# Mattia Chiappa Fantastic Course : Shows you how to turn a simple tune into a variety of film cue styles



## ed buller (May 26, 2022)

HI

I can thoroughly recommend this course for anyone wanting to know how to take simple ideas and turn them into cinematic cues. The first hour and forty minutes just deals with everything you can do with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. It's a crash course in all the possible harmonisations and modulations that would turn this little ditty into something Cinematic. You will learn all about the various chords on offer from just plain diationic to fairly advanced harmonic choices.

Next he will show you how to write a theme and then create a piano sketch. Adding basic harmony then exploring more advanced chord choices. There are zip files you can download. He then makes this in LOGIC and takes it to various levels and styles. THIS is THE bread and butter of media composing. Having the skill sets to write and embellish quickly, music that connects. His style of chord voices is lovely, simple stuff but always has interesting left hand shapes. Lot's to unpick !

He then shows how to write a B Section and develop it. Next is a crash course in basic orchestrion . Looking at unison, doublings and various sustained patterns to simulate the sustain pedal as well as runs and how to use them. Next is various cinematic styles and how to write and orchestrate them Romantic, Heroic ,Mystery etc. Anyone who has seen his youtube channel knows he is very good at this. Again this info is priceless for those who don't know it. It draws from 200 years of Classical music. Each Style is broken down into first a lesson on Harmony then Orchestration.

Finally he takes apart a classic style Williams/Powell/ et all...full orchestral cue he has written...damm fine Job Too ! The ending has echoes of James Newton Howard's ATLANTIS. !

It's a fine cue. and he takes it from his first sketch then takes it apart and shows you how he developed it. He starts off with a very simple piano sketch. All the basics are here. And as a result you can hear how it develops without the distraction of the orchestra. There are lots of fabulous tricks here that will add depth and drama and really help you sound...well......"Hollywood!" He sticks to the 3 part rule pretty religiously . It's all very thorough and painstaking. This is ORCHESTRAL music on a piano...NOT piano music...which is a vital distinction.

Then you get four separate walkthroughs ,Harmony then 3 chapters on the orchestration.

This is a Fantastic Course...worth every penny and to be honest something everyone writing this sort of music must know. If this is new to you this course will build your confidence enormously as you will learn how it is done. Mattia is very engaging and precise, the production value is superb, ( dread to think how much his camera cost him) There is a piano display throughout, also Logic Piano rolls that are easy to see. Most lesson's have downloadable files too !

His Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MattiaChiappa

The Course: https://www.masterthescore.com/

Buy it

Best

e


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## Mattia Chiappa (May 26, 2022)

Thank you Ed for this very nice review! I'm very happy you've enjoyed the course


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## twtyler (May 26, 2022)

Do you have a link to the course?


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## ed buller (May 26, 2022)

sorry..added









Master The Score | Online Courses for Media Composers


Master The Score delivers high level expertise for composition, orchestration, production, mixing and mastering. Take a look at our courses.




www.masterthescore.com





best

e


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## nik (May 26, 2022)

ed buller said:


> HI
> 
> I can thoroughly recommend this course for anyone wanting to know how to take simple ideas and turn them into cinematic cues. The first hour and forty minutes just deals with everything you can do with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. It's a crash course in all the possible harmonisations and modulations that would turn this little ditty into something Cinematic. You will learn all about the various chords on offer from just plain diationic to fairly advanced harmonic choices.
> 
> ...


Wow thanks so much for this detailed review Ed! Really appreciated!


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## davidson (May 26, 2022)

@Mattia Chiappa Are there any example videos from the courses?


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## nik (May 26, 2022)

davidson said:


> @Mattia Chiappa Are there any example videos from the courses?


Hey, you can preview a few lessons in the curriculum section on our course page:









20th Century Orchestral Writing







www.masterthescore.com





we are also uploading a few example lessons on our youtube channel. One is already online:



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjMByS_Ea5bomluRsUBRKkQ



best regards,
Nik


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## soothingpanic (May 26, 2022)

I'd like to try the course - but it's a bit pricey for me at $400 (intro price)...


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## nik (May 26, 2022)

soothingpanic said:


> I'd like to try the course - but it's a bit pricey for me at $400 (intro price)...


Hey, i can totally understand that. Unfortunatley there is not really much i can do to help about the pricing. That would not be fair to the ones already enrolled.

If it helps, we are offering a 30 days money back guarantee in case you are not happy wth the course.

All the best 
Nik


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## davidson (May 26, 2022)

nik said:


> Hey, you can preview a few lessons in the curriculum section on our course page:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks!


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## nik (May 27, 2022)

Hey everyone,

here is a new little preview of our course:


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## robgb (May 27, 2022)

I've often said there's more money in tutorials than in actually composing for a living.


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## JimDiGritz (May 27, 2022)

robgb said:


> I've often said there's more money in tutorials than in actually composing for a living.


