Learning To Play The Melody

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

For those further down the road what would you advise for learning to play Melody all over the neck for the songs you want to learn. I have decided to make this my focus and would love to discuss methods to get there.

Ray Mangrum · From: Nashville, TN.

Jeff Newman has a very good course on this and really gets into detail on how to accomplish.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Donny's four steps in learning to play an entire song:
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1. Pick a simple song and learn to play it.

2. Then, learn to play it in a different position on the fretboard, but in the same key.

3. Next, do both of the above, but in a different key.

4. Finally, learn to play the song with added, embellished, or different chords, notes, intervals, and moving harmonies.

(And no, I don't know of any "course" that teaches this way. It's just something you'll have to do on your own, but getting some in-person lessons will definitely help.)

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

Thanks Ray, I am going through that course now, which is what prompted my question. I can pick a melody out just fine on a guitar or keyboard but don’t quite have it just yet in steel.

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

Thanks Donny, very helpful. I am not looking for another course just looking for tips on what has worked for other folks. Although if someone has found a course or book helpful please recommend. I am going through Jeff's Just play the melody now.

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

I got taught many years ago: "Ricky; if you can't SING the song, then you can't PLAY the song".
This was great advice. So learn to sing the melody you want; then start in small phrases at a time.
Da; da; da; da. Sing first several notes and find them on your Steel in that order. Then after you can play them correct; to the song; then go to the next group of notes you sing; on your steel; but ALWAYS start with what you already got under your fingers...then second group; then on to next...and continue that process and the melody and then the notes of that melody just go right to your ear/memory. It's ok to learn it single string at a time; as you can experiment with the string next to it; will most likely be a perfect harmony...and on from there.
Have fun....remember SING it first then play it.
Ricky
_________________
Ricky Davis
Email Ricky: sshawaiian2362@gmail.com

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

Thanks Ricky, will try that method today!

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Also remember that a song’s melody will often end on the note that names the key. If it ends on a D note, you’re probably in the key of D, which also means most of the melody notes are in the D scale. This can help later on with figuring out the chords to the song and how to harmonize the melody.

I second the idea of playing on a single string at first and not worrying about position playing until you figure out where your home chord is.

Bobby Snell · From: Austin, Texas

Using a guitar or keyboard can eliminate the distractions of actually playing the steel (intonation, pedals, etc.), and facilitate learning the song. That can give a good starting point to finding out how you want to approach performing it on steel.

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I would add that even an "Advanced Beginner" level of Music Theory knowledge would help to shift learning melodies from hunt and peck, to, a logical/rational alignment of notes and/or intervals that makes perfect sense and is easy to remember and play correctly.
With that said, I tried like 17 times to learn music theory before it finally sunk in. I would say I now have maybe a "strong intermediate" grasp of Music Theory and ability to implement it.
I am by no means an expert.

Pete Grant · From: Auburn, CA, USA

Sing what you play! A more advanced version of that is to learn the scale as scale steps: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 & 8 (or 1 again) and sing what you play as scale step numbers. That will connect you better with your PSG and give you some of the foundation of how music works “under the hood.”

Larry Johnson · From: Tennessee, USA

This is how I did it.
1. Your neck is a Continuum.
2. Learn your string groups,345,456,568,68 10 go up and down the neck until you don't have to think about it. This will also train your ear to hear different sounds.
3. Use chord inversions ex. place bar at fret 3 play 345, then slide to 6th fret ,while engaging pedal A, and E to F knee lever, another G chord. Go from fret 6 to fret 10 while pushing pedals A and B, another G chord. Go from fret 10 to fret 15 ,no pedals, another G chord.
4.Learn open and closed positions.
I hope this helps in some way.

Andrew Goulet · Posted 3 Jan 2022 2:59 pm

My tin ear is getting better after 10 or so years of learning steel. I think all the advice here is sound.

One thing that has really helped me is to realize that most melodies in popular songs are not going to be insanely complicated, but instead will lie somewhere on one or two frets, depending on your setup. If you can find the root, the melody is probably only a couple strings or changes away.

I have always struggled with learning by ear, but I recently surprised myself by sitting down and playing "The First Noel" in harmonized 6ths without really even thinking about it. That may sound simple to some, but for me it was a testament to how much practice helps you, even when you don't realize it in the day to day. I couldn't have done that five years ago, but my brain and body have become more attuned to where everything is on the steel so, poof! The melody appeared.
_________________
Marlen S12 and a ZT Club

Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

I'm getting so I can hear the melody and play it so long as I can remember it. That's a recent welcome milestone for me.
My challenge now is remembering it. I had a session whereby i put down a dobro track. The songwriter requested I play the melody verbatim over a relatively long verse. It wasn't simple either. We wound up recording it 4 bars at a time. The writer would play four bars of the melody on the piano, I'd figure it out, we'd record it and repeat. Kinda humiliating, but my sense of improve tended to change it a bit if I attempted the whole thing at once.
It has a lot has to do with memory for me.

Doug Taylor · From: Shelbyville, Kentucky, USA

I appreciate all the great replies!

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

I like Rickys advice. Have fun and sing the song in your head, and try to play it small sections at a time. The key to this is " have fun ".

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

Ricky Davis' post is great advice.

Ron Funk · From: Ballwin, Missouri

Forum Member Paul King always does an excellent job of playing the melody of the songs he posts.

Typically once out of 'open postions'

Then out of 'closed postions'

Paul exhibits a great talent for finding the songs melody in only a limited number of frets

Well Done Paul King !

Ron Funk

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