# Harmony secrets in 'Trailer Music'



## Herenow (Jan 25, 2014)

Yet another 'trailer music' question) 
well, I'm a quite new (compared to most of you here) in music production. (I think by now there are a lot of people quitting this thread :D ) 
I understand hybrid style is so much overused nowadays in film industry, but I write in a completely different genre of music and I feel it will fit pretty nicely into what I'm doing.

The point is that I feel limited from the point of view of harmony. 
what you'd recommend for me to get better at harmony from the perspective of trailer music, as it has it's own sound? I know there are books by Piston, Schoenberg etc. but I don't think these are related to trailer music in any way.. (or I'm wrong?)
Is there something particular to this style I need to know? I mean, there should be some secrets, as all these big companies (Audiomachine, City of the Fallen, Epic Score, TSFH etc.) write 3-4 albums (each) per year and all the tracks are great. Actually, there are other people who also have a tremendous amount of pieces in a relatively short time.

so, any tips regarding trailer music would be welcomed 

PS sorry if it was discussed before, but it's more of a personal question )


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## MacQ (Jan 25, 2014)

Do a couple of take-downs of your favourite "trailer style" tracks. Figure out what harmonic devices they're using, and then apply them to your own work.

It's very often simple chordal harmony in only a single key, so it's basically a pop song for orchestra. So with that in mind, learn every phrase combination of these 4 chords: I, IV, V vi. Next, realize that modulations tend to be simple in bubblegum orchestra tracks. Often it's enough to just play your 8 bar phrase and drop it a minor 3rd to start a new section. Gives it gravitas and heft for free. I also like James Horner for digestible modulations that work. There's a great one from his "Wrath of Khan" score that I love, where he pedals the tonic and plays I, II, I, II before pushing the pedal tone up a minor 3rd and making that the new tonic, I, II, I, II, and repeat. You can climb the keyboard "heroically' that way.

I also got a great one from TJB from the demo he did for SAM Horns (if I recall correctly) called "Flight to Rivendell" or something like that. Anyway, the whole opening section is this climb, where he goes IV, V, vi ... then drops the tonic and dominant of the vii by a semitone, making it the new IV. And repeat. Fun way to climb ... I think John Debney used something like it in the Passion of the Christ. It's all a variation on minor chord adjustment to reestablish the root on a different note, again here in thirds. 

For action music, octatonic scales are your best friend. I'm also a big fan of the tonic to flat V and back ... major or minor, it can get you majestic and wide or dark and mysterious with very little effort melodically. There are a lot of these little devices. The key is to listen in the scores you like to what they're doing, and apply the same harmonic relationships to your work with your production and melodies. The best way to learn is to analyze, imitate, and then synthesize with originality. Although in trailer music, maybe you should forget about originality!

Good luck!

EDIT: Somehow I wrote "vii" instead of "vi". It's the minor 6, not the minor 7. Funny how removing one i can make everything impossible to understand.


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## The Darris (Jan 25, 2014)

Three big things I have noticed in Trailer music.

1. A lot of big hits and pauses that utilize huge massive swells/reverses and risers.
2. Action style scales like the Octatonic scale.
3. Multiple key changes, typically the raising of the tonic a minor third and using that as your new minor key. (Gmin to Bb Min) You can really do any change but the raising of the tonic a minor third is pretty common, at least to my ears.

Those are just a few of the common elements I have noticed in the creation of trailer music.


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## blougui (Jan 25, 2014)

Ah ah !!! Thanx guys, you're being very helpful, I love this place ! o-[][]-o 

- and now listening to Horner's Wrath of Khan. ~o)

- Erik


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## Herenow (Jan 25, 2014)

well, this was just what I needed, thank you very much MacQ and Darris!
going to listen to the examples in order to understand better. 

yes, a lovely place with lovely people!


