writing melody lines

[plfffffft]

Can anyone give me any tips non writing some of these here bastards? Most of the riffs I write are basically chords with a few single notes thrown in there, and I wanna put some melodies over them, kinda lioke the intro to Jotun by In Flames. Any advice is welcome, and thanks in advance.

 

[Sunbane]

In my opinion, the problem is usually that people write riffs and solos with their guitars rather than their minds (I do this too). When you sit down with your guitar to work out a riff, you're actually putting a limit on yourself, letting your fingers walk in patterns that they are used to.

To break out of this cage, it's good to put the guitar aside and try to sing or hum a melody that fits with the song. You will reach a whole new level of musical freedom this way. When you have worked out a nice melody like this, pick up the guitar again and try to play the melody. It may need some modification to work as a riff, but I think it's a good way to write guitar parts. =)

'bane

 

[Mattias the Bitch Boy]

Well, I normally come up with the melody first (by noodling or whatever), THEN have to put chords and shit behind it. You can try doing that.

I guess learning your scales and fucking around with them will help. The Jotun melody is some harmonic minor thing, for example.

 

[Feanor IV]

Sunbane is as right as possible. When playing on an instrument you are used to, you keep repeating some different combinations of things you've already played, more or less. Even Brian May has said that he prefers sitting on a piano or an instrument he does not know how to play, so that he could come up with an original tune. Also, of course, singing or humming or whistling will do. But this will limit you again, to some ideas. Try playing around with a completely new instrument and some ideas will come. And, I also work like mattias does, mostly do the tunes and then the chords most of the time. But sometimes the other way around will work too. The bad thing about this is that I will most probably end up with an acoustic song based on Am, Dm, Em. The most typical chords in musical history!