How to Write a Melody that Vocalists Will Be Able to Sing Easily

No matter what camp of composition you fall into, you will appreciate it when your performers are able to hit the right notes quickly. When vocalists are given melodic lines that are 'natural,' they are able to move that much faster 'beyond the notes' into higher expressions of musicianship.

Believe it or not, you can make things much easier for performers by following a few simple rules. I didn't make these rules up, but am grateful to my 16th-century counterpoint teacher for passing them along to me when I was in school. After hundreds of years of regular use, these 'rules' still make great guidelines, even if you are determined to bend or break them.

For the the most natural and easily sung vocal lines:

Motion should be predominately step-wise in your chosen scale or mode.

Avoid accidentals that do not belong to your scale or mode.

Exceptions: In minor modes, the note below the the root will be altered by a half-step up when leading to a cadence. Also, to avoid a melodic fragment the length of an augmented 4th, the 4th may be lowered a half-step.

When you skip,

use major & minor 3rds, perfect 4ths & 5ths and 8ves in most cases.

only use minor 6ths when leaping up.

skips tend to be compensated by a stepwise movement in the opposite direction.

skips should be at the top or bottom of a melodic fragment, NOT in the middle.

skips larger than a 3rd tend to be at the bottom of a fragment.

multiple skips in same direction are acceptable if outlining the notes within a chord, or when using root-5th-8ve motion, or making the D-A-C motion typical of the dorian mode.

The melody should have a clear shape and not meander aimlessly.