Ableton Forum

Melody:

mel·o·dy? ?[mel-uh-dee]
–noun,plural-dies.

1. musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement.
2. Music.
a. the succession of single tones in musical compositions, as distinguished from harmony and rhythm.
b. the principal part in a harmonic composition; the air.
c. a rhythmical succession of single tones producing a distinct musical phrase or idea.
3. a poem suitable for singing.
4. intonation, as of a segment of connected speech.

As someone stated earlier - if you can whistle it, that's a melody. I think that's a good definition.

The Aphex Twin tracks that you completely dismissed all have melodies. You might not like those melodies, but that seems at odds with your initial posting.

Did you mean melody? Or did you mean something else? Or do you just have really bad taste in music? Apologies, but dissing Aphex Twin leads one to believe that this may be the case. It'd be like dismissing the Beatles on a rock and roll forum.

Apparently the "Music Lacks Melody" complaint has been around a long time. Irving Berlin wrote this 60 years ago, Bing Crosby used to sing it.

PLAY A SIMPLE MELODY

Won't you play some simple melody
Like my mother sang to me?
One with a good old fashioned harmony
Play some simple melody

Musical demon set your honey a-dreamin'
Won't you play me some rag?
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag

If you will play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all my applause
And that is simply because i wanna listen to rag

Musical demon set your honey a-dreamin'
Won't you play me some rag?
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag

If you will play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all my applause
And that is simply because i wanna listen to rag

Musical demon set your honey a-dreamin'
Won't you play me some rag?
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag

If you will play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all my applause
And that is simply because i wanna listen to rag

Play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all of my applause because
I wanna rag it ragtime melody

dmcm wrote:
Did you mean melody? Or did you mean something else? Or do you just have really bad taste in music? Apologies, but dissing Aphex Twin leads one to believe that this may be the case. It'd be like dismissing the Beatles on a rock and roll forum.

I'm not going to continue a debate with people who site Aphex Twin as their best example of soul and melody in electronic music. There's probably literally thousands of artists that would be a better example. I have nothing against Aphex Twin but that's really stretching the definitions past the point that I'm willing to go.

Nope. What about the human voice? Artists mentioned in an earlier post like Pantha Du Prince, Four Tet, Autechre- have killer melodies, that's why they're so good. Sound and melody.
Besides, melody is in your head or in the air. You either hear it or you don't. I do think it can be improved but it's connected to who you are as a person at that moment in your life.

Imogen Heap's mic check is pure genious, imho. No synths used at all, just her voice:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfOLflKXRCw

beats me wrote:

dmcm wrote:
Did you mean melody? Or did you mean something else? Or do you just have really bad taste in music? Apologies, but dissing Aphex Twin leads one to believe that this may be the case. It'd be like dismissing the Beatles on a rock and roll forum.

I'm not going to continue a debate with people who site Aphex Twin as their best example of soul and melody in electronic music. There's probably literally thousands of artists that would be a better example. I have nothing against Aphex Twin but that's really stretching the definitions past the point that I'm willing to go.

Aphex Twin isn't the best example of melodic electronic music, that I'll grant you. But his music still contains melodies! Especially the likes of Windowlicker, Come to Daddy and On. Even his more extreme drill and bass tracks. Those just require multiple listens and concentration to detect the melody.