How to read and hear the ups and downs of a melody as if it were a map

An exercise in seeing and hearing how notes move up and down

When my daughter was learning to read we’d sit on the couch, each with a book in our hands. She’d flip through the pages, make up stories to go with the pictures, sing songs, and often turn the whole thing upside down.

I had a ringside seat, watching her move from individual sounds to words and then entire sentences, her eyes and brain always way ahead of whatever word she might be saying out loud, creating a path for her to follow.

A melody also creates a path, whether we’re singing/playing by ear (copying what you hear), ‘reading’ the notes, or simply listening. Instead of considering each note individually, think of them as being components of a path on a map moving from point A to B, and so on. When we travel along a path we’re creating momentum, and it’s this that drives music forward, a bit like the current of a river sweeping us along.

It transforms individual notes into a narrative told through melody, rhythm, the individual expression each performer brings to it, and whatever our imagination conjures up, resulting in an unfolding story that keeps us emotionally engaged.

Back to my daughter, who now reads like the wind, and who you won’t find without a book on the go (just like her mother), and who, these days, always holds them the right way up.

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Theory and practice: how notes move up and down

To picture the path of a melody, you can start by listening to whether the notes move higher or lower. For example, when you hear the first few notes of happy birthday, they sound like this:

The melody goes up and then comes down again. Shut your eyes and listen to the recording again, this time trying to picture the notes going up and then down. Next, hum or sing these first few notes yourself. You can also raise your hand when you move to the higher note and lower it when you return to the first note.

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Exercise: now it’s your turn

Here’s an exercise to help get you thinking about how notes in a melody can move up and down and what it looks like when you see it written down.

(Even if you can already read the notes, it’s worth thinking about how they move and how focusing on this movement can influence how you play or sing them)

And finally…

And now, we’re going to end with something just a little bit cheesy but fun.

I’ve taken the same notes as above and put them on top of a jazzy cha cha accompaniment. You’ll hear me sing the notes and then a gap for you to try. Listen to it as many times as you need. You can also try clapping the rhythm of the notes first, and while you sing.

Are you up for it (cha cha cha)?

And here’s the same track without me singing. Go for it!

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