Cover Photo by 
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 opening flourish of music before a movie begins, setting the stage for the cinematic journey ahead – that’s the power of movie ident music. These short, impactful pieces are more than just catchy tunes; they’s a sonic signature, a promise of the experience to come. Think of the triumphant horns and swirling strings of the John Williams’ Superman theme, instantly transporting you to a world of capes and tights. Or the whimsical whimsy of the xylophone tinkling in the Pixar lamp ident, priming you for a heartwarming animated adventure. These ident melodies are as ingrained in our movie-going experience as popcorn and dimmed lights.
In this example, we are writing music for a movie ident (a short clip at the beginning of a movie that identifies the film studio). Some famous idents from Hollywood include Universal, Warner Brothers, and Columbia TriStar.
We want our ident music to sound like it’s taking us away on a journey to a new and magical place. To capture this uplifting feeling, we use a hybrid scale: E♭ Lydian♭7, which is like the Lydian mode with a lowered 7th degree. All the notes and harmonies in Ex. 5-15 originate from this scale (see Fig. O).
The Lydian♭7 scale has two character notes, since it combines two modes: the ♯4 (from Lydian) and the ♭7 (from Mixolydian). Since the lowered 7th is a prominent feature of dominant chords, we can also refer to this scale as E♭ Lydian Dominant.
Analysis of Ex. 5-15
The entire chord progression is based on a simple movement between E♭7 (I7) and F7 (II7). These two chords alone contain all the notes of the E♭ Lydian Dominant scale. As we transition between these harmonies, we shape the contours of the melody and bass to create an interesting arrangement.
Violins play a rapid scale run in the pickup measure starting on B♭ (①). Underneath, timpani rolls on a low F. The upward shape of the melody combined with the timpani crescendo launches us into the theme.
The downbeat of m. 1 brings a dramatic major 7th interval between the melody and bass. The violin runs arrive on A (♯4), soaring in octaves, providing the dreamy, signature sound of Lydian. In m. 2, the violin melody resolves to B♭ for a sense of resolution and balance (②). Woodwind arpeggios culminate in trills on the character notes (A and D♭) (③).
In the lower register, Contrabass and timpani play B♭ (5) in m. 1, effectively inverting the first harmony. Contrabass then descends to the G, the 3rd of E♭7 (④). It moves in the opposite direction of the ascending melody, creating contrary motion. In fact, the entire contrabass part outlines an E♭7 chord*. We deliberately avoid writing chord roots in the bass, which effectively inverts each harmony. In doing so, we imbue each harmony with the feeling of surprise.
In summary, the piece employs several composition and orchestration techniques to help craft a magical tone. The scale itself raises the fourth degree (♯4), capturing the uplifting sound of Lydian. Inverted harmonies (due to non-root bass notes) add an element of surprise. String and woodwind flourishes sound a bit magical (the runs and trills). Near the end of the piece, windchimes and harp gliss add a sparkling quality.
| Tips) Creating melodic (or bass) lines with chord arpeggios Many composers create melodies using arpeggios. Some famous examples of arpeggio-driven melodies include the cello in Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony 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 film music, we see arpeggio melodies using synth instruments – e.g., “Recognizer” from the film Tron Legacy (2010), and the theme music to Stranger Things (2016). We find this method can be an interesting approach for writing basslines. In Ex. 5-15, contrabass plays a descending E♭7 arpeggio starting on B♭. |
This is an excerpt lesson taken from [Study Pack] VARIOUS GENRES. Full video lessons, PDF scores, and MP3 audio files on this topic can be found here: [Learning Resources]
