How I Create Melody

Every composer has their own way of writing music. My way is simple, yet may not be the first choice for others. What I do is I write out a 2-bar rhythm pattern that comes to me, then choose the actual notes themselves while I'm at the piano. For example, take a look at this 2-bar pattern (PDF file).

Notice that there are no pitches here but just a simple rhythm written out for 2-bars. Now the beauty of capturing musical ideas with a rhythm pattern is this - rhythm is the most memorable element of the melody (usually). You may or may not be able to write out the note qualities away from the piano, but most of us can write out simple rhythms that we can qualify later on at the piano. This is the way I work and it has always been a source of pleasure for me.

With the above pattern, we can use any combination of notes we want to fit the rhythm.