stayc main image

Ed Sheeran Reunites with Lookalike Rupert Grint for New Music Video After ‘Lego House’ 13 Years Ago

August 5, 2025

Ed Sheeran has brought back actor Rupert Grint for an upcoming music video, marking their first collaboration since 2011's viral "Lego House" visual. The new project accompanies Sheeran's track...

Read more
stayc main image

Spotify Launches "DJ Now Accepts Requests" — A Revolution in Fan-Driven Exploration

August 5, 2025

To improve real-time song discovery, Spotify is now testing a new feature dubbed "DJ Now Takes Requests." The feature adds a layer of crowd participation to streaming experiences by allowing users...

Read more
stayc main image

Roger Daltrey hits out at axed The Who drummer Zak Starkey for ‘incredibly upsetting’ remarks after fallout

August 5, 2025

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has spoken out about his fallout with drummer Zak Starkey, calling the musician’s post-departure comments “incredibly upsetting.” Starkey, son of Beatles legend Ringo...

Read more
stayc main image

Love Like This: Fujii Kaze’s Daydream of Devotion, in Full Technicolor

August 5, 2025

Fujii Kaze’s “Love Like This” isn’t your average love song, it’s a shimmering, soulful glide through the kind of romance that doesn’t just sweep you off your feet, it levitates you. With effortless...

Read more
stayc main image

Lover Girl: Laufey’s Timeless Love Letter to the Hopeless Romantic in All of Us

August 5, 2025

Laufey’s “Lover Girl” isn’t just a song, it’s a soft, sweeping confession wrapped in strings, jazz chords, and the kind of vulnerability that makes you want to cry into your oat milk latte. With...

Read more
stayc main image

Saweetie and Boffum: A Viral Remix of Sass, Style, and Side-Eyes

August 5, 2025

When Saweetie hit the mic with her usual sparkle and sass, fans expected bops, but what they didn’t expect was boffum. Yes, boffum. The internet has been shaken, stirred, and straight-up meme-ified...

Read more
stayc main image

Jennie-festo of Power”: BLACKPINK’s Jennie Just Dropped an Album & We’re All Emotionally Unstable

August 5, 2025

After years of teasing, manifesting, and fans quite literally breaking down over one-song discographies, Jennie finally pulled the ultimate main character move, she dropped a full solo album. No...

Read more
stayc main image

Josh Freese Opens Up on Rejoining the Nine Inch Tails

August 5, 2025

In a heartfelt social media post, Freese explained that his decision to leave Nine Inch Nails was one of the hardest of his career. At the time, he and his wife were expecting their third child...

Read more
stayc main image

Ty Myers: Country’s Rising Star Who Raised $50K at Age 18

August 5, 2025

Meet Ty Myers, a teen from Texas who is transforming the concept of a country performer in 2025, music fans. Honky-tonk roots, modest ambition, and a popular TikTok moment from 2023 inspired his...

Read more
stayc main image

Demi Lovato Makes ‘Fast’ Return to Pop Music With New Single: Stream It Now

August 5, 2025

Demi Lovato is back in the pop scene with her latest single, “Fast,” which brings her back to the club-ready, EDM-infused beats that fans loved in hits like “Cool for the Summer” and...

Read more
stayc main image

Ejae: The Unsung Hero Behind Rumi’s Voice in KPop Demon Hunters

August 1, 2025

a deeper heartbeat emerged beneath the surface: the voice of Rumi— performed and co-written by the Korean-American singer-songwriter Ejae.

Read more
stayc main image

From Parliament to Perry: Justin Trudeau Sparks Dating Rumors After Cozy Dinner & Passionate "Firework" Duet With Katy Perry

August 1, 2025

Former Canadian PM and pop star fuel speculation following her split from Orlando BloomFormer Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the unexpected star of Katy Perry’s Montreal concert this...

Read more

Write a Vocal Melody That Stands Out: Tips for Phrasing and Dynamics

stayc main image

If you’ve been writing music for a decade but are just starting to dive into vocal melodies, you’re not alone in facing challenges with phrasing and creating vocal dynamics that don’t feel repetitive or too tightly aligned with the instrumental melody. While this side of the creative process can feel unfamiliar, there are some strategies that can help you approach vocal writing with more confidence and purpose.

Let’s explore these techniques with examples of artists and songs that execute each point exceptionally well.

1. Understand the Relationship Between Vocals and Melody

One of the most important things to keep in mind when writing vocal melodies is that they don’t always need to align perfectly with the instrumental melody. Some of the most interesting vocal lines contrast with or weave through the instrumentation in unexpected ways.

  • Counterpoint and Contrast: Consider how Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" creates contrast between Thom Yorke's haunting, high-pitched vocal melody and the complex, ever-shifting instrumental arrangement. The vocal line doesn’t always follow the instrumentation, creating tension and intrigue.
  • Think Horizontally, Not Just Vertically: In Adele's "Someone Like You," the vocal melody soars over a simple piano accompaniment. The focus is on how the melody evolves emotionally throughout the song, rather than staying tied to the piano's harmonic changes. This allows the vocals to tell their own story.

