Chords for The Importance of Melody and Structure
Tempo:
94.475 bpm
Chords used:
E
Ab
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Can you explain the importance you give to melody and structure?
Well, I mean, that's to me melody and structure are what, you know, music is,
my music is in many ways about.
Well, there are three elements, melody, structure and atmosphere,
I think, are the things that I try to go for, really.
I find it very easy to do
sort of structure and melody, I suppose.
I like to play with structure.
I don't really,
I always, one problem I always had slightly with the standard pop song, in a way, is the fact that
you have verse choruses and you tend to do everything the same way.
In fact, a lot of
modern music often has the same chords in the chorus as they do in the verse, which, you know,
I think for me the fun is being able to develop chord sequences and then to come back to it and
do it slightly differently next time around and embellish it, which is much more a classical
thing.
So in the classical world I'm able to do that to a much greater degree, and I think in
early days of Genesis we were quite happy to not repeat as well, which is something I really used
to enjoy.
Having said that, I do love a good pop song, you know, so that I don't mind that
repetition, but I still like to try and bring it back slightly different.
So, yeah, I mean,
the melody line itself, I do think about it quite a bit.
[E] Another problem I have a lot with a lot of
sort of pop music over the years, I suppose, is where the melody line itself is not particularly
important.
It's sort of like it carries the lyric and it sort of does the obvious thing on top of
the basses it's got, you know, there's a [N] certain kind of singing that does that, which is probably
more popular than anything else.
We always, in Genesis and on my own, I've always liked to try and
have a melody that's sort of written, you know, so you kind of does things.
It goes places and
actually the notes that it hits are quite maybe unusual and can do
Could you give me an example
in, say, one of the Genesis songs where you
Well, I think an example of one we worked on quite a long time
was that opening melody on Musical Box, that first verse part.
We had the
basses was something that Mike had written a long time before, and we'd used it as an
instrumental piece before that.
When we came to actually writing the melody, you know, we kind of all chipped
into this with Peter obviously, you know, singing things and then we'd all suggest little ideas
and trying to put little notes in there that you wouldn't do normally.
I mean, you could sing, you
know, if you hear the chords, you can just
There's something you could sing on it, it's pretty straightforward,
but we actually
It goes all sorts of funny places, that melody, and I just think it makes
it much more intriguing somehow to do that.
You don't have to do that every time.
Obviously,
there are hundreds of examples where we haven't done that, you know, and have had slightly the opposite
in some cases.
For example, when we did the Lamblets done on Broadway, the first piece, which was
the song title track, which was something Peter and I wrote together, the basis of it,
and then when Pete did the vocals on it, I thought it was a little bit unadventurous.
[Ab] But actually, I
think it works really well because it sort of seems to really, you know, work with the whole
feel of the thing, but in a way, I was looking for a more complicated melody than that, because I
always do, you know, and, you know, but I was giving my chance to other pieces than that, so I didn't
really mind
Well, I mean, that's to me melody and structure are what, you know, music is,
my music is in many ways about.
Well, there are three elements, melody, structure and atmosphere,
I think, are the things that I try to go for, really.
I find it very easy to do
sort of structure and melody, I suppose.
I like to play with structure.
I don't really,
I always, one problem I always had slightly with the standard pop song, in a way, is the fact that
you have verse choruses and you tend to do everything the same way.
In fact, a lot of
modern music often has the same chords in the chorus as they do in the verse, which, you know,
I think for me the fun is being able to develop chord sequences and then to come back to it and
do it slightly differently next time around and embellish it, which is much more a classical
thing.
So in the classical world I'm able to do that to a much greater degree, and I think in
early days of Genesis we were quite happy to not repeat as well, which is something I really used
to enjoy.
Having said that, I do love a good pop song, you know, so that I don't mind that
repetition, but I still like to try and bring it back slightly different.
So, yeah, I mean,
the melody line itself, I do think about it quite a bit.
[E] Another problem I have a lot with a lot of
sort of pop music over the years, I suppose, is where the melody line itself is not particularly
important.
It's sort of like it carries the lyric and it sort of does the obvious thing on top of
the basses it's got, you know, there's a [N] certain kind of singing that does that, which is probably
more popular than anything else.
We always, in Genesis and on my own, I've always liked to try and
have a melody that's sort of written, you know, so you kind of does things.
It goes places and
actually the notes that it hits are quite maybe unusual and can do
Could you give me an example
in, say, one of the Genesis songs where you
Well, I think an example of one we worked on quite a long time
was that opening melody on Musical Box, that first verse part.
We had the
basses was something that Mike had written a long time before, and we'd used it as an
instrumental piece before that.
When we came to actually writing the melody, you know, we kind of all chipped
into this with Peter obviously, you know, singing things and then we'd all suggest little ideas
and trying to put little notes in there that you wouldn't do normally.
I mean, you could sing, you
know, if you hear the chords, you can just
There's something you could sing on it, it's pretty straightforward,
but we actually
It goes all sorts of funny places, that melody, and I just think it makes
it much more intriguing somehow to do that.
You don't have to do that every time.
Obviously,
there are hundreds of examples where we haven't done that, you know, and have had slightly the opposite
in some cases.
For example, when we did the Lamblets done on Broadway, the first piece, which was
the song title track, which was something Peter and I wrote together, the basis of it,
and then when Pete did the vocals on it, I thought it was a little bit unadventurous.
[Ab] But actually, I
think it works really well because it sort of seems to really, you know, work with the whole
feel of the thing, but in a way, I was looking for a more complicated melody than that, because I
always do, you know, and, you know, but I was giving my chance to other pieces than that, so I didn't
really mind
Key:
E
Ab
E
Ab
E
Ab
E
Ab
Can you explain the importance you give to melody and structure? _ _
Well, I mean, that's to me melody and structure are what, you know, music is,
my music is in many ways about.
