Stop Looping Melodies This Way

How to loop a melody creatively, like in "fossora" by Björk.
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INTRO
When you loop a melody, do you just copy and paste it? If so, that way of looping could be ruining your melodies!
But the good news is that in this lesson you’ll learn a creative way of looping, which will actually make your melodies better than they were before you looped them. Seriously, this looping hack can even make boring melodies kinda interesting.
But first, what’s wrong with looping a melody by copying and pasting it? Well, when you do that, the rigid repetition of the melody shortens its lifespan. In other words, even if your melody is really good, it will get stale and boring after a few loops. Remember: repetition kills a melody’s longevity, but variation extends it.
THEORY
Our brains are designed to pay attention to things in the environment that change, and filter out those things that stay the same. So, if your melody has been copied and pasted, your listeners will pay attention for the first couple of loops, but then their brains will shift attention away from your music to something in their environment that’s changing (like their Instagram feed).
This process will happen automatically and unconsciously in your listener’s mind, well, unless they’re an advanced meditator. So, the best way to hold your listener’s attention is to keep your music changing. And as our attention is usually on the lead melody, by continually varying that, your listeners will be utterly captivated.
If you keep varying your melody, though, won’t you end up with a long string of notes that’s impossible for your listeners to remember, resulting in them not wanting to listen to your song again? Well, yes. That’s why you need this looping hack. And for the record, there are ways to vary a melody just enough so that when it repeats, it’s familiar and fresh.
HACK
This looping hack bypasses that entire problem, though. It’s a way to create variation in your melody without actually changing any of its notes. I know, it sounds impossible, right? But, it’s not only possible, it’s also easy!
Are you ready? Here’s the hack: each time you copy and paste your melody, you rhythmically displace it.
What exactly does that mean? Well, it’s easiest to show you with an example, so let’s jump into the practical part of this lesson now.
MUSIC
This looping hack is used brilliantly by Björk in her new song “fossora”, so this example is our version that we made using the music theory from that song.
Alright, so open your DAW and set the tempo to 100 BPM. Then create a track for your melody, make a six-bar section, and set the grid to 1/8 notes. This example is in the key of G minor, and if you find keys, scales and chords a bit confusing, then download our free book: 12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales & Chords.
So, start by making a two-bar melody using 1/8 notes. And as this lesson is focused on looping, we’re not gonna cover how to write a good melody here, but if you need help with that, then simply use the Melody Checklist in our Songwriting & Producing PDF. The PDF also contains our other essential music making hacks. Over 10,000 producers around the world use this guide as their studio handbook. So if you’re struggling with your music, this PDF is for you!
Right, now it’s time for the juicy part. So, copy and paste your melody into bars three and four. Then, instead of leaving your melody as it is, you’re going to rhythmically displace it by an 1/8 note or a 1/4 note. In other words, move your looped melody a little earlier or later. Björk moves the second repetition of her melody an 1/8 note later, so we did that too.
Next, copy and paste your original melody into bars five and six. Then displace that third repetition as well. Björk actually did something even cooler here: she didn’t displace the first half of her melody, only the second half. She did this by moving it a 1/4 note later. We did the same thing, so you can hear how cool it is!
Then, to make her music even more creative, when Björk repeats this section later in the song, she actually changes the displacements again. This totally captivates your brain, because even though you’re expecting the displacements in the repetition of that section, they’re not where you expect them to be. Utterly brilliant!
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ABOUT
Hack Music Theory is the fast, easy and fun way to make music. Taught by multi award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé wife Kate. Ray started teaching music theory in 1995, and has made music with Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Devin Townsend, Ihsahn, and more!
CREDITS
© 2022 Revolution Harmony
Revolution Harmony is Kate & Ray Harmony
Script & all music in video by Revolution Harmony
Book promo filmed & edited by Maurits Nienhuis
All stock footage courtesy of Pexels

[@HackMusicTheory]

►Songwriting & Producing PDF: HackMusicTheory.com/bestsellers

[@2GooDProductions]

for me music is a balance between the repetitiveness that is hyponotic and gets us dancing while the variation is what keeps us interested and listening.

