Community Challenge | 13

Write A Melody On One String

This week's challenge is: Write a melody on one string

This is pretty self explanatory but here are a few approaches:

1. The Easy Way: write a simple melody on one string. This could be completely unaccompanied. Just a nice, simple melody recorded to your phone. It could be freeform without a chord progression, or you could have a specific chord progression in mind while still submitting just a lonely melody. 

2. Intermediate: Pick one of my Jam Tracks and write a melody to it. The melody only needs to be somewhere between 4 and 16 measures, certainly not the duration of the whole track. Perform the melody on only one string. You could record this to a cell phone, or use recording software. Whatever is comfortable for you.

3. Advanced: Write your own accompaniment for your one-string melody. You could even try a verse chorus or A section B section type thing. If you write two sections, each section's melody could use a different string. This could be with recording software, a loop pedal, etc.

4. Advanced II: You could write a whole song and have the intro riff be a one-string melody. If this challenge inspires something like that, go for it!

5. Advanced III: I suppose you could write a melody on the high E or B string and surround that melody with chords up and down the neck. If you try this option, keep your melody simple or you'll have a hell of a time trying to grab chords all over the neck. Or keep your chord progression simple and try to write in a key where you can use a lot of open notes.