This was discussed recently Peter so I won’t veer too far off topic. RE: the lick challenge - what is the difference between a lick and a riff?
Discussion of melody wasn’t included however.
The melody work I have given here over eight bars could be the springboard for a guitar solo or a vocal melody such as might fit a verse or chorus. Or it might simply be an instrumental stand alone piece.
A lyric to a song is definitely sung with melody and that is repeated throughout. The verses tend to have the same melody - perhaps little variations as the lyric-story and song develop. The chorus contains the same melody and is the ‘hook’ (think of the Chris de Burgh song again … no lyric in most of the chorus but a catchy melody …
laa - lala - laa - lala - laa - lala - laa
A guitar solo / lead guitar part can also been thought of as being played melodically. George Harrison’s solos in The Beatles re renowned for their melodic quality - so melodic you could whistle many of them.
Not all solos are melodic or contain melodic sections. Some contain melodic phrases mixed in with free form improvised parts. Here is a small excerpt from a much larger solo. The structure of this melodic excerpt could be described as [ A ] [ A ] [ A’ ] [ B ]