Make a melody

A melody is a line of notes that moves in time. Here is a short one over a beat. Hear how it rises, hangs on a long note, then walks back down.

Steps and leaps

Moving to the next row is a step; skipping rows is a leap. Steps sound smooth and easy to sing; leaps stand out. Most good melodies are mostly steps with a few leaps for surprise.

A lighter cell after a note means the note keeps sounding. Long notes give a melody room to breathe. Clicking a held cell cuts the note there.

Question and answer

Melodies often talk to themselves: one bar asks a question and the next answers it. The first bar here is the question. Write an answer in the second bar.

Ending on 1, the first note of the scale, sounds finished, like coming home. Try ending on another note and hear how the melody feels like it wants to keep going.