I would like to show you something I have been working on over the last few days. I'm going to show you step by step how you could take a simple 8 bar melody and orchestrate it in the style of the End Credits from 'Edward Scissorhands' by Danny Elfman. Here's a link to the track which I used as...
One of the topics I get asked to cover the most is modulating between different keys. So in today's newsletter I'll give a very basic introduction to the technique, with some examples from well known film scores, showing you how you can use it to add extra energy and excitement to your music.
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One question I was eager to figure out when I first left the safety of Music College was how am I going to earn money as a composer?
So I thought today, I would walk you through four ways that you could generate an income from your music. There are of course many ways to earn an income as a...
Over the last few weeks I have been busy putting together a module on writing Comedy music for my composing course. I think out of all the styles film composers could be asked to write, I find writing authentic, humorous sounding music to be the hardest.
While there are a huge number of different...
Why start with a Piano Sketch?
Get ideas down quickly
Piano Sketches enable you to compose quickly, getting ideas down fast, without
having to go searching for say a staccato Cello patch when you're thinking of
adding low strings.
Whole orchestral range at your fingers
You also have the whole range...
What is a template?
A template is basically a DAW project file, which contains all of your favourite samples and plugins pre-loaded, all routed and set up, so you can immediately start writing and producing music.
You can find plenty of examples online, where various composers such as Junkie XL...
Have you ever wanted to compose a huge climatic moment - either within a standalone piece or scoring a video?
Sometimes utilising the full force of a Brass section helps to get the job done. Today I'm going to show you how to write large, powerful chords using the...
A student of mine recently asked me about the various roles found in a typical music team for a Hollywood film. It can often take a small army to help bring a score from inside the Composer's head onto a film, so I thought I would share some info on some of the more prominent roles within a...
Ostinatos are repeating patterns of notes and are used by many Film and TV composers to help create movement and a sense of urgency in their music. Hans Zimmer frequently makes use of Ostinatos in his music, so I thought I would dive into a couple of examples of how he constructs and uses them.
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Learn how to compose some Christmas Music in 7 easy steps. In this video, I'll walk you through the process of composing a cinematic Christmas piece of music, including choosing chords, writing a melody, adding structure and choosing instruments. All set out in a simple 7 step process, which...
Cakewalk by Bandlab is a fully featured DAW that is absolutely FREE! Previously known as Sonar, it's extensive midi and audio capabilities, all for zero cost, I think, make it ideal for Composers just starting out.
Above is a link to my latest YouTube video, where I go through step by...
In my newsletter this week, I went through different options to avoid staring at a blank page or computer screen not sure how to get started. The best ways to gain inspiration are sometimes the most obscure. From using dice, composing using words & even just using every day numbers there is...