issued by companies, right?

[@Beancent_]

​@TimeWisely I deadass didn't realize there was a badge for that, I've only seen it 1 or 2 other times so I just thought it was emojis people'd put in their names

[@NotDrws]

I just started to try make music stuff, and what I'm struggling a lot is that I can't find a good sound to use as chords and melodies and stuff, and I always have trouble trying to continue the song pass the first drop

[@LLAWREN]

Yeah, sound selection can be a pain. I struggle with that a lot, but search the internet for what sounds your favourite artists use. E.g. in electronic dance music there's lots of saw waves for the chords usually 😊

[@rainbowkittycat627]

For me, it was learning how to make sounds that helped. I spent a solid 2 years just opening up a synth and making sounds in my free time (my wavetable synth of choice had a mobile version, so i would make sounds in between classes, while waiting for the train, etc. This way, when I finally got around to making music, I had a bunch of melodic stuff that I always liked on hand, and I could create anything new i needed to rather quickly.

[@lawrencegutting7248]

​@@rainbowkittycat627 that's Like me.. I've been working on a song for 2 months and I feel kind of lousy about it.. But I was learning things as I was going, And I can honestly say that I have made bounds and leaps of improvements just by dinking around sounds and stuff. You got songs?

[@rainbowkittycat627]

@@lawrencegutting7248 But I get what you mean. It took me 4 whole years to just finish the instrumental of one of my songs, and i’m still not super happy with it. you just kinda got to push yourself.

[@BeatsbyBlanch]

Study a little bit of basic sound design. Find out how sine, square, triangle, and saw waves behave in oscillators and combinations of those waves. If you can’t find a sound you like, you can always craft it by hand.

[@rainbowkittycat627]

that can work for some people, but as someone who was a singer/songwriter first and then started to produce and then make electronic music, this could never work for me. It’s much easier for me to write melodies first and think of the chords after, and my music is so minimalistic that sometimes i don’t need chords at all. And while I often do build melodies out of chords, doing it like this the melodies always sound too simplistic and almost unmelodic. My advice is really to get pretty decent at writing melodies with some kind of instrument- wether that be voice, piano, or guitar. That will allow you to be much more creative with your electronic composition and a lot more freeing. Don’t get me wrong, most of my melodies are drawn in my daw, i find it easier to compose that way. But that’s because i have some kind of idea of what the melody should sound like in my head from years of composing melodies for my singing stuff

[@amarinofficial]

What I have trouble with is finding a good synthesizer... Can't even come up with a good chord progression either.

[@tristanjoao3464]

Serum

[@Mr_Also]

@@tristanjoao3464but what if I’m broke

[@tydino101]

what do you use, after that is to think of a theme, then try and figure out what instrumenbts are often used in said theme then you try and make your own song with how their ussually used in said theme, then switching the vst until it is how you like it, though keep in mind, most vsts are not whole midi capibility, for example spitfire audio's labs is a finite number of notes to work with!

[@flstep835]

skill issue

[@amarinofficial]

@@flstep835 probably a skill issue... lmao

[@MyUsernameIsGoofy]

WE BUYING THE LASER DOOR WITH THIS ONE 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🗣️🗣️

[@ImSideen]

Finally someone just told me how to do it instead of going on a lecture

[@edenisthebeginning]

I love how you inverted the chords❤🔥...is there a video explaining how you did it??

[@Ron.Swanson.]

also try playing a set of chords with your fingers and not your mouse. It will get you feeling the beat and what is right for it. I usually do triads because I am a novice piano player. But you can start with triads with the fingers, and if you want to make the chords more complex use your drawing tool in Ableton/logic to draw in the notes accordingly. This is my process and I find it works well.

[@ARINOXMUSIC]

I agree with this , with the piano you interact more with your piece than clicking with mouse .With the mouse it deadens the feeling ....I'm more enthusiastic in making music with a keyboard because then it becomes more personal

[@prabhasgamingempire8043]

Ok going to buy a piano😅😅

[@Ron.Swanson.]

@@prabhasgamingempire8043 you can also just buy a mini midi keyboard with 26 keys. Very good for entry level producers

[@baydiep2075]

Good tip, but I suck at playing instruments.

[@Ron.Swanson.]

