cluster chords/found sounds

To compose for suspense and horror scenes, you need to think carefully about what kind of feeling you want the audience to have.  And how might you achieve that?

When Bernard Hermann first started writing the music for Psycho, Hitchcock requested a jazz score, with no music in the (now famous) shower scene.  Hermann thought that an orchestral, dissonant score would be far more effective. Do you agree?

Another useful technique is cluster chords, or 'tone clusters'. This is the term for a collection of at least 3 neighbouring semitones being played at the same time i.e, D, C sharp and C or A, Bflat and B. Giorgy Ligeti pioneered this technique in his score for Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odessey.

In the film, it accompanies scenes of open space, suggesting fear, being lost and perhaps claustrophobia.

However, sometimes less is more in film music. The use of 'found sounds' and minimalist techniques have been widely used by composers such as John Cage, Basil Kerchin and Alfred Schnittke. Found Sounds, such as clanking, scraping, dragging, can be very abrasive and un-nerving. John cage does this especially well in his piece, 'The Root of an Unfocus' which was used in the sound track to Scorcese's 'Shutter Island'. It appears at the start of a nightmare scene.





Found sounds are non-musical sounds such as breaking glass, environmental sounds or running water that can be used in music. They can be used either as they are or you can process them by adding effects, cutting, looping or reversing.

here are some examples

TASK: 

LISTEN: Look around you and listen. What does your environment sound like? If you have access to the outside, go out and listen (or open a window). 

PLAY: Do you have any interesting objects that you can make sounds out of?

CAPTURE: Record these sounds (as you did for Tom & Jerry) and create a sample kit of your sounds

CREATE: try using these sounds (environmental and found) to write a track

It can be frustrating if you don't have access to instruments at home but music is sound so you can create your own! The music that you create will be completely original - no one else will be using these sounds. The limitations can also actually become opportunities and help you creatively.




KEY TERMINOLOGY: 'Consonance', 'dissonance', cluster chord', 'minimalism', 'found sound'.

Apps for Musicians

If you are stuck, then you can find some here:
https://appadvice.com/applists/show/apps-for-musicians
https://www.lifewire.com/best-ipad-apps-for-musicians-1994724

Film maker Will Clarke makes most of his music videos on his iPhone using free apps.

What do you want from an app? Is there the ultimate app that hasn't been created yet?

How can you ensure that you are not getting distracted by your phone rather than using it creatively when making music?

Creating a portfolio

Universities will often ask for a portfolio of your work before you have an interview - this is more likely in the current climate. If you are applying for an apprenticeship, internship or music related job, you are also likely to be asked for one so it's a good idea to get one together now. It is also good practice for getting a press pack together which you will need when you are gigging, releasing or looking for representation/funding.

Depending on the pathway, you might be asked for music, video and/or academic writing as well as links to professional (not personal) socials if you have them.

Here is an example from Westminster University:

"Portfolio Guidance

Music - Production Portfolio requirements:

Please send us:

1. Links to three tracks that you have produced.

2. An analysis of a modern artist or producer. This can be in the form of a short film (5 minutes) or a 500-word report. The things to discuss could be;

· What makes the artist/producer different?

· What is remarkable about their sound,

· What is unique about their branding and marketing

3. Any links to your professional social media platforms

Music - Performance Portfolio requirements:

Please send links to two recordings or videos of yourself performing. The requirements are:

1. Two recordings or films of yourself performing an original or a cover in your chosen genre. (Please feel free to show us your creativity and flair).

2. An analysis of a modern artist. This can be in the form of a short film (5 minutes) or a 500-word report with references. The things to discuss could be;

· What makes the artist/producer different?

· What is remarkable about their sound?

· What is unique about their branding and marketing

3. Any links to your professional social media platforms

Music Business Portfolio requirements:

Please send us:

1. A 500-word report on the branding and marketing strategy of a music artist, producer or business venture.

2. A 5-minute video pitch for a new business venture. Please include a business name, logo ideas & executive summary.

3. Any links to professional social media platforms

We will be expecting you to show evidence of research and you must make it clear from where you have sourced your data."

Task:

Gather all you have into a drive folder (make copies if you want to keep the original where you saved it). You may have things from outside college but in-college things you should have include:

• Demos for Mark's class
• Ideas from your funding proposal that you can adapt if you need to submit a pitch
• Ethnography
• Dissertation
• Video from Monday's performance
• Tracks add videos from last year
• Context essays from last year 
• Work from Olly's composition class last year

You can also create videos for tracks you have already created (hence last week's video class) and/or we can film you in Monday performance classes.

L3 Context advance research for supersonics

Klavikon does not use technology in this piece but is heavily influenced by John Cage. If you did a prepared piano piece, how could you use technology within inventively? 



http://www.nonclassical.co.uk/klavikon/



BENOIT MAUBREY experiments with audio clothes and light sensors

TASK: in a google doc on classroom, please discus how you currently use technology in your music and how you might like to in the future.

Making a music video/visuals

The first place people will look for an artist they've heard about is YouTube. If you can't be found, do you exist?!

These days, live shows are also getting far more visually interesting and more and more artists and DJs are bringing visuals to their shows. During COVID, there are no live shows so we need to find new ways of getting our music heard. The beauty of visuals for live is that they don't necessarily have to be synced and if you are using YouTube to get your music seen rather than just heard, it can be a quick and interesting way to do so.



Found footage:


Guerilla/flashmob:



Lo-fi, on location:



Performance video:



Stop motion:





Live performance:



Prescription PR have some excellent tips for making a video on the cheap in their BLOG POST

You don't even need to appear in your video - you can use a stop-motion app to make an animation or use royalty-free stock footage from a site such as ARCHIVE

Do you have any music videos already? How might you put visuals to your music?

John Barry/David Arnold - Bond themes

In all Bond films, there is the MOTIF which consists of 2 main sections, which occurs at the start and end of the films and also as underscore when James Bond is lurking about, generally being Bond. The composers were John Barry and then David Arnold.  You can find more info HERE



In most suspense music, there are massive DYNAMIC ranges, often punctuated by orchestral percussion such as timpani and cymbals.

Typical orchestration involves electric guitar, strings, brass, synths, percussion and occasionally high pitched wind instruments.

Harmonically, there is a lot of tension and release, meaning dissonance moving into consonance.  See my other blog post about horror music and you can see examples of the intervals for both of these.

Melodically, there is also often a FIGURE that re-appears in various guises. It is a 4 note descending figure that sometimes appears as fragments (rather like Herrmann used fragments in a minimalist style).  It also appears as a repeated figure, or OSTINATO.

A useful scale to use is the Aeolian scale which goes from A to A, only using the white notes. It is the natural minor scale so can be transposed to other keys easily but this is a good starting point if you are only just learning about key.

Cluster chords are also often used to create build up.

The following examples contain all of these compositional techniques:







TASK 1:

Using these techniques and suitable instrumentation, compose a Bond-esque theme! Bounce it as an mp3, upload to classroom and create a document explaining your process.