Inner Melodies
 

Well, I'm just wondering, but it seems as though a lot of great composers and musicians have melodies and parts of songs come into their heads and they then write it down or document it in some way. Beethoven is a great example of this, he was totally deaf when he composed some of his last symphonies (and they were the best in my opinion), yet he was able to pull these melodies out from his head even though he had not heard a damn thing in years. That says something to me, that's proof that musicians don't just dick around on an instrument and say "ah, this sounds cool, let's put this in a song.".

So how do these melodies come about? Where do they come from? And if I can't hear them in my head does that make me unfit the be a musician? I ask this because I want to be a musician one day, but I for the life of me have never been able to come up with a melody. I mostly just play around on guitar and record things that sound "cool" to me. I feel like a horrible person because I try to make music, but I don't have the "gift". So, what should I do? Give up? Or can this be learned?

I wonder about this all the time, except my question is a bit different. There have been countless times where melodies, beats, riffs, and even entire songs have just developed in my head, I usually just create my own music in my head when I don't have my iPod with me. It's not on Beethoven standards but it reflects my taste of music. Most of them are somewhat influenced by what I have heard in the past month or so. There have been times where I think "Holy ****, I should record this (somehow)becuase I actually think it sounds really good", now the problem kicks in, I have no musical talent. I can't read or write music, don't know anything about notes or how to identify what note something is, so there is no way to recreate it. I can play some guitar, but I just go off tabs and by ear, but I have no skill to play what goes through my head. I highly doubt it's uncommon to have melodies playing in ones head, but then again, I have never met someone who has...but then again, I don't know many people.

Obviously one doesn't know how Beethoven did what he did, but I honestly think that f'ing around on guitar is still a pretty effective way of creating new melodies. As for feeling horrible for not being able to make music, dude, you are making music by playing guitar. Just keep playing and you'll eventually catch on to your style of making music. I don't think there is a set technique of making or hearing the music you will play. Some hear it in their head, some do it with their hands, and some even dream it. Can't remember who it was but I remember hearing somewhere that a musician recorded himself while he was sleeping, he actually recorded himself mumbling a melody, and it became a hit song. Pretty sure it was someone from the Rolling Stones.

You can't be born with a sense of melody; what happens is some people are so immersed in music from a young age that it seems effortless. Yes, music, whether you're writing it or listening to it, involves using the same portion of the brain that's involved in spatial logic - so people who are genetically gifted for this area will have an advantage, but that doesn't mean they've an innate ability to write songs.

Anyways, if you really want to write music, take some courses at a Conservatory. Even if you don't take music theory courses, a bit of formal training wouldn't hurt, eh?

Just start making really shit, random, avant-garde noise stuff. That's what almost everyone else does, and people actually like it!

A good example of how it usually happens for me:

I don't think it is something you can have your entire life. I think there is most definitely a "muse" that strikes certain people in their lives. I can't begin to explain what's actually going on in the brain, but there is something about just being in the exact mindset needed to create amazing music. I say keep trying and it may one day come to you.

That's not to say people who don't have that can't be great musicians. There are people that create melodies and people that "find" them. With modern technology, it makes it very easy for those people to shine. Found sounds, a beat that inspires a melody, building layers to create a song...that's still musicianship. Although I think you can clearly hear the difference in a song that was created and one that was pretty much built.

Personally, I've had an ear for melody most of my life, but I'm not sure whether it was an environmental factor (family of musicians) or something more physical and genetic. I don't really remember understanding melodies and harmonies until I was about 8 or 9, and by that time I think I just had matured enough to make the proper musical relationships and connections I was constantly surrounded in.
The thing about it was that most of the music I was immersed in was either from jam sessions to church music groups as a child, and all you can do is watch, listen, learn and do... so I think that played a big role in my situation.

I think there has to be a difference in a situation like that, being intimately involved in the creation of music on a lot of different levels and for a long time, than in comparison with a situation comprised mainly of just listening to music without any real background in what goes into it, whether it be something complicated as composing and producing an entire song on all instruments, or simply being able to expertly handle a guitar or a sax or whatever and pour your heart into it effectively.

Thanks for the responses so far guys, I'd quote each one of you but I feel a little sick today and I'm notoriously lazy. ;)

Music is a form of expression. It can be done extremely well, even set bars, but it can never be mastered. The greats didn't happen by accident. They spent years and years developing their craft. The more you learn about music (and practice) the more tools you have in order to express yourself musically (forming melodies and songs). Of course, you don't need all the tools in the world to make something great, but it doesn't hurt to be equipped.

Think about how you are able to speak and write (and read). As a child you learned the language, first by imitating sounds, then words themselves. You learned what they meant, and how to construct them. You learned how to use them to express what was inside. Little by little, you learned more words and how to use them. Then of course came reading and writing, which took even more practice and time.

Music isn't easy. It takes time, but don't be discouraged, keep going. Listen, listen, and then listen some more. You'll begin forming melodies that are based off of others that you have heard (consciously or subconsciously) , and once you develop your abilities and knowledge you will be able to form more original ideas.

I believe that not only do some musicians have gifts but it could be down to a persons creative mind. Some are more creative and imaginative than others, where you can merely live life as others do but create images in your mind that are unique and aesthetically appealing. As some people have 'green fingers' in terms of gardening, I believe some actually have an 'ear' for sound and melodies.