Your first 8-bar melody – free course

You now have all the tools you need to write your first real melody: a motif, repetition and variation, question and answer. In this lesson we will put them together step by step, like a craftsman following a plan. By the end you will have an eight-bar melody in C major, with a left hand, that you can play and share.

Step 1: choose a character

Before writing a single note, decide what you want to express. A tender waltz? A cheerful march? A lullaby? That choice guides the time signature and the tempo:

Character	Time signature	Tempo
Waltz, swaying	3/4	100–140
March, energy	4/4 or 2/4	100–120
Lullaby, dreaming	3/4 or 6/8	60–80
Calm song	4/4	70–90

For our example we choose a little waltz in 3/4.

Step 2: the plan of the period

Before writing, draw up a plan. It is the secret of melodies that "stand up":

Bars	Role	Ends on
1–2	the motif	—
3–4	rest of the question	B or D (half cadence)
5–6	the motif returns, then climbs to the peak	—
7–8	descent and conclusion	C (perfect cadence)

Step 3: write the melody

Here is the result. Listen while following the plan above.

M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
"C"E2 G | "G7"F2 D | "C"E G c | "G"B3 | "C"E2 G | "Dm"d2 A | "G7"G F D | "C"C3 |]

Look at how it is built:

Bars 1–2: the motif (a minim, a crotchet) rises from E to G, then answers itself one floor lower, F–D.
Bars 3–4: the melody soars up to high C and falls back onto B, a long open note: the end of the question.
Bars 5–6: the motif returns (the listener recognises it), then climbs to high D, the highest note of the melody, heard only once: this is the peak.
Bars 7–8: a descent G–F–D over G7, then the final C. The end.

Step 4: add a left hand

For now, one low note per bar is enough, held for the whole bar. It provides the harmonic foundation. The chord symbols (C, G7, Dm = D minor) tell you which note to choose: the root of the chord.

M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] "C"E2 G | "G7"F2 D | "C"E G c | "G"B3 | "C"E2 G | "Dm"d2 A | "G7"G F D | "C"C3 |]
[V:LH] C,3 | G,,3 | C,3 | G,,3 | C,3 | D,3 | G,,3 | C,3 |]

In the accompaniment chapter you will learn to turn these held notes into a real waltz bass ("oom-pah-pah").

Step 5: run the checklist

The range (from lowest to highest note) is no more than about a tenth.
The peak is heard only once, preferably in the second half.
Most of the motion is stepwise; leaps are followed by a step back in the other direction.
The rhythm of the motif comes back at least twice.
Bar 4: open ending. Bar 8: ending on C.

Using the piano roll: in the piano roll, time runs from left to right and pitch from bottom to top. Write the melody alone first, loop it, fix it, and only then add the left hand. Listening often beats thinking for a long time.

Common mistakes:

Writing bar by bar without a plan: the melody wanders and doesn't know where it is going. The plan in step 2 avoids that trap.
Several equal peaks: if you climb to the same high D three times, there is no climax any more.
A different rhythm in every bar: without a recurring rhythm there is no unity.
Forgetting to breathe: plan long notes in bars 4 and 8, like a singer taking a breath.

Your workshop

Choose a character, a time signature and a tempo (table in step 1). Write them at the top of your sketchbook page.
Copy the plan from step 2 and fill it in: which motif? which note for the half cadence? where will the peak be?
Write your eight-bar melody in C major in the piano roll, using your motif from the previous lessons.
Add a left hand with one note per bar: C, F or G (and possibly D or A), depending on the melody notes.
Go through the checklist in step 5 and fix whatever doesn't work.
Copy your melody into the ABC editor and give it a title. Congratulations: you have composed your first piece!

Self-check: play your melody twice in a row. The repeat should feel natural and the ending truly conclusive.