Scales for Threatening Music

I have been composing background music for quite a while, and I try to do as wide a variety of moods as I can manage. One thing I always find hard to write, though, is music for threatening moods. Tense music. Disaster music. Battle music. I tend to use the minor scale for this, but hardly ever do I reach the truly chilling effect that I desire.

In examining a few other people's compositions, I noticed that it's quite common to use different scales from the norm. Unfortunately, I am not very knowledgeable about the other scales, and thus I have a little trouble recognizing them. Which scale(s) would you recommend for this type of music? The diminished minor, perhaps? Others?

Locrian and octonic are good. I think the tension is built more on dissonence though. Lots of tritones and m9ths and m2nds etc. Keep away from the constants and the perfect intervals and you have tension.

Mixing M3s in there creates a real sense of turbulence and implies a whole-tone scale (WWWWWWW).

Easiest trick: make the scale tones one half-step flat at random...

Scales in themselves don't really carry moods around with them, they're just sets of intervals. How you use them in your music is what creates a "happy" or "dark" or "suspenseful" air. Try looking into some other scales than just the traditional major and minor. Modes give a sound that isn't found in a lot of often-heard music, check some out.

Agreed Voce to some extent. Though I think it is a little more challengin to use major scales to create "chilling-high tension music" without leaning into one of the modes such as Phrygian or Locrian. But it is doable.

Another way is to work with bitonality eg - simultaneous scales - for example E flat major in bass and E phrygian -- tense and odd combo as there are a few consonances.

Thank you for your responses.

I agree that a scale in itself does not carry a mood, however in my experience the major scale more easily lends itself to creating happier moods and the minor scale more easily lends itself to creating sadder moods. I am just investigating the possibility that other scales lend themselves more to the kind of mood I am trying to create now.

Please refer to this musical piece: Kiz Urazgubi (WD-40). This is the kind of mood I am trying to achieve.

Bear in mind that this is just a screenshot of my own scribble (done by ear), so the time and key signature etc may not be accurate. The important thing here is the tone of the notes. It definitely seems to me that a scale other than major/minor is being used here, but I may lack the theoretical knowledge to properly identify it. What does it look like to you? I would be delighted to have a few other people's opinions on it.

The scales at use are

1 - Amin, straight up (a)

2 - I'm thinking Amin w/ a M7, like a harmonic minor; switching to a Major 3 and Aug4, while returning to a m7. (a')

3 - Tonic is raised, 7th planes up (b)

4 - reprise of 1 (a)

5 - Aug4 M6(b')

I'm not about to track down names - its a fruitless enterprise once you have the notes.

What I find more interesting, and probably creepier, is the fact that in 5 bars, you have all 12 notes - despite breaks of a sort of tonality. The list below also shows the harmonic ideas, based off a modified triadic analysis (sometimes it made more sense musically to include a 4th tone, or eliminate one tone.)

1 5 7 (Amin)

2 4 2 4 (of A#)

1 [5 7] (assumed sim A)

5 t 5 t (Quintal vs. Triadic)

What is striking is the wavering between two chords, first between the 2 and the 4, cycling through chords, then between a quintal and triadic style of harmony. It also doesn't really resolve traditionally, ending on a #6, then again, its 5 bars... Supporting these is a focus on constantly changing chords, even on the same roots or notes. This creates a very uneasy and difficult to perceive harmony.

The stuff blow the cut is more specific and notes-like. I got nothin to do on a day like today :)

----------

DFa A[b?]CD[E?]F[g] Amin:

aCE faC#aEG# EG#F GnDD# A[b?]C#(D/D#)EF(G#/Gn) m3toM3 P4toA4 M7tom7

BFa# DAbB BDFA# DAbC A#BCD[e?]FG# A1 M7(m7 of new tonic)

DFa a[b?][C]D[e?]F[g] Return to a section

D#aE D#F#C ED#A CF# A[b?]CD#EF#[G?] A4 M6

Dmin Amin Fmin+5 A/\7 Emin9 G/\ G/\+5

iv i vi+5 I7 v9 VII VII+5

BMaj Dmin6 BmM Dm7b5

II iv6 iiM7 iv7b5

Dmin D#5ths D#md7 D#5ths F#mb5

iv #IV5ths #ivd7 #IV5ths #vib5

the locrian scale would work. and i think the harmonic minor scale is just fine if you use it properly.

augmented intervals are great to use.

Looks to me like you want Octatonic/Diminished and Gypsy Scales.

For instance, bar 3 of that music you gave us is straight of the Octatonic Scale. That is, F-G-G#-A#-B-C#-D-E-F

And the Gyspy scale is a natural minor scale with a raised 7th and 4th. Very similar to the Harmonic Minor.

Thank you again for your suggestions. I shall continue to look into the Locrian as well as Octatonic and Gypsy scales, and perhaps try a few more things on the minor scale. I must admit that I probably haven't been using my augmented triads as much as I should. Hopefully I can take a fresh approach to making some chilling music.

Ferkungamabooboo, I truly appreciate your in-depth analysis of that piece, but I'm afraid that while I find your commentary very interesting, I don't understand much of your notes. This is most likely since most of my experience is practical as opposed to theoretical and I'm not used to reading other composers' notes. :blush: