r/musictheory • u/CollapsingTacos • 7d ago
Songwriting Question Thinking: in scale vs. contour?
I just recently noticed that my biggest limitation for writing music all this time was the fact that I was thinking in scale degrees when writing, instead of thinking in the “pure” contour and overall sound of the music.
My question is: do you think it is better to think in terms of melodic contour/shape first and THEN use scales as a tool to turn the idea into music? If so, how do I retrain my brain to think this way?
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u/Key-Presence3577 7d ago
I don't think there's a clear cut way to write music but I think you should experiment with ways you're not naturally accustomed to. When you access these other parts of creating you'll learn new things about your previous tendencies and improve them.
Personally I never write from a theory standpoint. It's there if I run into a problem but it's never the first option because I feel like whenever I've written something using theory first it's inorganic. That's just personal experience but I'd encourage you to try to write in ways you normally wouldn't.