Melody is of the mind, as strumming is of the body.
Figuring out melodies by ear is the basis for development of our melodic self. Everyone can do this. We select simple melodies, which we know we can sing, find those tones on the guitar, & play it like we sing it.
Which melodies we figure out [children's tunes, vocal melodies of songs we know, classic melodies from the masters, such as Bach and Mozart] aren't as important as owning the skill. Print some blank tab to begin this process. Write out the melodies you are figuring out.
Figure out enough melodies, let’s say 10, and there is a switch point, where we are melodically connected. We are melodically awake. If we can sing a melody, we can play it. And, melodies are infinite.
When playing & figuring out melodies, we use our voice (sing) & ear (listen). With a melody, the next tone either stays the same, goes up, or goes down. Those are the only options. If it goes up or down, we just have to figure out how far.
Let's get started with a simple melody that everyone knows...the tune doesn't really matter, so don't worry about "playing a kid's song". And if you teach, kids love to learn this one.
Before looking at the answer in the next sesion, can you figure out the Twinkle melody? The first few tab numbers are written below. Write out the rest. All tones can be played on a single string [any string; we are using string one].
Hint → the melody only uses tones within the E Major scale [when played on string 1 or 6]. And, 2 of the lines are the same (and the middle line is the same 'bar' repeated).
The answer is in the next scale session.