Bthelick’s Ghost Chord Trick: Melodies That Stick Like Hot Glue

Let’s be real—writing a melody is like trying to balance on a seesaw with a sack of bricks on one end and a feather on the other. Bthelick kicks things off by calling out the age-old struggle: make it catchy, and you risk boring your listeners to death. Make it complicated, and nobody remembers a thing. It’s the classic paradox every beatmaker faces, especially when you want your track to slap in the club but still stick in someone’s brain like that one annoying jingle.

He breaks down what a melody actually is—forget what you heard in the beatmaking forums. It’s not just any musical loop; it’s that top line you’d hum to your friend, not the whole stack of chords and bass. Bthelick’s style is all about keeping it practical and clear, so you know exactly what you’re working with. If you’ve ever gotten lost in the weeds of music theory, this intro is your map out of the jungle.

Here’s where things get spicy. Bthelick introduces the idea of ‘Ghost Chords’—a way to imply harmony without having to play a full chord or get tangled in wild rhythms. He’s basically saying you can fake the complexity and still sound legit. This is the kind of streetwise hack that makes you look like you know more theory than you actually do.

Instead of sweating over a bassline that moves all over the place, you can keep it simple and let your melody do the heavy lifting. By spreading out the notes of a chord over time, you trick the listener’s ear into hearing a harmony that isn’t technically there. It’s like serving up a gourmet meal with just three ingredients—minimal effort, maximum flavor.

Now for the fun part—Bthelick digs into some actual tracks to show how the pros do it. He breaks down a tech house groove and even peels back the layers on the cult classic ‘Ray’ by Arm. Turns out, these tracks use ghost chords to keep things fresh without getting messy. By shifting just a few notes in the melody to match the underlying ghost chords, you get that sense of movement and journey, even when the bass is just chilling on one note.

He’s quick to point out that there’s no one right way to write a melody—some legends don’t even think about chords at all. But if you’re stuck or want to level up your hooks, this ghost chord approach is a goldmine. The best part? You don’t need expensive gear or fancy plugins—just a bit of know-how and a willingness to experiment. That’s the kind of advice you can take straight to your next session.