Tip 85: Swap Melodies with a Friend

If you have a friend you can practice with, here’s a good method that will apply some other concepts of theory and composition: try writing melodies, swapping them, and sightsinging your friend’s.

You’ll want to write a melody that is easy to follow, but throw in a few leaps and tricky areas so it will be a challenge. These are generally the same ideal qualities for melodies in real songs too, so you can get an interesting perspective on your work by watching how much difficulty your friend has in sightsinging it.

You will also get better at writing melodies just from the repetition – and you’ll get some sightsinging practice in the process.