@baydiep2075 triads only require 3 fingers so that’s what I would try to start with

[@sayakest]

This short is making a melody using chords as a root It is simple and barebones, yes, but you don’t have to copy everything he does word for word You can make the chords be long or change the rhythm, that’s where the creativity comes in

[@mystic5008]

let me place my one note at a time in peace

[@Abz124]

lol top comment 😂😂

[@R3YOnex_009T]

Good music piano part 💥🔥

[@kmamatha6645]

Ngl this is kinda fire

[@YTHammer]

-Sweating nervously reading the comments seeing how many people agree with this- (I always start with melody and build from there, Ive been making music for 3 years)

[@ethanmahan2724]

The app name is GarageBand

[@AviationFun737]

It’s logic pro

[@yamamac1]

Thank you so much 😊💟

[@jasonfreeman3914]

A great tip thank you so much bro!🎉😊

[@Aniketbpatil-nj4gc]

Damn bro❤ Thanks for such useful tips ☺️

[@GabrielFrFr]

This goes insane bruv, intro and the beat are 🔥🔥🔥

[@Yume-AW]

Sounds 2016 - 2019. I love the music style from those years

[@robdominguez9395]

This helped my confidence with making chords sm better!

[@sawssman965]

This channel is freaking fire

[@randomslav4721]

0:12 Best roblox tycoon i every played was in 2017 But now its probably dead Those were the times i could never be sad But i just want the old memories back

[@Fridgeson_]

gave a follow on SoundCloud. Keep cooking my man 🔥

[@darkcode404]

I am actually beginning to try music making

[@LambdaField.]

thanks

[@jcfiggy]

Ngl I think it turns out better when I make things up, because if it catches my ear when I’m making it, then it’s a good melody.

[@BLVCK6]

Full song please

[@Blokevd]

great tutorial and that melodie is awesome!

[@averygwyn1857]

For what it's worth, it should also be noted that if you _already_ have a melody that works in your head, you should just go for it, and "retcon" some chords afterwards.

[@G_Fantastic]

i just think of a good melody and then expand on it with some other instruments and also might aswell add in random quiet but matching melodies into it if it lacks sounds

[@karaofreedom8503]

My god this is EXACTLY what I was looking for!!! Thanks a lot!!!!!!

[@myriaddsystems]

THANKS

[@Teyloh]

That’s a really good melody

[@poyforfun2286]

Thank you so much much very much for the tutorial I hope someday I can create my own music and if it gone viral I will never forget about your tutorial

[@JacquesLouisBadenhorst]

Wow man, thank you sir

[@Bloxywhite]

so good 😂

[@Gamesmaster613]

❤🎉🎉🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉❤🎉

[@tomioka1331]

That slide🤤

[@satwikpal9258]

Man u are on fire when making useful tutorial vids

[@vixbeats]

What app/website should i use?

[@nawfallaamouri9454]

We need this melody drops

[@WHOOOPSIEFILMS]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@ALindaBlox]

Really like this 😁 i noticed i make my songs the "hard way" and i get out of the music making mood

[@aylalyla1268]

really helpful, thankyou

[@xe-x]

good trick

[@Nijisanji_and_anime_]

what app do you use? I've been looking for a good and safe one but don't know which ones are actually good.

[@carlos5rosellemus]

Bandlab

[@hanchellasik]

Bandlab?

[@Enderblade18]

I know I'm 9 months late, but he uses Logic Pro. FL Studio is a good one as well if you don't want logic. I personally use Reaper. It costs money technically but I'm told that after the 60 day trial you can still use it. Cakewalk is free but buggy, at least for me. I would suggest researching programs and maybe trying them out to see what works best. I've bounced between multiple so don't expect to immediately know what you're looking for lol.

[@Nijisanji_and_anime_]

@@Enderblade18 thank you! I will try those out ^^

[@Enderblade18]

@@Nijisanji_and_anime_ Absolutely! It's all down to personal preference for what you want so don't take my word for it only, research them for what you're looking for. 👍

[@draviswubs]

I still use these methods on my hardware sets! (No daw)

[@glorgy.]

ASGORE (first 3 notes In vid) OH MY GOD ASGORE

[@FishyGilbert2.0]

you dont understand how much my songs improved after watching this

[@BrainFullOfVoid]

Ncs vibes

[@Mellyandmelive]

A video I just uploaded I need help identifying this melody it's 🔥

[@freddz808]

Also works best for me, additionally you can just use a baseline

[@Roblox-ObjectShowVersion]

why does this remind me of speed run 4 in rblx frfr

[@DoomedMadhouse]

That's actually a really good strategy that should be common sense despite the fact that I never thought to do so lol

[@jhhwild]

Sometimes I like experimenting with thin air melodies I just choose out of the top of my head. I like to see where it goes and make it work somehow.

