JINGLE HELL: LESSON 5 

OH! THE HORROR! FINding inspiration through listening

One of the most important things a composer can do is to LISTEN to lots of music - particularly listening to music in the style you want to write in. Musicians listen to music in a different way from most people, by trying to analyse and understand the music they're hearing. What are some of the things that particularly draw you to a piece of music? How can you use these ideas and devices in your own compositions?

Way back in lesson 3, we talked about the elements of music that composers can manipulate to make their sound tracks have a particular emotional impact. This can lead to a useful set of questions you can ask yourself as you listen. 

Instrumentation: 

What instruments can you hear in this piece of music? 

Which instrument is playing the melody? 

Which instrument is playing the bass part?

ow effective is the choice of instruments?

Form 

How is the music organised?

Is there a clear verse/ chorus structure?

Can you hear different contrasting sections in the music?

Do any sections or themes repeat? If so, how often?

Harmony 

Is the piece of music Major or Minor? (or atonal?)

How Consonant or Dissonant is it?

How complex is the chord progression?

How often do the chords change?

Tempo

What is the speed of the music? (and where is the pulse)

What is the effect of this tempo? How effective would this piece be at other speeds?

Time signature and Feel

What is the 'feel' of this piece of music?

Which beats are accented?

Can you hear any interesting rhythms, or repeated rhythmic motifs?

Melody

How 'singable' is the melody?

How fast does it move in relation to the rest of the music?

Is it syncopated? (in other words, does it start or stop on 'unexpected' beats?)

Texture

Can you hear more than one strong melody playing at the same time?

Is there any 'call and answer' between different instruments?

How rich, thick and lush does it sound? (Or thin and scratchy)

LISTEN TO THESE GREAT HORROR SOUNDTRACKS. 

FOR EACH TUNE ANSWER AS MANY OF THE QUESTIONS AS YOU CAN. 

You're trying to draw on as much inspiration from recordings as you can. Listen for the parts in the music that really appeal to you. How can you use these ideas in your own composition?

And Here are Some More...

What is the creepiest song or sound track you can think of? Bring it along and share with the rest of the class.