Hook Lines in Film Scoring

Hook Lines in Film Scoring The concept of a “hook-line” – as it is called in the pop world – is to create one or several elements that stick in the memory of the listener and create something that is easily remembered and recognized once it appears again. As opposed...

Rhythmic Offset of Key Motifs

Rhythmic Offset of Key Motifs In order to keep a composition interesting, try to rhythmically offset your motif now and then. If you’re melodic idea is based on a motivic idea being placed on every downbeat of a bar, try moving that motif to a different rhythmical...

Motivic Development

MOtivic Development Great composers are not measured by the amount of ideas they have but rather what they do with a few ideas. Very often, young or inexperienced composers tend to write pieces that play out one idea just to move on to another idea etc. while losing a...

Harmonizing Melodic Key Motifs

Harmonizing Melodic Key Motifs If you have a melody for example in the trumpets (it works in any melodic writing but it is most prominent on brass themes), it creates a very nice colour to harmonize the melody on key motifs or phrases. Coming from all trumpets playing...

Melodic Shaping

Melodic Shaping One of the things you should keep an eye on when writing music is the form of your melody. Very often, inexperienced composers fall into repeating short-breathed almost identical 2-bar phrases. While it is perfectly fine to do that once in a while and...