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## Waywyn (Jan 25, 2014)

Herenow @ Sat Jan 25 said:


> Yet another 'trailer music' question)
> well, I'm a quite new (compared to most of you here) in music production. (I think by now there are a lot of people quitting this thread :D )
> I understand hybrid style is so much overused nowadays in film industry, but I write in a completely different genre of music and I feel it will fit pretty nicely into what I'm doing.
> 
> ...



I think this question (or your issue) can not be solved achieved by just reading a few hints on a forum. Sit down, go to the Apple trailers website, subscribe to TrailerAddict or whatever channels on YT and simply listen to the music and analyze what you want to know. Keys, transitions, pauses, impact, climax etc.

I am writing this because it is like asking: Tell me about the news ...
Some people may drop a bit like: "Well, there is a fire happening here" or "a conflict started there". If you read the news by yourself and after a few weeks you get a very good picture about the world itself ... now relate that to trailer music or any other specific style.


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## Herenow (Jan 25, 2014)

If only I could analyze the harmony by listening..  this way I'm learning orchestration and arrangement though.


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## ed buller (Jan 25, 2014)

Most of the trailer music you mentioned is strictly diatonic , very firmly in one key. This is a very popular and a current trend . Stuff like James Horner's Star Trek scores are not. That sort of music is pretty much chromatic , relying heavily on Mediant relationships ( play any minor chord , then another a third away ...say Cmin to Emin ....) You can of course mix and match but if you go the pop route ( all firmly in one key ) you are limiting yourself to seven chords . Which means that the sounds and textures have to work harder. That may well be your thing and very uplifting ,exciting, powerful et al music can be written that way. 

If you want to have more options the best place to start I think is the music James Horner is referencing . That is Romantic harmony. Rather than wade through shit loads of dry and dull harmony books just try and learn a few chord progression from the big pieces . Neptune by Holst is a Fav of many . As is mars and Saturn. Loads of excellent harmony there. Or Wagners Seigfried funeral march. Great chords. Faure's requiem is another. You'll find a lot of really rich progression that will add drama and spice up the current Fav ...i III VI VII .....

Good luck

Ed


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## Herenow (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks Ed for your input, a lot of examples for further learning) The only thing I'm struggling with is that I can't recognize the chords by listening (for now at least).
You all mention basic chords, but are sus2, sus4 and dim used? also none of you mentioned inversions, or it is obvious? ))

Planets by Holst is on my list for a long time  I love the James Horner scores also. 
What about HZ and his minimal approach? what is the magic which catches me all the time? :D


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## Stiltzkin (Jan 25, 2014)

Sus2 sus4 and dim are used in some (especially sus4 before resolving) inversions are also used (in trailer music generally to help prevent it from feeling resolved ie: wanting to see more) 

You can sort of experiment with it a bit if you're not used to writing music in your head yet or can't yet hear the chords, but in the i III VI VII example having VII dim is one I've heard numerous times, it's really quite a broad question, that's the problem!

As for HZ minimal approach, it's not always minimal, sometimes it is, sure, but often there are creative reasons to go minimal. But what usually sets him apart is his maximum production approach, regardless of the music, he tends to throw everything including the kitchen sink at the production of those recordings, and he does seem to be an absolute perfectionist when it comes to production.

You mentioned that you can't yet hear the harmonies and work them out, I would definitely say that is the place to start - try figuring out by listening and repeating (even if it's just trial and error at the start) and eventually you will start to see how these were created, reverse engineering music is by far the quickest way to learn how it works.

That, or score study! (I prefer score study personally, but if you're looking at trailer music I doubt there will be much )


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## ed buller (Jan 25, 2014)

there are two ways to do this:

1. Study music in the traditional way. Learn Diatonic harmony and Harmonic function, Chromatic harmony. extended harmony, modal harmony, 20th century harmony . Orchestration and ( to a degree counterpoint) . Either by yourself ( hellish...and your mates who know all this will hate you ! ) or by having a teacher.

