This post was brought to you in collaboration with our partner site Behind the Score. Discover the Harmony Secrets of Modern Film and Video Games. Master the art of film music composition with everything you need to know about creating impactful scores. Complete Collection Study Pack is currently on sale for 67% off: This is … Read more
What is a pedal point? A pedal point (or pedal tone) refers to a single note repeated or sustained (usually in the bass) while harmony changes above it. In certain styles, the continuous use of pedal points can result in an unwanted drone-like quality. It is worth noting that the term “pedal” originated from organ … Read more
Cover Photo by Nadiia Ganzhyi Introduction In Western music, a mode is a permutation of a scale. To play a mode, we reorder the notes of the scale such that you begin and end on a note that isn’t the tonic. This rearrangement yields an entirely new scale – a “mode” – with its own … Read more
Photo by Marius Masalar This post was brought to you in collaboration with our partner site Behind the Score. Discover the Harmony Secrets of Modern Film and Video Games. Introduction and Polychord Our next section explores a few ways to create uncertainty and suspense in music. There are many quick-and-easy orchestration tricks, including high-string sustains, tremolos, timpani rolls, designed … Read more
Cover Photo by Luana Azevedo This post was brought to you in collaboration with our partner site Behind the Score. Discover the Harmony Secrets of Modern Film and Video Games. Both polyrhythms and polymeters, as the name suggests, are techniques of combining two different rhythms, which are played simultaneously in one musical moment. When two contrasting rhythms are played … Read more
What is “Ostinato?” An Ostinato is a musical phrase repeated in succession in a composition. Ostinatos usually display melodic and rhythmic qualities. They appear in a variety of musical genres, usually as a leading or supporting device. When writing music for media, an ostinato can be a valuable tool for creating a piece with a … Read more
This is an excerpt lesson from the [STUDY PACK] VARIOUS GENRES- MOVIE IDENT, SPOOKY, SUSPENSE, CRIME DRAMA. Complete editions of video lessons, music scores (PDF), score analysis (PDF), and HD music examples used in this lesson can be viewed here. Components of an Augmented Chord An augmented chord is a triad that consists of three … Read more
This post was brought to you in collaboration with our partner site Behind the Score. Discover the Harmony Secrets of Modern Film and Video Games. The Art of Film Music by George Burt Principles Of Orchestration By Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov The Study Of Orchestration By Samuel Adler Berklee Contemporary Music Notation by Jonathan Feist What is Metric Modulation? Metric modulation … Read more
DOUBLE HARMONIC MAJOR SCALE (BYZANTINE/ARABIC) – Scale Structure: 1 ♭2 3 4 5 ♭6 7– Characteristic Notes: ♭2 & ♮3, ♭6 & ♮7– Analogous to the fifth mode of the Hungarian Minor Scale The Double Harmonic Major originates from the traditional music of the Balkan Peninsula, the Middle East, and India. This series of notes … Read more
Using Chord Arpeggios for a Melodic Idea Many composers create melodies using arpeggios. Some famous examples of arpeggio-driven melodies include the cello in Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony No. 3 (Movement 1), the brass in “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” by John Williams, and sax in “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane. In more recent TV and … Read more