[@Danglutas]

So why Wake Me Up by Avicii was a hit and sound so cool? The drop has a 2 bars melody

[@HackMusicTheory]

Cos most people like very repetitive music. Nothing wrong with that. But we're all about art and creativity here, not hits :)

[@soapyboy3051]

@@HackMusicTheory fuck that

[@markbelcher1777]

@@HackMusicTheory well said ;)

[@jefjahn247]

I am such a BIG fan of this Channel 😊 Now, as a Bassist, I’ve maximum this concept for a long time. Seeing how Björk is a beautifully unique Icelander, it’s easy to dismiss this as anything less than what it is: pure genius! I was born and raised in North Texas, and this lil trick is known to us as an Afro-Cuban rhythm. Applying this hack to a more loop-driven genre such as EDM seems like an absolute game-changer! Thank You both for your dedication to these ever-expanding ideas 🤠👍

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hey hey Jef, great to see you, hope October is treating you well! Happy to hear you're diggin' this hack and thank you big time for stopping by, it means the world to us :) Have a lovely rest of your day 🫖

[@charlesneuzilmusic7236]

This is absolutely ingenious! I never would have thought of using a rhythmic displacement like this. I can see the value of this in several different contexts, including soloing over changes. Thanks so much! You both just gave me something to work with over the weekend. Take care! 😊🙏🙏🙏

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha thanks Charles! Always happy to provide a hack for your weekend music making :) Hope this finds you well, and we wish you a fabulous weekend!

[@MatrixxSoundlab]

I'm mind blown that something simple can that much of a difference!!!!!!!!!! Why did I never think to do this before?

[@ericbrunel8933]

Kate, Ray, your videos are a gold mine! I've always been much more into rhythm and song structure than into melodies and vocals, but this makes me want to have a try at it. Thank you so much!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi Eric, you're too kind, thank you! And much gratitude for being here in the HMT community :) We absolutely think you should give this hack a try ;) Have a great weekend ahead and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

[@johnsguitarmusicanddemos]

I never subbed so fast. Definitely appreciate this. I hear my own music and always feel like it’s either repetitive or needs fills.

[@HackMusicTheory]

You're exceptionally kind, my friend, thanks for being here in the community! Ray :)

[@patiencezero1025]

Been watching this channel for a while. First time i heard Kate say the Catch Phrase. Threw me off. Haha

[@HackMusicTheory]

Keeping you on your toes ;) Wishing you a fantastic week, Patience Zero! Kate

[@jamesponter9554]

Thank you Kate & Ray for another awesome video!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

James my friend, thanks for stopping by, it's good to see you again! And thanks big time for sticking with us for so many years, we appreciate you being here in the community. How's the music making going? Ray :)

[@jamesponter9554]

@@HackMusicTheory slowly getting back into it after having a wonderful boy a couple of years ago! Been a rollercoaster 😅 always kept up to date with your content though! Consistently excellent and can't wait to put it to use!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha oh that explains the big gap in your comments. Huge congrats on your son, we're so happy for you! And we're stoked to have you back here. Thanks for hanging with us despite your busy schedule, James, we appreciate you :)

[@tonysansom]

Even though I'm not especially good at creating music, my personal foundation is K.I.I - Keep It Interesting.

[@JasonKeisling]

Thanks for the reminder that it’s been too long since I’ve listened to Bjork. And great hack as always.

[@HackMusicTheory]

I know, right? We felt the same way. Her new album is completely mad haha, love it! Hope all's good your side, my friend, and thanks for stopping. It's always a pleasure to see you here in the comments! Ray :)

[@MusicFromTheBlackBox]

The short animations are both hilarious and fitting

[@jameshuspek]

I was just thinking about this the other day. I always start with 2 bars duplicate and offset on my 4th bar. But never thought of taking it further, ill definitely experiment with this in the morning. Thanks, love the video!

[@danmusiceasy]

These lessons are genius! I'm curious where you managed to find so many relevant stock videos on such a specific topic :D

[@arjunjsatheesh8899]

People would have different opinions to this. But that's the whole point of making music. Whats cool is that such lessons make us to make our music furthur stand out.

[@StuartRochabrunt]

This is gold. Thanks.

[@playaccount626]

I was already going fooooo sooooora in my head before they brought her up I'm spiraling

[@dantelway9819]

i make hip hop but i hate melodies on grid idk why but this really helped thank you

[@validcore]

Genius timing. Definitely gonna use this!

[@acmebeatco]

Great tip as always! Cheers! I really enjoy the for of your videos too.