2. Study and learn the bit's of music you like.


I tried the second and gave up and went for the first. I finally got to the point where i thought i could replicate the sort of music i wanted to write and realised i really couldn't . I'll give you an example. Action music for instance can be written very quickly and easily by using the octatonic scale . But good action music uses many varieties of scales otherwise it sounds generic. So i started studying "the asteroid chase" from the empire strikes back. And realised that the sheer number of techniques used was heaps above what i knew. To get the sound of the music seeming effortless took......effort...lot's of it. serious skill is required to write music of that calibre .

or

"Over the Cliff" by jerry goldsmith from "Rambo first Blood" . This is another great action cue. Uses a technique called "pitch class set". Very very useful for this type of action music but a bit fiddly to master . 

and that is just action music.


your problem is like learning a language . You want to basically have a few phrases under your belt so you can say something. Trailer music is on the surface quite simple. But the creme always rises to the top and if you understood the techniques that are available, you could write a lot more than generic trailer music. The internet is an enormous help. And there are some very good books out there. 

This is a great website http://www.filmmusicnotes.com/. Lot's of information but you will see that the examples Mark uses are extremely well conceived. There is a lot of knowledge at work behind the music and IMHO that is why it sounds so good. Yes you CAN learn this stuff AND still write crap music......but you'll have a much better chance of not doing so. 

and it really is fun to learn

e


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## MacQ (Jan 25, 2014)

I just re-read what I wrote, and somehow wrote "vii" instead of "vi". Typo confusion!

And here's that Horner cue I'm talking about ... the opening phrase: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_xN0LOLG3I

From James Horner's own YouTube, so no grief necessary.


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## JT (Jan 25, 2014)

Herenow @ Sat Jan 25 said:


> The only thing I'm struggling with is that I can't recognize the chords by listening (for now at least).


Then this is exactly what you need to work on. This is a very important skill to learn. You need to get to the point where you hear a chord in your head, and you just immediately know what it is. 

Take any piece of music and start listening over and over. Transcribe the chords. If you can't pick out the chords, then start by picking out a single pitch, then continue from there. 

Ear training is well worth the time and effort.


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## MacQ (Jan 25, 2014)

JT @ Sat Jan 25 said:


> Ear training is well worth the time and effort.



This!! You can live a happy life as a musician without the ability to read or write traditional notation, but if you can't HEAR it you'll be sunk! In that recent thread about keyboard skills, I was thinking, "keyboard skills are irrelevant, it's the LISTENING skills that are important". That's why take-downs are so important, and why those who have perfect pitch have a MUCH easier time!


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## Herenow (Jan 25, 2014)

MacQ @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> I just re-read what I wrote, and somehow wrote "vii" instead of "vi". Typo confusion!
> 
> And here's that Horner cue I'm talking about ... the opening phrase: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_xN0LOLG3I
> 
> From James Horner's own YouTube, so no grief necessary.


haha, cool )) 


lots of amazing advices guys, thank you! 
You've opened to me a whole new dimension musically  

obviously, now I'm going to learn to listen. I actually thought it's impossible for most of the people.. 


this thread was of so much help to me, I don't want it to be finished :D 

what about 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th? have these a special character and used for a certain reason?

also some of you mentioned octatonic and diatonic scales. What's the difference?


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## Jdiggity1 (Jan 26, 2014)

Herenow @ Sun 26 Jan said:


> what about 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th? have these a special character and used for a certain reason?
> 
> also some of you mentioned octatonic and diatonic scales. What's the difference?



Yes, yes, yes and yes. Those are often referred to as 'upper extensions', and very much worth your time learning, but don't get ahead of yourself.
Once you are certain that you can always tell the difference between a major and a minor chord, then learn your 7ths. Dominant 7, minor 7, major 7.
The '7th' chords spill into the theory of upper extensions.

*Diatonic* refers to harmony/chords that are found within a scale.
For example, all diatonic chords in C major must not use a black key, as there are no black keys in C major scale.
To expand on that: Play a C major chord in root position (C E G), move your hand up the scale to the next note 'D', you will have a D minor chord (D F A). All the notes of a D minor chord are part of the C major scale, and therefore it is a diatonic movement. If however you played a D MAJOR chord, you would have included an F# which is NOT part of the C major scale, therefore NOT diatonic.

