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I'm looking for unusual melodies; whether it be because they follow strange chord changes, have large intervals, or contain lots of chromatic notes, etc... the sort of thing that would throw someone completely who's just getting familiar with the piano. The only good example I can think of right now is 'Tubby the Tuba', or perhaps 'The Godfather'.

Feel free to post examples of specific 'unknown' bits of music that may fit this description, but ideally post a youtube clip with a time stamp.

Hi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncjb6GIvLmo

Cheers

"Isotope," Joe Henderson. Ascending tritone first two notes.

https://youtu.be/Bfw2sgGj02g

Frankenstein by Grachan Moncur III :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QqH36Lith8

Try not to be frightened!

Midnight Sun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f53xo_NNF8

The Peacocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rajOI0h9uxQ

Herbie Hancock's "Dolphin Dance"

I'm not sure what is a "well known pattern" for melodies. But some of the more interesting melodic designs I've come across are from Richard Rogers and Burt Bacharach.

Check out Rogers and Hart for...Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered....Blue Room (there's a great version on YouTube by a young Mel Torme)

Also Rogers and Hammerstein....My Favorite Things

Richard Rogers often used a sort of repeated note thing in his melodic constructions.

Burt Bacharach... Promises Promises....I Say A Little Prayer...Alfie

Bacharach sometimes inserted a measure of an odd meter, sometimes big interval leaps in some melodies.

Darn that Dream

Say it Isn't so

For an unconventional song pattern check out 'Stardust'

"Lush Life"; "Begin the Beguine"; "Love for Sale"

Easy Living

Israel by J.Carisi (Miles?)

Hi

"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. For a pop song, and one of the best ever written, it's got a lot of unusual changes.

The verse chords are:

D/A |G#m7b5/B |F#m A/F# |B/A |E/B |Cdim7 |E/B |A#m7b5 |


I doubt you'll find these exact chords online as I bought a transcription of the Piano part from Elmo Peeler, who played with the Beach Boys.


Cheers

Yes; even the third word (dream) was hard to find.
I only know the 'Hall and Oats' song, but I was expecting it to be some jazz song that you were referring to. But it seems you were referring to Hall and Oats?? Is it considered cool to not bother naming the artist here?

I honestly don't know why you bother to ask these questions, as you're rarely happy with the answers people give you. Rogerzell's interest is in older music, which you'd know if you took any interest in what other people have to say.

Both his choices were written by great songwriters (Jimmy Van Heusen & Irving Berlin), and have been recorded dozens, probably hundreds of times.

"Say It Isn't So" has nothing to do with Hall & Oats.

Hi Visalia--I refer to an Irving Berlin song. Here's the original recording:

https://youtu.be/nyK9DWUyewo

Melody takes some unexpected moves (so does the harmony). When I first heard this I almost jumped--I thought I'd heard all of Berlin's tricks, but--no.

I don't know another song as weird ("advanced") from 1939 as Darn That Dream--kind of anticipating bebop I think. But late 1930s is not my forte.

Thanks. Just got round to listening to it. That's a very good example of what I'm looking for.

Very good example of a descending minor 7th interval in the main line too... which is rare to come across. I noticed that the vocal just around 2:00-2:01 reminds me of the "you will never find" line in 'Love is in the Air' song.

Grieg's piece "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Op.65 No.6" struck me as a very unusual but very memorable melody when I first heard it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVra2IotK-M

I'd also say Chatanooga Choo Choo is full of odd, inventive and captivating melodies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBwmLRNLJ4

Yes a marvellous song somehow magicked out of the misty sixties. I was just reading up on it...apparently it has a weak tonal centre oscillating between A major and E major, which I think is part of its ethereal attraction. It's like the song is closer to God sitting above the well travelled melodic routes, looking down.