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Writing a Simple Song · Acedra
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Writing a Simple Song
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0:00
- Students, Tim here from Lessons on the Web, once again. And we're going to turn our brains into music mode once again today, and we are talking about how to write a simple song, as you can see. So, as we get into how to actually write the song, or before that, rather, we're going to talk about some things you need to know about to fully understand this lesson. So, the first thing is that songs have a melody. We're looking at this first measure here, and melodies are read from left to right.
0:30
(plays C-D-E-F notes) Pretty simple. Now, obviously melodies are a little bit longer than that, but usually the melody is the part of the song that you will remember, so like... (plays melody from Jingle Bells) Or... (plays beginning melody from Beethoven's Fur Elise) You know, all of those things. (plays melody from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony) Those are the melody of the song. And, like I said, they're read from left to right, and now you get into the second measure here, and the harmony.
1:00
Harmonies are read up and down, and usually, well, actually, we'll talk about that in a second here. Let me circle it for us. So this would be the harmony. So it's what you have on the bottom, you know, going up and down vertically, plus what you have up top, in kind of a vertical column. Melodies mostly use steps, which is moving from note to note. So, notice how we're going from E. Oh, let me change the thing back for us. It's going from E to F to G to A, right in a row. (plays E-F-G-A notes)
1:39
Well, that's called stepping, so you're just going from note to note. So you're going from A to B to C to D. That's stepping. Even if you're going backwards, from C to B to A to G, and then so forth, that is also stepping as well. Keep note that songs mostly use stepping in their melodies...
2:02
Okay, another thing to note is, melodies can also skip, which is moving every other note. So, notice how they're all in the space. (plays F-A-C-E notes) All spaces, or they can all be lines. (plays E-G-B-D notes) Those are skips as well. You can skip up. (plays E-G-B-D notes) Or you can skip down. (plays D-B-G-E notes) And then, keep in mind that songs will use some skips, but not nearly as many skips as they would steps. And then the less common one are the leaps,
2:36
which, a leap is just a huge jump (plays F-F notes) in the notes for the melody. So, they can be, if you are familiar with your intervals, a leap is a fourth, which is, (plays fourth notes) you know, a note and four notes away, and above. So, it encompasses a lot of different intervals, but just know that a leap is a large gap, and know that songs, when you're writing songs, to use very few leaps. It is appropriate to use leaps sometimes. And actually, they can be used very effectively,
3:10
but you don't want to have all leaps. (plays a series of leaps)
3:18
Then your song will sound too disjointed, and it won't make much sense. So, harmonies now. Another thing you have to know about. Harmonies are indicated by chords. And as I said before, chords are read up and down, in a vertical column. (plays F-A-C and F-A-C chords) So, there we have a harmony. The harmony is a chord.
3:43
Now, like I said before, if you have a chord, (plays F-A-C chord) and a note above that chord, just a single note, (plays single note repeatedly) that note above in the treble clef, like over here for instance, is also part of the harmony,
4:01
because it's read up and down in a vertical column. Songs use a combination of chords, known as chord progression. So, as you can see down here, I have, or we have, a bunch of different types of chords. Now, you can have the same chord repeat again, and things like that. You can see the chords either in root position, meaning they're evenly-stacked, like this one, or an inversion, like this one, where they're not evenly-stacked. (plays chords)
4:28
They kind of have a space there, somewhere in the chord, and the combination of chords you use in a song is known as your chord progression. So, that's something we're gonna need when we write our first song on the staff here.
4:45
So, for the song we are using today, we are using a simple, one-four-five-one progression. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, the thing is, if you write out a C Major scale, which is all of the bottom notes of these chords here, in this measure. (plays F-G-E-A-B-C notes) F-G-E-A-B-C.
5:05
That makes (plays F-G-E-A-B-C) the C Major scale, and what we've done is, we've built chords on every one of the notes. (plays chords) So, the one-four-five-one progression is one, (plays C-E-G chord) and then you go up to the fourth (plays F-A-C chord) chord, which is F in this case. You got five, which is G in this case, and then back to one there. So, you got one, oops-- Four, five, and one.
5:32
Now, keep in mind that songs will often use these, but not in that exact order. They can bounce around. So, say, you can go like, one-four-one-five-one, four-five-one, something like that. You don't always see them strictly as one-four-five-one. A key tells you which notes are sharped or flatted in a song. So, here we can see that we have a key signature. And a key signature, you know, you have the same one written in the right hand and the left hand. And a key signature will tell you
6:05
which notes are sharped or flat. In this case, we have flats, and we have four of them. We have B flat, E flat, A flat, and D flat. May be wondering how I figured that out. Well, if you replace where the flats are with notes, just think about what letter that note is on. So the first one is clearly on the line B, so that means that B is going to be flat throughout the whole song, unless it tells you otherwise.
