Hello all:
Interesting posts as usual...I have thought on this a while now. I agree with Derek that once we put a time value to notes, it has rhythm. It may not have groove and I agree that a groove or hook can exist without a melody associated with it and that melody may or may not have groove. (How many ways can I agree?)
Here is a link to Kevin Callahan's YT of a song he wrote for Badi Assad called Leito do Rio, song for Badi (the riverbank).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmfoKgmwM4g
Mr Callahan is a well respected composer for guitar that has written with and for the likes of all of the Assads. Little did I know how "unlike" Badi's rhythmic style this song was...
The reason I post this is that, it is the (literally) first song I learned about 20 years ago. Why? Ugh, to be honest it was the first song of the first "Fingerstyle Guitar" magazine I picked up (remember that mag?). I thought, "No problem man, not too many notes, gotta be cool, how hard could it be!". Little did I know, twenty years down the road I would still be working so hard to get this one right...
Point -- This is an example of call and response...melody, yes with rhythm, but not groove. I am not trying in any way to insinuate that anything I play or write is anything like this (oh, but if it were!).
But maybe I would call this more like "conversation" without words, maybe. I believe we are all trying to communicate something -- with or without words. So, I am thinking more about phrases as if talking. That is how I approach each section of the stuff I write. What I write is structured and defined (although I do improvise) but not necessarily easy to follow. I am always looking for a surprise or twist to catch the listener's ear.
What are some thoughts on proper "phrasing" of a melody.
BTW, Now that I am no longer nomading around on a boat, I will be looking for a teacher in the San Antonio area. Any suggestions for a barely adequate beginning level intermediate with advanced rhythm issues in this area?
Best to all,
D