*Octa*tonic simply means 'eight tones' - scale with eight notes. I'll let you work out what *penta*tonic means.


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## Herenow (Jan 26, 2014)

Jdiggity1 @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> Herenow @ Sun 26 Jan said:
> 
> 
> > what about 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th? have these a special character and used for a certain reason?
> ...



got that, thanks ))


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## Darthmorphling (Jan 26, 2014)

Here is a free course, that has downloadable videos, covering these topics. Even the use of 7, 9, 11, and 13 chords.

https://class.coursera.org/classicalcomp-001

Edit: had the link in my clipboard and forgot to paste it in.


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## MrVoice (Jan 26, 2014)

Darthmorphling @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> Here is a free course, that has downloadable videos, covering these topics. Even the use of 7, 9, 11, and 13 chords.



Where??


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## Darthmorphling (Jan 26, 2014)

Sorry about that.

https://class.coursera.org/classicalcomp-001


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## MrVoice (Jan 26, 2014)

Darthmorphling @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> Sorry about that.
> 
> https://class.coursera.org/classicalcomp-001



Thanks :D


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## Herenow (Jan 26, 2014)

Darthmorphling @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> Here is a free course, that has downloadable videos, covering these topics. Even the use of 7, 9, 11, and 13 chords.
> 
> https://class.coursera.org/classicalcomp-001
> 
> Edit: had the link in my clipboard and forgot to paste it in.


 
definitely going to check this! o-[][]-o 
The 'Songwriting' course is sweet too.


PS just in case there's someone who'd like to 'fine-pitch' his ears, have a look here http://www.earmaster.com/. Might be of great help


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## jasonkellnermusic (Jan 27, 2014)

Speaking on trailer music, I agree with the fact that truly understanding the harmony (although quite basic) in film scores is possible by just listening. Listen to the trailer music for "This Is 40"
and "War of the Worlds".

In This Is 40, basically shouldn't get into detail, listen to it and analyze it yourself. 

In War of the Worlds, You will see how sound scaping and effects is so important in utilizing epic eye gripping scenes in the trailer, so harmony isn't that much of the main focus. Try and find libraries or spend time manipulating your own samples.


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## Waywyn (Jan 27, 2014)

Herenow @ Sat Jan 25 said:


> If only I could analyze the harmony by listening..  this way I'm learning orchestration and arrangement though.



Well, this is a complete different story. So you are basically not lookng for secrets in trailer music, but simply being able to understand ALL music.

I would just sit down, learn chords, learn scales and understand what the seven modes are. If you can handle these theoretically make sure to practise them on your instrument. If you can't play one, LEARN ONE! 

It also helps a lot to do some ear training. There are gazillions of apps and programs out there. Invest some money and learn how chords and scales sound.


One more hint. If you are dreaming about quickly getting some info to write trailer music, slam the market with your tracks and make big money. FORGET IT! It is NOT gonna working as it won't for any other genre out there! 

Learn, achieve, sweat, fall, learn, get better, fall down, never stop believing in yourself, get something done. Once you achieve 5% in something, always tell you that it is better than 4% or 3% and remember that 100% consists out of these numbers too 

Good luck!


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## Ed (Jan 27, 2014)

The Darris @ Sat Jan 25 said:


> 3. Multiple key changes,



Hmm. Not sure I've seen that often. Most tracks are in one key, sometimes switching it once.

Getting "trailer" music right is less about harmony and more about the build and making music that editors like to cut to. If someone thinks the secret is harmony I think they're wasting their time.


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## Herenow (Jan 27, 2014)

Yes Alex, I wanted to be more specific, but understood that actually it was about all music )) 

well, I'm okay with chords and scales, but truth to be told I don't really know what to do with them :D That's why I'm more focused on ear training, to be able to analyze music. 