6:32
Now, let's write our song. First, we'll pick the key of D Major. You can pick any key when you pick your song. Just keep in mind that you understand that key. I actually have a great lesson on keys. You can find the description after you're done this lesson, or if you want to check that out now. And the key, as we said before,
6:52
tells you what sharps or flats. So you need to understand that if you pick the key of A Major, you have to know that that has three sharps, F, C, and G. Now, you can look that up if you want, if you don't want to memorize it right away, and that's totally fine. But just make sure you understand what notes are supposed to be sharped or flat, because it will be a disaster, it will be very problematic,
7:17
if you do not follow that. So, the next thing you want to do, is you want to write out the scale. Now, once you write out the scale, you can build chords on every note of that scale. Now, one thing I want to tell you about, is remember that we have our key signature to worry about,
7:34
has two sharps, F sharp and C sharp. So the sharp will be here, on the F...
7:45
(plays F sharp) And then also here, (plays C sharp) with the C. So it's F sharp and C sharp. (plays scale in D Major) Do not forget where those sharps lie.
7:56
Then we build the chords on the scale. (plays series of chords in D Major)
8:03
And then, of course, you are going to pick the first chord for the song we are, the fourth chord, the fifth chord, and then also the first chord again, since that one is the same. It's just an octave above as the first chord. So, we're gonna write that one-four-five-one progression. We're gonna mix it up a little bit. We're gonna do one-four-one-five, and I'll tell you why in a few minutes. And we're gonna write those as whole notes in the left hand, so as you can see here,
8:35
this next step takes up these next four measures...
8:46
Okay, so now we need a melody in the right hand. The safe bet is to start each measure with a chord tone. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, we have the chord below in our left hand, (plays chord) which is down here, obviously. And a chord tone is just any note that belongs to that chord, so if it's a D, F sharp, or A, (plays D, F sharp, A notes) it's a chord tone. I just chose what's called the root of the chord, (plays D note) so D, so that's playing it safe.
9:12
That just means that when you play that note, (plays chord) it's going to sound consonant, which means it will blend very well and sound very pleasing.
9:23
So, that's what we've done so far. We've just picked, basically, (plays chord) the root of each chord. (plays series of chords)
9:34
And there we go, although that last one, I did not pick a,
9:41
a root note or a chord tone, so that's why it sounded a little bit off. (plays series of single notes) So, like I was saying, if you want to play it safe, pick a chord tone. I think I'm actually gonna just keep it at A there, because that belongs into that chord there. You got A, C sharp, and E. (plays A, C sharp, and E notes) So, A works perfectly. So, we actually have... (plays series of chords)
10:03
And there you go. Doesn't sound too bad yet, but it doesn't really sound like much, does it? So, we will then fill out notes to fill out the melody. So we have the same notes that we had before. We have the D from the before. (plays D note) We have the G from before. (plays G note) We have the A from before. (plays A note) And we have another A again. I made it a whole note this time. And anytime that you write, music is often written in two- or four-measure increments.
10:34
We call these musical phrases, and then those phrases can be put together in what's called a period, which is like a complete musical idea. So, just keep in mind that usually, especially for your first song, let's stick to two, four-bar or four-measure pieces.
10:52
So, as you find out, once we finish this part, we're only halfway there. So, here we have a melody. What I did to fill out the melody is, I used mostly steps, right? So we had the D from before, and I just kinda went up and down by stepping, (plays series of single notes) and... (plays series of chords) Doesn't sound too bad! Then, the next measure, same kind of thing. (plays series of steps and chords) Then, the third measure. (plays series of steps and chords) You know, nothing is
11:22
(plays single note and chord) skipping around a whole lot. Now, the thing is, is that I could've added a couple of skips and a couple of leaps, and it probably would have added some more interest to it. Actually, like right here, let's see if I can add a leap. (plays series of notes) Change this into a leap, let's see how that works. (plays series of steps, leaps and chords) Yeah, not bad! (plays series of steps, leaps and chords)
11:59
I'm just, kind of thinking of what might sound good. So one thing you also want to do, (plays series single notes) is kind of play around with your song. Find out what sounds the best there. And I think, (plays series of steps, leaps, and chords) I think I'm gonna change this A, actually, up an octave here. (plays a series of notes) So, like I said, don't be afraid to play around, and make sure you have the type of melody you want. So now, it sounds like this.
12:26
(plays series of steps, leaps and chords)
12:32
Sounds a lot better, just by adding that leap in there. And then, actually, there's a skip right at the end. But mostly steps, remember that. So, we're only halfway there. However, for the second half, we're gonna copy the first half. It says "hopy" there. Copy the first half, and change the last measure to a one-chord. Now, the one thing you want to consider is that when you have two, four-bar segments, the end of the first four-bar segment, right, right here, you want to end on a five-chord.
13:05
Meaning that, you know, that's the fifth note of the scale, you've got a chord on that. (plays chord) In this case, it's A. (plays chord) Now, why do we do that? (plays series of notes and chords) Because doing that, (plays series of notes and chords) kinda makes it sound like the song's gonna continue. However, if you end on a one-chord,
13:25
now let me play it, just changing the last chord and the last note. (plays series of notes and chords)
13:34
And sounds very final, ending on the one-chord. So, if you ever want the song to sound like it's completely finished, end on a one-chord. If you want it to sound like it's going to continue, end on a five-chord. Obviously, there's a lot more to writing music than just this. Remember that this lesson is all about being able to write your very first song on the piano. So, here we go. We're gonna write a song from scratch right now. So, what should we do?