[@ben_adryl]

“Nickelodeon actors before and now” ahh song

[@Boxell_o7]

❤️

[@Enderblade18]

Even in my orchestra production chords are the way to go. Chords lay out the emotion and feel of the song, which dictates how the melody should go, not just note wise but rhythm wise too.

[@chaisewallis7110]

Some of these comments though 😂 I'm not criticizing, I'm sure you all know what you're talking about but y'all do realize he said this is for beginners right? Some talking about things that are flying over my head and I imagine most who don't know music theory as well. And yes learning an instrument first to be able to associate the sounds, keys, chords and whatnot together better could work but not everyone wants to wait a year or so to learn music theory or instruments before they can make beats. Hence this video. Thanks man, I've noticed this is helpful for me at least most of the time. I always forget to start out like this because I get carried away, especially when I have something in mind already.

[@ed-ke2ne]

0:01

[@topikhidayat7333]

saya menyukainya

[@puppypoet]

beginning sounds like imaginary friends

[@manedroid6914]

Which is the name of the app?

[@JeeRuk]

What app is this?!!

[@cregmuray4812]

I love you

[@viethoang308]

2010s EDM vibe

[@R3YOnex_009T]

Best music

[@ddDaaAmmMguy]

Badassssss

[@paulasantos9390]

What vsts are you using? I enjoyed the mono synth with the sliding sound

[@SuperGoodgood]

Is there a full version?

[@S137_edits]

App???

[@Prime-Friend]

If you don’t mind me asking, what app did you use in this video?

[@SplongrSplatooner]

Garageband, I think.

[@Enderblade18]

@@SplongrSplatooner Garageband looks very similar but this is actually Logic Pro. Garageband is pretty good though don't think it's bad (for the new guys who are looking for DAWS.

[@SplongrSplatooner]

@@Enderblade18 Oh, thanks.

[@Enderblade18]

@@SplongrSplatooner No problem, I mess that up often as well 😄

[@KellyEvan-jg7sh]

nice friend

[@Weirdo_Studios775]

I swear, im gonna get good at music if it kills me

[@KingMonkeREAL]

Bro really made Roblox tycoon music...

[@arrowbrony2.78]

What kind of app did you use?

[@WildHawk202]

What software is this in?

[@ggdzanas5261]

what program are you using?

[@JohnJohnsFishing]

May I ask where you got the piano and synth?

[@user-xq1bc5qx2p]

I'm by no means a misician, but as a listener I think you should try making a melody that actually tries to convey some kind of emotion, to try and pour some part of yourself in it, try to say something through it. I don't know what this melody wants me to feel, I can't interpret it or find a meaning in it for myself. The problem indeed lies in me, too, and if I really tried I would probably be able to feel something (most likely something I wouldn't like). But all my brian is getting from this is that it's music. That's it. I know some people just make music for the money and/or just don't have enough real life experience or they take inspiration from a source that again, didn't have any truly interesting experience in their life and/or was in it for the money (again) and the inspired one just didn't knew any better, thus creating an endless cycle of disposable music (all of the music is disposable in the end, but that doesn't mean we should stop trying to achieve actual perfection). I know I'm just ranting like an idiot, but as the time goes on It becomes increasingly harder for me to find music that my brain thinks is worthwhile to listen to. And that terrible feeling of emptiness is driving me to write this comment, although it won't make any difference at all. Maybe I'm just hoping someone will aswer this comment and help me tackle this dilemma and find a solution? Damn, I need a therapist

[@JCMateStudioOfficial]

The issue is that I want to find chords that are rarely used but still sound good.

[@danielpowers7251]

So Chord, Rhythm then Melody, when does the lyrics and vocal melody come in?

[@radyaaieshya9534]

what app do you use for this

[@betagamer9077]

I mean it mostly depends on what genre you like.

[@jakobayers]

What software is this?

[@lukasrainbow8275]

I have been doing this even before i saw the video, but for me, it’s only a matter of time until it gets a little repetetive because there’s only so many good chords on a piano

[@K4RT1E]

what program do you use

[@drewracer777]

I still put random notes when I compose… it works fine

[@user-tv5hf6qm8z]

How did u make the 3 notes in the melody to kind of slide together?

[@ThatsMeme-tj2vt]

U made it looks so simple 😭😭😭 but when im trying it out💀💀

[@betagamer9077]

I mean it depends on the genre you want.

[@jangry6536]

What program is he using?

[@Jarkin737]

What software is this

[@meanie204]

what’s the app called? or whatever your using