Pedal Points

Pedal Points Pedal points are very common in film music, meaning usually that you change chords over a sustaining bass note. Even very dissonant chords in relation to the bass note work under such circumstances. Pedal points are great for buildups. In a busy sequence...

Melodic Build-Ups

Melodic Build-Ups Building towards a climax requires also your melody to increase tension which is not only possible by “going higher and higher”. When analyzing melodic structures that build towards a climax, usually several characteristics of the melody push it...

Musical Drones

Musical Drones While they are musically not spectacular at all, drones are very effective in film scoring. A drone is usually a long sustaining note or set of notes, usually in the lower register that keeps ringing without any or much musical variation through a...