Compose a short melody

Make it: Write an eight-bar tune

Start here · 35 minutes

Gather: Voice or keyboard, timer, and phone recorder

Step by step

1. Use the five notes C, D, E, G, and A on a keyboard, or choose five comfortable notes for your voice. Set a slow four-beat pulse.
2. Make a two-bar pattern: four even notes followed by one longer note. Hum or play it three times until you remember it.
3. Repeat the pattern with one note changed in bars three and four. Let bars five and six rise to the highest note.
4. Bring the last two bars back toward your starting note. Record the full eight bars twice and choose the clearer take.
5. Ask a listener which short phrase they remembered and revise one note or rhythm.

You're done when: The melody has a recurring phrase, a high point, and an ending you can recognise.

Next project: Arrange your tune with a pulse

60 minutes

1. Play or sing your eight-bar tune to a steady count of four and record one clean take.
2. Add a quiet repeated pulse on a second instrument, table tap, or audio track without covering the melody.
3. Introduce the pulse only after the first phrase, then remove it for the final two bars to shape the ending.
4. Listen on a phone speaker and adjust the balance so the melody remains easy to hear.

You're done when: Your second recording uses the pulse to shape the tune rather than simply making it louder.

Course plan

1. Choose a note set
2. Make a rhythmic motif
3. Shape a phrase
4. Finish and listen back

More music courses

• Play your first keyboard pieceLearn a small set of notes, steady rhythm, and simple chords by finishing a short piece.
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