epic movie track

Made this track inspired by the Suzume Soundtrack and wanted to try out film for once. Lemme know what yall think. Also please don't use this track for anything other than listening to it. Thank you and enjoy!

Hello @Gabriel Carlisle,

The track does have some epic feeling! I love the development after 0:50 when you use octatonically related keys which are common in film music. The parallel fifths for sure add the thickness of the track which enhances the epic feeling. Thx for sharing!

Henry

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Edir: nvm can alr, sry to disturb

This is short but epic!

The gradual development and adding of layers kinda parallels with Suzume's main theme, just without a human voice, and with much more use of percussion. The use of percussion here makes it sound more Idk... western-movie-like/ like the music of other popular and long anime series rather than the songs of an anime movie.

Some parts of this remind me of the main theme of the soundtrack of Magnificent Century, a Turkish historical fiction series.

Thanks for the feedback! I didn’t really want to use the percussion library I used and wanted to use a taiko ensemble (which is what I think Suzume used). However don’t have access to one. That’s probably why it sounded more western was bc I used an average epic perc library which is used often in western.

Ah I see

I really like this piece! I am curious as to how you go about composing this type of music!

To be completely honest I just mess around and compose the next thing that comes to mind. I started with the strings then percussion then brass (and I didn’t use woodwinds as I am still learning how to use them correctly). This is my first attempt at having multiple articulations being used in a single piece which I feel I did well with. Also I always have a major inspiration when I compose something large scale, I was inspired by the Suzume soundtrack when I made this track specifically the Abandoned Resort track. I recommend listening to that track if you liked this.

This sounds awesome!! Super epic! I recently made my own epic battle song, though yours feels more like a triumphant moment. The pace. The action. Some hints of Danny Elfman sounds in there? I think you accomplished your goal well and I love this piece! Would be interested in hearing more of your work!

thanks so much! If you'd like to listen to anymore of my tracks my profile has lots of different posts from time to time including tracks I've made. Or if you want, i just updated my bio to include my google drive portfolio.

3 minutes ago, Gabriel Carlisle said:

thanks so much! If you'd like to listen to anymore of my tracks my profile has lots of different posts from time to time including tracks I've made. Or if you want, i just updated my bio to include my google drive portfolio.

You could also include a list of your compositions (sometimes called a "press kit") in the "About Me" section of your profile where you can edit the text any way you want including hyperlinks to them.  I think it might have been @Omicronrg9 who was the first to do this and since it was such a great idea many composers including myself have followed suit and created their own with their own categorizations of their compositions.

9 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I think it might have been @Omicronrg9 who was the first to do this and since it was such a great idea many composers including myself have followed suit and created their own with their own categorizations of their compositions.

Yup our dear Daniel is our first innovator!! And I am the first follower haha.

13 minutes ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

You could also include a list of your compositions (sometimes called a "press kit") in the "About Me" section of your profile where you can edit the text any way you want including hyperlinks to them.  I think it might have been @Omicronrg9 who was the first to do this and since it was such a great idea many composers including myself have followed suit and created their own with their own categorizations of their compositions.

@Gabriel Carlisle I see you pretty much already accomplished this through your google drive folder LoL 🤣

On 12/12/2023 at 9:34 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hello @Gabriel Carlisle,

The track does have some epic feeling! I love the development after 0:50 when you use octatonically related keys which are common in film music. The parallel fifths for sure add the thickness of the track which enhances the epic feeling. Thx for sharing!

Henry

 

Hello I'm relatively new to composition. What are octatonically related keys? I know what an octatonic scale is, but I don't know how it is used. It's hard to imagine how an eight note works when music theory teaches you to think in seven note scales. If anyone could explain what octatonically related keys are, I would really appreciate it.

@Artdreamer77 to be completely honest I created this without that knowledge. All I did was used borrowed chords outside of the D minor scale by using base notes found within the last chord I used. For example in the section where it sounds like key changes I simply went from D minor to the 3rd resulting in F minor then from F minor I went to the 3rd again and went for G# minor then I went a half step up to begin the conclusion for a return to D minor (in this case it was A minor then a sudden C# resulting in A major (which is D minors fifth creating a cadence). Often times film scores do this to create tension and drama. Using chords from base notes within your main key or simply do what I did (taking a note from each key it changes from to change the chord). Anyways I hope this helps some sorry I can’t really provide the information your asking for.

i would like to add though that I imagine since an octatonic scales are just scales with 8 notes instead of 7 that it may just be that. Some scales don’t have 7 notes either some only have 6 notes even. Creating with these special scales can really add a lot to your music especially if you’re going for something more ethnic or trying to evoke a certain culture. I’d suggest watching a YouTube video on it!

3 minutes ago, Gabriel Carlisle said:

@Artdreamer77 to be completely honest I created this without that knowledge. All I did was used borrowed chords outside of the D minor scale by using base notes found within the last chord I used. For example in the section where it sounds like key changes I simply went from D minor to the 3rd resulting in F minor then from F minor I went to the 3rd again and went for G# minor then I went a half step up to begin the conclusion for a return to D minor (in this case it was A minor then a sudden C# resulting in A major (which is D minors fifth creating a cadence). Often times film scores do this to create tension and drama. Using chords from base notes within your main key or simply do what I did (taking a note from each key it changes from to change the chord). Anyways I hope this helps some sorry I can’t really provide the information your asking for.

 

That's fine. Thanks for replying. I know chromatic mediants are a common technique in film scores, but have no knowledge of octatonically related keys. Maybe @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu was referring to a similar concept when he said the technique was common in film music.

On 7/10/2024 at 2:40 AM, Artdreamer77 said:

That's fine. Thanks for replying. I know chromatic mediants are a common technique in film scores, but have no knowledge of octatonically related keys. Maybe @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu was referring to a similar concept when he said the technique was common in film music.

Someone mentioned me here. Octatonically related keys are indeed chromatic mediants. In @Gabriel Carlisle’s usage of keys involving those keys would be the Octatonic scale D E F G Ab Bb B C# D, but the modulation to those keys is really common to the point of cliche now I think 🤪! But I myself sometimes use that too in my non film music composition LoL…

Henry