[@HackMusicTheory]

So good to see you here again, my friend. Thanks for stopping by and connecting, we appreciate you being here! Ray :)

[@torchbearerbanduk]

Tasty. Looking forward to trying that.

[@EdokLock]

From the moment the video started I knew it 😎. You guys swapped your places as an indicator for adding variety... Okay maybe i need a cup of tea ☕

[@HackMusicTheory]

What kind of tea are you drinking today, Edok?! Hope this finds you well, and we're sending you good vibes for your weekend :)

[@EdokLock]

@@HackMusicTheory TWININGS Green tea with mint 😎👌

[@andrei-ioancucos2759]

Solid advice Ray and Kate. Time to apply it to my songs 😎

[@HackMusicTheory]

Andrei-Ioan my friend, so good to see you again. Thanks for stopping by and connecting. Hope you're sipping a nice cuppa Yorkshire tea? ;)

[@andrei-ioancucos2759]

@@HackMusicTheory Oh you betcha! I am both sipping from the best and strongest cuppa of Yorkshire tea and going to play the guitar and apply the advice.. Today I've buried my grandmother so I'm all in for doing some music.

[@HackMusicTheory]

We're heartbroken to hear about your grandmother. We're sending you our deepest sympathies, Andrei-Ioan. And yes indeed, music is the greatest healer. And tea is pretty good healer too, especially strong tea. Like your style! We're thinking of you and sending you good vibes, and we hope to catch up with you on the next video. Until then, stay strong and make music :)

[@aaronvalentinleo]

thank you!

[@myriaddsystems]

Love these!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks Myriaddsystems! Hope this finds you well and we wish you many blessings on the week ahead :) Kate

[@JostSchwider]

👍 - _also_ for the YT algo! 😊

[@realdiole]

I do displace notes to vary melody sometimes, but I always stayed away from displacing the note that begins a bar. I thought I would be confusing the artist by doing that. Now I know I can do it because it varies the melody in a very cool way in your example. I working on a song with a very repetitive melody, I am going to apply your hacks right now.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Awesome DiOLE!! A very warm welcome to the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we're cheering you on in your melody displacement :)

[@realdiole]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks. I make Hip Hop. Wanna learn how to make Electronic also.

[@realdiole]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks. I make Hip Hop. Wanna learn how to make Electronic also, I am inspired by LORN to want to make Electronic.

[@LollieVox]

So true! Some things get tedious. I write on guitar myself, but sometimes I’ll work with people who over use hooks I don’t want to point fingers lol But my song Jack Herer I feel like they over used the piano.

[@_BangDroid_]

I've unknowingly done this a few times as it turns out

[@correametal]

Excellent, thank you for such amazing information. Sometimes we overlook these details that will really make the difference. Awesome like all you guys do!!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Hi Jose, hope October is treating you well so far :) When's your new album drop? We're looking forward to hearing it!! Sending you all our good vibes :)

[@correametal]

@@HackMusicTheory Hi and thanks! Well, the album got a little delayed because of the hurricane that hit our country Puerto Rico last month. But I am back on track and working hard on it. Just two more songs to mix and master and it's finished. I'll let you guys know and from the bottom of my heart thank you. Blessings and success for you always!

[@santiagoacosta3372]

This is super smart, I never thought of that

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for stopping by, Santiago, we're happy you're here in the Hack Music Theory community! What kind of music do you make? Take care, and we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks :)

[@michael-hj8el]

the undertale soundtrack is an incredible example of this. simple melody structure that’s memorable due to subtle differences in the loops.

[@yungmentalproblems]

If your making trap though it's different because it provides a hypnotic effect

[@menacerisamir198]

this a very useful hack , repetition can be tedious if each time is the same , there is an album from brian eno called music for airport , i like it so much

[@EdokLock]

The video and the melody sounded strange to me & I felt like you guys are missing some crucial points.. Then I watched the ending of the video and it made sense 👍

[@tzodearf2596]

Also, this melody always ends on the same note. Shouldn't it end somewhere else in the 4th, or 8th bar?

[@MarkFreedmanNY]

Wow, I haven't tried this yet. Thanks!

[@HackMusicTheory]

How very exciting, Mark! We're happy to provide you with some weekend entertainment :) Hope you and your wife are having a lovely October so far, we're sending you all our good vibes! Kate

[@MarkFreedmanNY]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks, Kate! Hope you and Ray are doing well. I've been a bit quiet on the forum lately, but hopefully life settles down soon!

