How to Write a Melody (Plus a 7-Point Melody Check)

Melodic shapes, how to use range across a song, and a 7-point checklist that tells you exactly what to fix.

Start with the shape

Before choosing notes, decide what each phrase should do. The shape, or contour, carries much of the emotion.

Use range to build the song

A simple map works for most pop songs: the verse sits in a comfortable, lower range; the pre-chorus rises; the chorus reaches the highest notes; the bridge goes somewhere different, either lower and more intimate or higher for a final lift. If every section sits in the same range, the chorus won't feel like a payoff.

Write on syllables, then add words

Many professional topliners write the melody first on nonsense syllables, then find words that match its rhythm and vowel sounds. Words chosen to fit a finished melody tend to sit naturally, and you avoid forcing a lyric into a rhythm it doesn't have.

The 7-point melody check

Run your melody through these checks. Every "no" points to one specific fix.

1. Hummable Without Words

Check: Can someone who has never heard the song hum the chorus back to you after one listen — without any words?

If not: Your melodic hook is not strong enough on its own. Try: (1) Reduce the melody to 3-5 notes and build the hook from rhythm rather than range. (2) Sing only "da da da" and make it work as an instrumental. (3) Take the most singable 2-bar phrase and repeat it — that is your actual hook.

2. Clear Melodic Contour

Check: Does your melody have a clear shape — rising toward a peak, falling for release, or waving conversationally — rather than wandering randomly?

If not: Map the pitch of your melody on paper — draw a rough line of high and low. If it looks random, find the emotional arc: (1) Verse: conversational wave. (2) Pre-chorus: rising. (3) Chorus: arch with peak on the title word. (4) Bridge: different contour from chorus.

3. Range Matches Emotion

Check: Is the chorus melody higher in pitch than the verse? Does the highest note of the song fall on the most important word?

If not: (1) Find the highest note in your chorus. Find the highest note in your verse. The chorus should be at least a major 3rd higher. If not, rewrite the chorus melody upward. (2) Find the most emotionally important word in the chorus — usually the title. Is it on the highest note? If not, restructure the phrase so the title lands at the peak.

4. Prosody is Clean

Check: Does the melodic stress align with the natural spoken stress of the words? Would the lyric sound natural if spoken with the same rhythm?

If not: Record yourself SPEAKING the lyric naturally — no melody, just saying it. Then check: are the syllables you stressed in speech falling on the strong beats and high notes in your melody? If a weak syllable is on a downbeat, or a stressed syllable is buried in a fast run, fix it by: (1) Rewording the line so the stressed syllable falls naturally on the melodic stress, or (2) Restructuring the melody so it matches the spoken rhythm.

5. Sections Sound Different

Check: Do the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus each sound clearly different from each other? Could you tell them apart by melody alone, with no lyrics or production?

If not: If verse and chorus sound similar: (1) Verse: force the melody into a lower pitch range — stay below the 5th of your key. (2) Chorus: allow the melody to use the full range — reach for the high notes. (3) Different note lengths: verse = more syllables, faster phrasing; chorus = fewer syllables, longer held notes. (4) Different rhythmic feel: verse = conversational, irregular; chorus = steady, strong beat placement.

6. Title in the Right Place

Check: Is the title of the song in the chorus? Does it appear on or near the highest, most memorable note of the chorus melody?

If not: (1) If the title isn't in the chorus: that can work, but in most commercial pop the title is the chorus hook. Try placing it at the start or end of the chorus. (2) If it's in the chorus but on a weak moment, restructure the phrase so the title falls on the highest or most rhythmically prominent note.

7. Simple Enough to Stick

Check: Is the chorus melody simple enough that someone can sing it back after two listens, even if they are not a singer?

If not: Simplify: (1) count the distinct pitches in the hook; if there are more than 7, try 5. (2) Count the syllables in the hook phrase; if there are more than 8, try 6. (3) Replace ornamental runs with a single held note. (4) Ask: could a crowd sing this back at a concert? If not, it's too complex.