14:01
The first thing we need to do, probably, is pick a key. Another thing I didn't really mention a whole lot about is time signature. I didn't really want to get into that too much, 'cause remember, this is supposed to be our first song, so we're just gonna pick four-four. So, the first thing we need to do, really, to just kinda break this down, is write out our scale. So let's pick a key...
14:30
Okay, we've picked the key of F, with one flat, B flat. And the next thing we need to do is draw out a scale. So we know-- A scale, by the way, is basically all the notes that exist in a key, just put in music-alphabetical order. So, there we go, now we have our scale. Now we're gonna build triads on each note of the scale.
14:53
Okay, there we go. Now we have our A-chords. Remember where the flat is. It's over B flat. So, any chord that has B in it, will be B-flat instead.
15:08
Okay, so looks like we're gonna be using our simple chord progression, one-four-five, and then back to one. So that, basically, equates to F Major, (plays series of chords) B Flat Major, C Major, and then F Major once again.
15:25
And remember, you don't have to use that exact chord progression. So, the first thing we're gonna do is, we are going to draw out an F.
15:34
We're gonna draw out our chord progression first, in whole notes. So here we go...
15:46
(plays series of notes)
15:52
(computer keys clicking)
15:58
(plays series of notes)
16:06
(computer keys clicking)
16:12
(plays series of notes) (computer keys clicking) So, there we go, now we have our chord progression in whole-note chords. Remember this is the first half, the first four bars. That's why I ended on a five-chord here. You may be wondering, "Well, that doesn't look "like a five-chord." Well, that's because I put it an inversion. That's something a little bit more advanced, so don't worry about that. If you just put a, you know, C chord there, that will work just fine.
16:41
Okay, so here we go. We need a melody now. So, for our melody, remember we're gonna just draw in some chord tones, as the first note in each measure.
16:54
(computer keys clicking) So here, I have no idea how it got that. It's doing really crazy stuff tonight. Okay, so you have F there, and then here, let's just say we can choose between B Flat, D, and F. I'm gonna choose F again. Here, I'm gonna choose A, 'cause I chose F before. Now, this is oversimplifying things. Like I said, you may be watching this and thinking, "There's a lot more to writing music than just this." Of course there is! But, remember this is our first song.
17:20
So, the next step is to write in the notes in-between, by just kinda like stepping, making a melody. You know, you can actually play around with it. (plays series of single notes) On the keyboard, to see what sounds good. (plays series of single notes) I kinda like that. F-G-C-A.
17:43
(computer keys clicking) (plays series of single notes) (computer keys clicking) (plays series of single notes and chords)
17:56
I kinda like that as a half-note, so I'm gonna change that into a half-note. Just kinda walking you through (plays chord) what my thought processes are. (plays series of chords) Actually kinda like it moving to a G, a half-note. (plays series of single notes) And here, let's see... (plays series of single notes and chords) I kinda like that, so I'm gonna go with that. So, like I said, noodle around on the piano. (plays series of single notes and chords)
18:26
If you are good at piano, or whatever instrument you prefer. (plays series of single notes and chords)
18:40
I don't know, I'm kinda liking, mmm...
18:46
(plays series of single notes and chords) I'm gonna do that, go with the F. I like that the most. And I'm actually going to just put a whole note here, 'cause that's a very good-- A whole note, by the way, at the end of a four-bar phrase, is a good idea sometimes, when you're writing simple music, because it really feels like, (plays chords) you know, that's the end of a passage. But there's still more to go, since you have that sound of the five-chord going on.
19:10
So, what are we gonna do to complete the song? Well, like I said, this is a very easy example, so we're actually just gonna copy and paste it. And then we're gonna change the last chord to be a one-chord again, so I'm probably just going to...
19:28
(plays series of single notes) One...
19:35
(plays series of single notes) There we go.
19:41
And I'm gonna make the final note an F as well.
19:46
(computer keys clicking)
19:52
(plays melody)
20:00
So, that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna change, you know-- And by the way, when you copy the section, if you decide to do that to make it easy, you can change some of the notes on the second go-around. It will make it sound, probably, even a little bit better. (plays melody)
20:19
(computer keys clicking) (plays series of single notes) Yeah, let's try that. So, I'm gonna try the whole thing now. Hopefully, I can see the whole thing. Here we go! (plays piano melody)
20:43
And by ending on that one-chord, it sounds final, nice and finished. The final thing you wanna do when you write your first song, is we need to put a double bar line at the end of it, because that signifies that the song is over. You can also do repeats, or start a whole new section. Obviously, a lot of songs go, or piano pieces, also, go a lot longer than four measures or eight measures. Hello students! If you enjoyed this lesson, and you want the notes
21:11
to go along with it, as well as some relevant videos that I think would give you a better grasp on writing music, I really highly suggest you check out the annotation here. If you don't see it, then there will be a link in the description for you. So, check that out, pianolessonsontheweb.com/firstsong will get you to that page. So, thanks as always, and I'll see ya in the next lesson. Thank you so much!
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