[@HackMusicTheory]

We're doing well, and enjoying some lovely warm autumn weather :) Yes, we hope to see you in the network over the coming months! Until then, take good care :)

[@HAZARDOUS88]

Thanks so much, this is very useful!!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Well, thank you so much for watching, HAZARDOUS88! I really dig how this hack keeps the familiarity but adds a little fun and energy to the melody :) Hope you're well and we're sending you all our good vibes! Kate

[@HAZARDOUS88]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks Kate, it's so simple but so effective. Hope you're doing well too!

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks HAZARDOUS, we're well! We've been having lovely autumn weather with lots of sunshine, which is unusual for the coast, but I'm loving it :)

[@Christopher.w.Menchaca]

Where Have you Been! I am ( The dark Shadowy Figure ) That approached such a Canadian lad Those years ago. I am from Maine, and I'm here in Tennessee To get involved in music; From the current year, 2022.

[@HackMusicTheory]

Thanks for stopping by and connecting, Christopher! What kind of music do you make? We hope this finds you well, and wish you all the best :)

[@nandakoryaaa]

Hi Kate & Ray! A very unusual hack. BTW I noticed something in this video. Should I congratulate you or I'm just mistaken... hmm...

[@HackMusicTheory]

Andrei my friend, I have no idea what you noticed, but I'm thoroughly curious now haha! What would you like to congratulate us on? Ray :)

[@nandakoryaaa]

@@HackMusicTheory It's just Kate's hair color that reminded me how my wife was awaiting a baby...

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha oh I see! Nope, we're not. Hack Music Theory is our baby :)

[@menacerisamir198]

hi , my wife passed away this morning and she was a beautiful woman , she buy me a lot of synth , my first one an arp omni one and the last one the quadra from cherry audio , my heart is broken , 40 years living together , she was not a musicisn but she was a great for making solder in a serge modular synth , now i must to go on , //////

[@HackMusicTheory]

Menaceri, there are no words to express our sadness to hear your heartbreaking news. We're thinking of you, my friend, and sending our deepest sympathies. We're praying that perhaps making music on your many synths will begin to heal your pain a little. We're sending you love and blessings, Menaceri.

[@menacerisamir198]

@@HackMusicTheory i will make music thinking of here , she will be always in my heart , thanks a lot for your worlds it help

[@ELLIOT8209]

South Africa is here first and enjoying the goldmine 👌👌👌

[@HackMusicTheory]

SA in da house!!! Awesome to have you here, RME, thanks for stopping by. Hoe gaan dit met jou? :)

[@ELLIOT8209]

@@HackMusicTheory dit gaan goed dankie en hoe gaan dit met u?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Lekker :) What part of SA are you from?

[@napj3721]

As a looping Artist, am I condemned?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Haha of course, my friend. Besides, this hack is still 100% looping. It's just a creative way to spice up the copy & paste method :)

[@napj3721]

@@HackMusicTheory I usually try to do long melodies or repetitions with fluctuations in some parts to add variation; I am an RC300 user

[@ivicai3281]

💙💚💛🧡❤

[@heaaarthat]

Why the melody low key hard tho 🙆 😂

[@maaz3587]

First

[@HackMusicTheory]

Wow that was impressive! It felt like you actually commented a split second before I even published the video haha! Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for being here in the Hack Music Theory community, Maaz, we appreciate you :)

[@epiphoney]

Looping ruined music.

[@user-ch7yu6ig5o]

There are some smoking propaganda you did 0:25. Do you take money on this ? Maybe also, your tea not exactly tea? Maybe you "real tea-cher" and cops looking for you everywhere ?

[@HackMusicTheory]

Nope, not propaganda :) If you listen, we're saying that smoking shortens your lifespan! Thanks for stopping by, Константин Лактионов, we hope your music making is going well, and we wish you a lovely weekend ☕

[@user-ch7yu6ig5o]

@@HackMusicTheory Thanks for good videos, they are awesome. But If you place video with smoking merged with pleasure or sexuality it works like propaganda. It do devil job. "PhiMoris" pay big money for pieces like that. And they do target teenagers and music making also attract teenagers. It's responsibility. Show smoking and say that it's bad, they pay money even for that. They smart and sly.