I love adding layers of harmony to melodic lines.
Harmony can add so much depth to your music, without interfering with or distracting from the melody. The most popular harmonic intervals are thirds, fourths, fifths, and sixths. We often forget about the most (in my opinion) underrated and easy-to-use harmony: eights, also known as octaves. In my own writing, octaves rarely come to mind as a go-to interval for a harmony, but when I hear them in other people’s music, I always find that they grab my attention.
On that note, let’s dive into this week’s Songwriting Club prompt: write a song featuring a melodic line that’s paired with an octave.
Here’s what I came up with:
In the video above, I walk through how I approached writing this demo — hopefully it can inspire some ideas for you too! If you’re digging the sounds used in the track, check out this Collection to get your hands on them. Although it’s not a requirement, if you used a sound you found on Splice Sounds, let us know! If you want to use Splice Sounds in your song but don’t have an account, get your first month free with the code songwriting.
If you’re feeling proud of your tune or you’re looking for some feedback, upload it to the Splice community, SoundCloud, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc., and toss the link in the comments below. Before you share, just make sure you’re following these guidelines:
- Make sure your track aligns with the prompt – it should be something that you’ve specifically written in response to this blog post.
- No promotional posts – no links to contests, social media pages, etc.
- Comment on at least one other person’s song before you go – even if it seems small to you, your praise or critique can make a transformative impact on someone else’s craft.
- Give a quick summary of your goals for your song – asking for feedback on specific aspects (ex. the lyrics, chord progression, etc.) is also recommended!
Check back in for your next prompt on February 7th. We can’t wait to hear what you create!
Note: This is a previously published prompt that was updated and re-released to include our tutorial video. If you participated when the prompt was initially posted, feel free to write and share a new song that features octaves!
January 25, 2020