No, definitely not going to make any 'slams' or big money :D But actually silly dreaming was the thing which made me quit university and go into the unknown)) now belief is the only thing left ) 


thanks Alex and wish you the very best!


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## Ed (Jan 27, 2014)

Btw dont let people tell you not to bother with writing music for promos/trailers saying there's lots of competition and so its too difficult etc etc. I've heard people say that here often and its a little disheartening hearing that kind of stuff said in this forum of all places.

I heard that back when I started thinking about music as a career in the first place. If I had listened I wouldnt have a career in music! Everytime someone says you should go do something else or that its too competitive you're probably better off becoming more defiant. If someone loves music and has a good ear with the right drive I am certain they can figure it out. You dont need music training, you just do not. Thats not to say it isnt useful, its just not necessary to do this. Use your ears, relax, and accept you won't "get it" immediately but with every attempt you get closer.


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## Greg (Jan 27, 2014)

Ed @ Mon Jan 27 said:


> Btw dont let people tell you not to bother with writing music for promos/trailers saying there's lots of competition and so its too difficult etc etc. I've heard people say that here often and its a little disheartening hearing that kind of stuff said in this forum of all places.



People aren't trying to be 'de-motivating.' There is just a collective assumption that trailer music is a fruitful career path to pursue. People think they can pump out some songs that might hold a candle to a song they heard placed in a trailer and collect the mad crazay sync fees.. 

It ain't exactly that easy, though I suppose if your cues are really great and fit the modern trailer mold perfectly, then the rest will work itself out with a little luck and lots of time.

Trailer music is a great segway into writing more film-esque or cinematic style music though! As mentioned, the writing walks the line between pop song and film score. You don't have to worry about meter, key, or tempo shifts really. And the compositions tend to be minimalistic, relying upon cool motifs, or epic larger than life melodies and intriguing harmonic styles.

I say go for it, but don't expect to get rich quick..


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## Ed (Jan 27, 2014)

Greg @ Mon Jan 27 said:


> People aren't trying to be 'de-motivating.' There is just a collective assumption that trailer music is a fruitful career path to pursue. People think they can pump out some songs that might hold a candle to a song they heard placed in a trailer and collect the mad crazay sync fees..



When you say "pump out", I assume you mean the idea that anyone can do it and that its easy. Its just a lot of big hits after all. bam bam bam. Whats so difficult? But if you are talking about the time it can take once you know how to produce these kinds of tracks, you really can potentially "pump out" tracks that will hold up to the music used in big trailers with nothing but samples. Oh sure, some trailer music is recorded with live players, but many if not most is not. Many of the most used tracks are all sampled. For example a new company that started last year "Really Slow Motion" has done exceptionally well and none of that was live, and a new young composer who has had a ridiculous number of licences through them its a joke at this point. Its really about the right frame of mind. 

Its also worth pointing out that there's good money to be made for writing music that isnt designed specifically for big hollywood trailers, but for use in the TV market. Its similar, but slightly different. It can be a *very* fruitful career to pursue. 

I will say that what is bad is if people cant hear the difference between a real trailer track that works, and a track that they wrote that does not. If they cant hear it then they can't do well and they should try something else. You cant learn it if you cant hear the differences.



> I say go for it, but don't expect to get rich quick..



Well, since I do write trailer music that does make good money I feel I have some authority to say that when people say not to bother because its so competitive that they shouldn't listen to them.


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## Herenow (Jan 27, 2014)

Ed @ Mon Jan 27 said:


> I say go for it, but don't expect to get rich quick..



Of course I'll go for it! The only thing to mention here is that I'm not really into 'trailer music' industry  (see the 1st post)


and *Ed*, I'm not in any way 'demotivating'! I even don't think about success or failure  I'm just focused on learning and simply getting better and better ) 

you said: "You cant learn it if you cant hear the differences. ". Well then, you first learn how to hear the differences, and then other stuff, isn't it?


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