Making Your Melodies More Intense

This lesson contains a few ideas that will help you make your phrasing more intense when you are making a melody or phrase on the guitar. Don't forget that you can gain free access to many more high quality lessons by simply signing up for my free newsletter.

First, it is important to understand that notes which are a half step apart, have a naturally strong feeling of tension, and want to be resolved to the next note that they are a half step away from. All of the major and minor scales are built upon a series of whole steps and half steps which give the scales a natural sense of tension and release. To get an idea of the difference in tension between whole steps and half steps, try playing and listening to a whole tone scale (all whole steps) and a chromatic scale (all half steps).

The whole tone scale sounds very ambiguous, as if it doesn't have a clear sense of direction; while the chromatic scale has a very clear path as each note leads directly to the next note. As I mentioned above, all of the major and minor scales use these whole and half steps to create natural resolution and tension in music. This is what makes chord progressions have a sense of direction.

In the major scale the scale degree 3 is a half step below 4, and 7 is a half step below 1. And in the minor scale, the scale degree 2 is a half step below 3, and 6 is a half step above 5. These are the most tense scale degrees in these scales, and you can use these scale degrees to make more intense melodies when you are making music. Whenever you are either writing music, or just improvising on the guitar, you can add extra tension to your phrasing by simply emphasizing these scale degrees.

So when you are playing over a major or minor chord, you can use these scale degrees in different ways to create strong tension. I'm going to explain a little about what these scale degrees feel like.

Exercise 1:

Record yourself playing a C major triad (C E G) over and over for a minute or two. Then read below.

Scale degree 3 ("E") is a half step away from scale degree 4 in the C major scale. In order to add tension and recognize the half step relationship between scale degrees 3 and 4, play the note "F" (scale degree 4) and then play the "E" note while improvising over the C major chord.

Scale degree 7 (B) is a half step away from the root of the chord ("C"). Playing the "B" note over a C major triad will have a very intense feeling of tension. This note really feels like it needs to be resolved.

Exercise 2:

Record yourself playing a C minor triad (C Eb G) over and over for a minute or two. Then read below.

Scale degree 2 ("D") is a half step below the third of the minor chord. The 3rd scale degree in a minor scale is the third in the minor triad ("Eb"). The 3rd scale degree is the most dramatic note in the minor triad and the sound created whenever the 2nd scale degree is played over the minor triad is very intense because it is pulling toward the 3rd scale degree. Try playing this note over the minor triad, and resolving it to the 3rd degree and the root. This note has a very intense type of feeling reminiscent of loneliness, sorrow, and isolation.

Scale degree 6 (or b6, "Ab") is a half step above the fifth of the minor chord. The sound of playing this degree over a minor chord is very tense, and has a strong need to be resolved to the fifth. To me, the sound of this degree gives me a sinister or dark kind of feeling.

Since these scale degrees are a half step apart, they will be 1 fret apart on the fretboard of the guitar. This makes them ideal for using the bending technique. When you are trying to emphasize a note that is a half step below another note, bend up to the note above and then when you are ready, bring the bend back down to the note below. This creates an interesting vocal melody style of phrasing.

For example, if you are playing over the C minor chord and want to emphasize the note "D," bend the "D" note (which is a fret below the "Eb" note) up a half step to Eb, and then bring the bend back down to the D note once again. Try experimenting by bringing the bend back down or up at slower speeds to create a different feeling of tension.

You'll also notice that adding more chords or different types of chords to your chord progression will create a different feeling of tension when you use the above mentioned scale degrees. For example, if you are in C major and would like to emphasize the note "B" (7th scale degree), this note will have a different feel over a G major chord (5th chord in the C major scale) than it will over the C major chord (1st chord in the C major scale). In the G major chord, the note "B" is the third, rather than in the C major chord where the note "B" is a half step away from the root note "C." You can use this to your advantage by playing the "B" note over the C major chord, bending it up to a "C" note, and then continuing to hold it as the chord changes to the G major chord before resolving it back down to "B." Specifically, this is a technique used which is called a "suspension."

Additionally, keep the concepts of this lesson in mind for writing for/improvising with modes. You can learn learn more about using modes here.

Have fun with these ideas!