Yes, I write melodies using the piano roll window. Will often create a melody in Band in a box, port it over to my DAW (Logic Pro 11). After so many years, I find it faster to rewrite/spruce up the BIAB melody on a piano roll.. You can copy melody phrases to a different section and make subtle changes to accommodate the current chords. Now I can do it without any assistance. Years ago, I would do a BIAB version of the song with the 'hymn' style. and export that MIDI into Logic. The notes in this MIDI file are blocked out for the full chord length. I copy the chords and paste them several octaves higher and lower than the original position. I mute and shorten them. and display these and the current BIAB melody. This makes it easier to know which important notes to put on one current chord note.

You can add passing tones, I often do them on the 'ands' of notes in 8ths or 16ths. Make them shorter and lower the velocity so they don't get so much attention. You can also move the melody notes to 6th, 7th, 9ths, 13, diminished for extra spice occasionally.. After a while, it becomes 2nd nature. After many years of playing, I don't bother with the guide reference notes. My ear/hand puts the note in the right place. The vast majority of the time I get it right. Sometimes I have to slide the note around.

Now also it is a good time to fool around with syncopation. Slide some notes forward backward to make the melody more interesting.

A great tip I discovered, was an old John Lennon work cassette. He woujld take the powerpoint or important notes in a 6 or 8 note melody, and sing that note in all musically available intervals.. Some of the examples he worked on, ending up in some of this best hits. Sometimes you want to move the important melody note higher. There are 'power positions' for certain notes, you want to experiment where you place them on the scale. Hope this helps