The Death of Melody

[westen44]

A discussion by someone who usually focuses on film and classical music.  But in this video he expands the discussion to include many genres, even rock to a limited extent.  If his examples get too boring, then you might want to skip to 7:43. 

[uwe]

I don't think melody is dying, it just has gone out of fashion as a stylistic means for some pop music - especially anyhing with a dance-electronica influence. People have also gotten used to simple melodies to the point where anything overtly melodious is quickly qualified either as "sounds like a musical" or "a Whitney Houston-type ballad". Funk und rap have become major influences on modern pop music and they generally don't feature a dominant vocal melody (but then neither did most traditional blues).
You don't hear a lot of Robert Flack - Killing Me Softly-style opulent melodies  on radio - and if you do it tends to be an oldie.

But it's all relative: Holding on to one note can actually sound quite melodic if you have changing harmonies...



As a bass player, I work with that a lot. I hold on to notes where the band changes harmonies and I tend to augment with thirds, fifths, sixths and sevenths where they stick to a note or I play harmonies to their riffs. What I don't like is follow slavishly all their chord changes - that has me generally exclaim after a while: "Am I your friggin' E string tuned down an octave or what?!" 

[Dave W]

I love a good melody, like Johnny Ramone's solo in I Wanna Be Sedated. 

Before the melodic rock examples he gives, there was Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and countless blues musicians who made great music without the kind of melody he likes. I don't think much has changed.