2. Experiment with Phrasing and Rhythmic Variation

One of the key challenges you mentioned is finding the right phrasing—when to make changes and how to create vocal dynamics. Phrasing is all about where you place your vocal lines within the music and how you use rhythm to make the melody more interesting.

  • Syncopation: Listen to Billie Eilish's "bad guy" for a masterclass in rhythmic variation and syncopation. Billie’s vocal phrasing deliberately plays with offbeat rhythms, which contrasts with the song’s straightforward, bass-driven groove.
  • Phrase Length: In Beyoncé's "Formation," her vocal phrasing constantly shifts, with some lines delivered in quick, sharp bursts, while others are elongated and drawn out. This variation adds drama and unpredictability to the track.
  • Space and Breath: The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" makes excellent use of space between vocal phrases. The pauses in his vocal delivery give the retro, synth-driven beat time to breathe and build tension before the next vocal phrase enters.

3. Use Dynamics to Shape the Vocal Melody

Dynamics play a huge role in making your vocal melody feel alive and emotionally compelling. Think of dynamics as the volume, intensity, and emotional arc of your vocal performance.

  • Build and Release: Coldplay's "Fix You" is a great example of dynamic build and release. Chris Martin starts softly, and as the song progresses, his vocals increase in intensity, reaching an emotional crescendo during the final chorus. This dynamic shift mirrors the song’s emotional trajectory.
  • Vocal Texture: In Sia's "Chandelier," the contrast between her breathy, restrained verses and her powerful, belted chorus creates a dynamic and emotional vocal performance. This use of vocal texture keeps the listener engaged from start to finish.

4. Break Away from the Instrumental Melody

To avoid having your vocal melody sound like a copy of the instrumental line, create contrast between the two. Here are some ways to break away from the instrumental melody:

  • Use Different Intervals: Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out" is a great example of using wide intervals in the vocal melody. Florence Welch’s vocal lines often leap across octaves, creating a sense of grandeur and drama that contrasts with the more repetitive chord structure beneath it.
  • Vocal Harmonies: In Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain," the use of vocal harmonies adds depth and variation to the main melody. The harmonies help emphasize key phrases and create a richer overall sound without simply doubling the instrumental parts.
  • Melodic Movement: David Bowie's "Space Oddity" is a prime example of vocal and instrumental melodies moving in different directions. Bowie’s vocals often ascend or descend independently of the guitar and keyboard lines, which helps to create a sense of weightlessness and narrative progression in the song.

5. Use Lyrics to Shape Melody

Sometimes, the lyrics themselves can help guide the melody. The natural rhythm and cadence of the words can inspire where the melody should rise and fall. Pay attention to the emotional content of the lyrics as well—use the melody to reflect and amplify the feelings expressed in the words.

  • Emphasize Key Words: Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" uses melodic emphasis on key lyrics like "tramps like us" to create moments of intensity and focus. The melody rises and falls with the importance of the lyrics, giving the song its anthemic quality.
  • Follow the Natural Speech Patterns: Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" follows the natural speech patterns of the lyrics, allowing her to create a melody that feels conversational and deeply personal. The way she lets the melody flow with the phrasing of her words makes the song feel raw and intimate.

6. Go with the Flow, But Stay Intentional

It’s important to give yourself the freedom to experiment and go with the flow when writing vocal melodies, especially if this side of the creative process is new to you. At the same time, staying intentional about the choices you make can help you craft something truly unique.

  • Improvise First: Paul McCartney often talks about improvising melodies and lyrics together to get a natural feel, as in "Let It Be." He allows the melody to flow freely, capturing the raw emotion before refining it into something more structured.
  • Refine Later: Lorde is known for recording multiple vocal takes with different phrasing and dynamics, as in "Royals." After capturing these raw ideas, she refines them, ensuring each vocal line serves the track’s overall mood and structure.

Wrapping Up

Writing vocal melodies and phrasing is a different skill set from composing instrumental music, but with practice and experimentation, it will become more natural. Focus on creating contrast, experimenting with phrasing, using dynamics to shape your melodies, and letting the lyrics guide you. Above all, trust the process and enjoy the creative journey.

By applying these principles—like the artists mentioned above—you can craft vocal melodies that stand out and enhance your music, transforming your rough sketches into full, dynamic tracks.

Got any tips or techniques for writing vocal melodies? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Write a Vocal Melody That Stands Out: Tips for Phrasing and Dynamicshow-to-write-a-vocal-melody-that-stands-out-tips-for-phrasing-and-dynamicsMark AndrewsAug 25, 2024If you’ve been writing music for a decade but are just starting to dive into vocal melodies, you’re not alone in facing challenges with phrasing and creating vocal dynamics that don’t feel repetitive.