I have completed a new series of composer walkthrough videos. Based on my orchestral composition Seven which I wrote by hand in my beloved app StaffPad. So if you’re into orchestral (film) music, music theory, writing musical dots and lines on (virtual) paper, orchestration and psychology … this series of videos could be your cup of tea.
The series of videos start with the composition itself (music more than 5 minutes) and an introduction video. After that I have made seven walkthroughs videos. In each walkthrough video I take you to the score, share my thoughts, ideas and strategies on theory, composition and orchestration for each musical storyline.
The seven storylines:
- Myxolydian: friendly opening scene
- Phrygian: dark and suspenseful scene
- Lydian: floaty and mystical scene
- Dorian: melancholic scene
- Aeolian: saddest scene of all
- Locrian: weird yet fun scene
- Ionian: a closure scene
Tips for composing, orchestration and a bit of theory that I’ll address during the composer walkthrough videos:
- Tip 1: fiddle around until you repeat yourself
- Tip 2: add without judgment, trust your ears
- Tip 3: you’re stuck, embrace it
- Tip 4: repetition played by another instrument sounds new and fresh
- Tip 5: Phrygian is your mode for darkness
- Tip 6: strings in tremolo and a sustained piccolo
- Tip 7: Make use of dissonance to enhance a feeling of tension
- Tip 8: Add accents and variation with orchestral sound colours
- Tip 9: Lydian is your mode for an air of mystique and floatiness
- Tip 10: create a basic layer for a fast kick start
- Tip 11: know how our brain processes music
- Tip 12: bring in new orchestral colours on a regular basis
- Tip 13: Dorian is your mode for a melancholic emotional sound
- Tip 14: make smart use of the colour tone
- Tip 15: create a coherent set of sounds that tell the story
- Tip 16: call and answer is a strong method for writing music
- Tip 17: Aeolian is your mode for the saddest music sound
- Tip 18: re-use the melody line in another mode
- Tip 19: double the instruments with a good reason
- Tip 20: dare to surprise your listener
- Tip 21: Need something unusual, pick Locrian!
- Tip 22: use instruments on beat and off beat
- Tip 23: dare to use unusual playing techniques
- Tip 24: Ionian feels trusted and familiar
- Tip 25: bring the melody back for closure
- Tip 26: embrace the sound of the good old vibraphone
- Tip 27: end on the tonic for full closure
I had great fun creating this series of videos. It felt like making some sort of digital diary. I hope you enjoy and appreciate it.
Tomorrow (21 October 2021) I'll post a last video in this series which will be about exporting STEMS and how to prepare those for a mixing session in a DAW on your computer.
The entire playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTv6R51wpEYg_dVmN7Cg3EI2zD4eZdPQ2
The individual videos:
- Seven: https://youtu.be/8d5hvSYx8\_8
- Intro: https://youtu.be/6-aPLXEu5Jw
- Myxolydian: https://youtu.be/zoZgDWzWpu4
- Phrygian: https://youtu.be/5XxnmQJmp7Q
- Lydian: https://youtu.be/fAcPQ775qnY
- Dorian: https://youtu.be/eA06znyUClQ
- Aeolian: https://youtu.be/s1RUu-1bTQg
- Locrian: https://youtu.be/gja47icPdXU
- Ionian: https://youtu.be/1eV8X2NRIRw
Submitted October 20, 2021 at 03:02PM by _gh0stwrit3r_ https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/qc6x7g/how_to_compose_orchestral_music_based_on_the/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Wednesday, October 20, 2021