How to Fill in Melody While Playing Chords on the Piano

Learning simple chords on a piano is a useful skill, but it can sound empty without some sort of melody line. The melody is another word for the "tune" or a song. It's what you sing, hum or whistle when you think of a familiar song. Figuring out the melody might be as simple as reading the sheet music. However, you may only have a chord chart. You still can fill in the melody line by using basic scales.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Piano
• Sheet music (possibly)
• Intermediate knowledge of music notes, scales and chords

Written melody

1. Look at the melody line on a sheet of music. Play through it using your right hand.

2. Determine the chord structure of the song and play through it with your left hand.

3. Combine your two hands to play chords and melody simultaneously, taking into account the time signature and proper tempo.

Melody by ear

4. Listen to a song multiple times in order to become familiar with the music.

5. Use a chord sheet to play the chords in your left hand.

6. Imitate the melody by ear while using your right hand. If you aren't good at picking up a melody by ear, consider the scales used in the song.

7. Remember that a major scale consists of a whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. If you are playing a major chord in the song, start with the root note of the chord and use this pattern to figure out the notes that fit with that chord. However, if you are playing a minor chord, begin with the root note and use the following pattern: whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step.

8. Combine the melody and chords in the proper rhythmic phrasing.

References

• How To Match The Melody Notes Of Any Song