INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Start by playing simple chords on your piano, guitar, or whichever instrument you play. If you have a specific theme or lyrics, think about the tone your melody should convey. If it’s dark or sad, you might want to stick to minor chords. If it’s happy and up-tempo, you might be better of with major chords. Don’t worry if you don’t play an instrument. You can still come up with a catchy tune by humming or whistling. Then work with a friend or relative who plays an instrument to refine the tune and draft sheet music. If you’ve already written lyrics, try singing the first line of a verse or chorus in an array of tunes and tempos. Play around with singing higher notes at different words to add emphasis. Keep experimenting until you find a memorable melody that captures the tone you’re trying to achieve. If you’ve written lyrics, ask a musical friend how they hear your words. Bounce ideas off of each other and sing the words in different improvised tunes. For the verses, craft a progression of tones, or notes, in standard patterns. In a simple melody, the first line often ascends the scale, or rises in pitch, then the second line descends in response.  Sing the children’s song, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star / How I wonder what you are.” Notice how the first line’s notes rise in pitch, then the second goes lower. The verses’ melody repeats itself, but that doesn’t mean it should be predictable or boring. Rhythm is key, so experiment with combinations of quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes to give your melody fresh, catchy rhythmic accents. While a song’s verses repeat a melody, the chorus presents an opportunity to add contrast. In many great songs, the chorus surprises the listener with tunes and rhythms that leap out from the verses. Contrast is the key to the verse-chorus relationship. One musical passage repeated over and over isn’t interesting, so grab your listeners’ attention with rhythmically and melodically diverse sections.

SUMMARY: Play with tunes and chords on your instrument of choice. Try coming up with a melody based on a lyric. Build complementary tunes around your base melody. Create contrasting rhythms and tunes to give your song variety.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can use the same color for all 3 strands, or you can choose different colors. Duct tape comes in many different patterns, so that is an option too. You will need 1 roll of duct tape for each color/pattern that you will be using. If you'll be using the same color for all 3 strands, then you only need 1 roll of duct tape in that color. Some craft stores sell narrower strips of duct tape. Avoid using these, as they will be too difficult to work with.

SUMMARY:
Choose your duct tape.