Well, there are three elements, melody, structure and atmosphere,
I think, are the things that I try to go for, really.
_ I find it very easy to do
sort of structure and melody, I suppose.
_ I like to play with structure.
I don't really,
I always, one problem I always had slightly with the standard pop song, in a way, is the fact that
you have verse choruses and you tend to do everything the same way.
In fact, a lot of
modern music often has the same chords in the chorus as they do in the verse, which, you know,
I think for me the fun is being able to develop chord sequences and then to come back to it and
do it slightly differently next time around and embellish it, which is much more a classical
thing.
So in the classical world I'm able to do that to a much greater degree, and I think in
early days of Genesis we were quite happy to not repeat as well, which is something I really used
to enjoy.
Having said that, I do love a good pop song, you know, so that I don't mind that
repetition, but I still like to try and bring it back slightly different.
So, yeah, I mean,
the melody line itself, I do think about it quite a bit.
[E] Another problem I have a lot with a lot of
sort of pop music over the years, I suppose, is where the melody line itself is not particularly
important.
It's sort of like it carries the lyric and it sort of does the obvious thing on top of
the basses it's got, you know, there's a [N] certain kind of singing that does that, which is probably
more popular than anything else.
We always, in Genesis and on my own, I've always liked to try and
have a melody that's sort of written, you know, so you kind of does things.
It goes places and
actually the notes that it hits are quite maybe unusual and can do_
Could you give me an example
in, say, one of the Genesis songs where you_
Well, I think an example of one we worked on quite a long time
was that opening melody on Musical Box, that first verse part.
We had the
basses was something that Mike had written a long time before, and we'd used it as an
instrumental piece before that.
When we came to actually writing the melody, you know, we kind of all chipped
into this with Peter obviously, you know, singing things and then we'd all suggest little ideas
and trying to put little notes in there that you wouldn't do normally.
I mean, you could sing, you
know, if you hear the chords, you can just_
There's something you could sing on it, it's pretty straightforward,
but we actually_
It goes all sorts of funny places, that melody, and I just think it makes
it much more intriguing somehow to do that.
You don't have to do that every time.
Obviously,
there are hundreds of examples where we haven't done that, you know, and have had slightly the opposite
in some cases.
For example, when we did the Lamblets done on Broadway, the first piece, which was
the song title track, which was something Peter and I wrote together, the basis of it,
and then when Pete did the vocals on it, I thought it was a little bit unadventurous.
[Ab] But actually, I
think it works really well because it sort of seems to really, you know, work with the whole
feel of the thing, but in a way, I was looking for a more complicated melody than that, because I
always do, you know, and, you know, but I was giving my chance to other pieces than that, so I didn't
really mind
Well, I mean, that's to me melody and structure are what, you know, music is,
my music is in many ways about.
Well, there are three elements, melody, structure and atmosphere,
I think, are the things that I try to go for, really.
_ I find it very easy to do
sort of structure and melody, I suppose.
_ I like to play with structure.
I don't really,
I always, one problem I always had slightly with the standard pop song, in a way, is the fact that
you have verse choruses and you tend to do everything the same way.
In fact, a lot of
modern music often has the same chords in the chorus as they do in the verse, which, you know,
I think for me the fun is being able to develop chord sequences and then to come back to it and
do it slightly differently next time around and embellish it, which is much more a classical
thing.
So in the classical world I'm able to do that to a much greater degree, and I think in
early days of Genesis we were quite happy to not repeat as well, which is something I really used
to enjoy.
Having said that, I do love a good pop song, you know, so that I don't mind that
repetition, but I still like to try and bring it back slightly different.
So, yeah, I mean,
the melody line itself, I do think about it quite a bit.
[E] Another problem I have a lot with a lot of
sort of pop music over the years, I suppose, is where the melody line itself is not particularly
important.
It's sort of like it carries the lyric and it sort of does the obvious thing on top of
the basses it's got, you know, there's a [N] certain kind of singing that does that, which is probably
more popular than anything else.
We always, in Genesis and on my own, I've always liked to try and
have a melody that's sort of written, you know, so you kind of does things.
It goes places and
actually the notes that it hits are quite maybe unusual and can do_
Could you give me an example
in, say, one of the Genesis songs where you_
Well, I think an example of one we worked on quite a long time
was that opening melody on Musical Box, that first verse part.
We had the
basses was something that Mike had written a long time before, and we'd used it as an
instrumental piece before that.
When we came to actually writing the melody, you know, we kind of all chipped
into this with Peter obviously, you know, singing things and then we'd all suggest little ideas
and trying to put little notes in there that you wouldn't do normally.
I mean, you could sing, you
know, if you hear the chords, you can just_
There's something you could sing on it, it's pretty straightforward,
but we actually_
It goes all sorts of funny places, that melody, and I just think it makes
it much more intriguing somehow to do that.
You don't have to do that every time.
Obviously,
there are hundreds of examples where we haven't done that, you know, and have had slightly the opposite
in some cases.
For example, when we did the Lamblets done on Broadway, the first piece, which was
the song title track, which was something Peter and I wrote together, the basis of it,
and then when Pete did the vocals on it, I thought it was a little bit unadventurous.
[Ab] But actually, I
think it works really well because it sort of seems to really, you know, work with the whole
feel of the thing, but in a way, I was looking for a more complicated melody than that, because I
always do, you know, and, you know, but I was giving my chance to other pieces than that, so I didn't
really mind