Welcome to How to Compose Music for Video Games and Film!
Whether you're a budding composer eager to dive into the world of media scoring or an experienced musician looking to expand your toolkit, this book is your gateway to mastering the art of creating compelling and memorable music for video games and films.
Composition Techniques, Harmony & Piano
The piano is a remarkably versatile instrument, often referred to as the "composer's best friend." Its wide range and ability to convey complex harmonic structures make it an ideal tool for composing music that resonates with audiences. Harmony, on the other hand, is the backbone of musical storytelling. It provides the emotional depth and context that elevate a simple melody into an evocative score.
In this book, we focus on composition techniques and on the intersection of piano and harmony to equip you with practical, easy-to-understand techniques for composing music that enhances visual narratives. By mastering these skills, you'll be able to create scores that not only complement but also enrich the stories being told on screen.
The Structure of the Book
How to Compose Music for Video Games and Film is designed to be both educational and inspirational. We’ve compiled 10 original themes, each crafted to demonstrate specific composition techniques that you can readily apply to your own compositions. Each chapter is dedicated to a single theme, breaking down the principles used to bring it to life.
Here’s what you can expect from each chapter:
1. Theme Presentation: We start with the theme itself. You’ll see the sheet music and hear a recording, allowing you to get a sense of the overall mood and character. You’ll have access to a piano arrangement—typically a draft version of your theme—and a full orchestral score with the final arrangement used to create the MIDI orchestration.
2. Composition Techniques: In this section, we explore key composition techniques, explaining chord progressions, modulations, and notable harmonic devices. We also cover essential compositional techniques, such as ostinatos, modal music, chord scales, and rhythmic displacement. This section is designed to be accessible, even if you’re not a theory expert.
3. Application Tips: Finally, we provide practical tips to help you incorporate the techniques into your own compositions. These tips are designed to be quick and easy to implement, ensuring you can start using them right away.
Techniques presented in the book by theme
Theme 1 Magical Lesson:
Ionian Voicings • Inner Clusters • The 9th • Chromatic Mediant Modulation
Theme 2 Epic Lesson:
Chromatic Mediant & Tritone System Progressions • Rhythmic Displacement • Rhythmic Patterns • Modes
Theme 3 Survivor’s Journey Lesson:
Dorian & Lydian Upper Structures • Modal Interchange • Tension 9
Theme 4 Whimsical Lesson:
Line Clichés • Upper Structures • Motivic Development • Extended Dominants Sequence
Theme 5 Medieval Lesson:
Modal Music • Aeolian and Dorian Modes • Characteristic Tones • Passing Chords • Borrowing from Tonal Harmony
Theme 6 War Hero Lesson:
Essential Progressions • Counter Melodies • Call & Response Themes • Harmonizing Patterns
Theme 7 Outlandish Lesson:
Lydian Dominant (Lydian b7) • Mixolydian • Upper Structures • Metric Modulation
Theme 8 Samurai Lesson:
Minor Pentatonic • Pentatonic Substructures • Pentatonic Upper Structures
Theme 9 Fantasy Landscape Lesson:
Ostinatos • Polymeters • Hemiolas • Hiding the Barline
Theme 10 Dark & Light Lesson:
Motivic development • Symmetry • Metric Modulation • Tonal Centers • Counterpoint
Remember, the goal is not just to learn these techniques but to make them your own. Use them as building blocks to create music that is uniquely yours—music that can tell stories, evoke emotions, and captivate listeners.
So, grab your piano, open your mind to new harmonic possibilities, and get ready to embark on your very own quest. Let’s make some music!