Selling picks to the Gold Miners was smart, but selling them maps was the smartest move...

BTW I don't begrudge them, in fact my personal barometer is to spend at LEAST 50% what I spend on libraries and tools on training... in reality even that is probably the wrong way round...


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## Markrs (May 27, 2022)

robgb said:


> I've often said there's more money in tutorials than in actually composing for a living.


I would argue Sample libraries are picks, tutorials are like giving a miner geology training to better select an area to find gold, which is a good skill to have. Which is why I invest in courses and this one of also of strong interest.


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## ALittleNightMusic (May 27, 2022)

This course is excellent - highly recommended. Been waiting for something like this for a long time. Does require you to have a decent background in harmony, etc I think to follow along and get the most out of it, but that’s perfect for me. They’re apparently adding more content to it too.


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## oofjelly (May 27, 2022)

How detailed is the sketching process in the course? I think thats where I am having trouble with is coming up with decent piano sketches and then moving on to develop/orchestrate it, etc. Anyone have pointers for this part of the process? Cheers!


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## ed buller (May 27, 2022)

oofjelly said:


> How detailed is the sketching process in the course? I think thats where I am having trouble with is coming up with decent piano sketches and then moving on to develop/orchestrate it, etc. Anyone have pointers for this part of the process? Cheers!


Very.






Lots of info. He settles on his theme pretty quickly. The meat of the lesson is what he does with it.

Best

e


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## MaxOctane (May 27, 2022)

@Mattia Chiappa's YouTube channel and his re-orchestrations are amazing. The only thing stopping me signing up for this is my own time dedication. I have a sneaky feeling that in order to actually develop my skills, I might have to (gasp) _put time into it_. Somehow it's easier to spend $399 on one library after another.

But there's a 3-day weekend coming up... could this be the day I put in the work??


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## nik (May 27, 2022)

MaxOctane said:


> @Mattia Chiappa's YouTube channel and his re-orchestrations are amazing. The only thing stopping me signing up for this is my own time dedication. I have a sneaky feeling that in order to actually develop my skills, I might have to (gasp) _put time into it_. Somehow it's easier to spend $399 on one library after another.
> 
> But there's a 3-day weekend coming up... could this be the day I put in the work??


Good point you have there. Actually this course is not designed to be taken passively. Mattia provided all the midi files for the covered tracks for his students to explore. Altough you can learn a lot from simply watching, i think you can get much more out of the course by following along on the piano and in your daw.


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## Mr Mindcrime (May 27, 2022)

I've watched several of Mattia's YouTube videos in the past month or two. I can vouch for him being very knowledgeable and I've found his information very useful. I'll definitely consider taking this course.


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## twtyler (May 27, 2022)

From watching Mattia's YouTube videos, I know that he's very personable and knowledgeable, and I really like his teaching style.

Would you say this course is appropriate for a committed, moderately advanced beginner, @nik?

Also, seems like I remember reading somewhere that work has begun on expanding the course - is that correct?

Thanks!


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## PaulieDC (May 27, 2022)

nik said:


> Hey, you can preview a few lessons in the curriculum section on our course page:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*I have to put out a serious warning:* if you watch the trailer/previews, you're out $399 because you'll buy it. 

Having just finished the "Firehose of Basics" from the Orchestra 1 class at Berklee, I really wanted to get hands-in-the-dirt with DOING something with it. When I went through just the trailer, I was sold. Part of that had to do with me already having Mattia's excellent YouTube vids bookmarked, so a structured class is completely what I was looking for. I've known theory for decades and now have a very basic knowledge of turning simpler piano music into a basic arrangement... I know for sure this class of Mattia's is the next step. @ed buller, thanks for posting the review!


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## nik (May 27, 2022)

twtyler said:


> From watching Mattia's YouTube videos, I know that he's very personable and knowledgeable, and I really like his teaching style.
> 
> Would you say this course is appropriate for a committed, moderately advanced beginner, @nik?
> 
> ...


Hey,

for taking this course i would recommend having a basic understanding of music theory and orchestration.
If you are comfortable with diatonic writing and you know about the instruments of the orchestra you should be fine.

Some of the concepts are demonstrated at the piano, so having a basic knowledge about piano playing can also help.

That being said some of the topics are definetly on the more advanced side especially the harmonic approaches. I think this should not scare you off tough, if some topics are too advanced at the moment you can simply tackle them later. Also we recommend to study the midi files.

And yeah we already decided on updating the course at some point. I can't tell tough when this is going to be finished. We will be adding text files as well as video lessons.

best,
Nik


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## Drumdude2112 (May 28, 2022)

If they did the ‘monthly’ payment thing as many course’s do , i’d probably do it.
Mattia’s presentation has always been on point.


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## cqd (May 28, 2022)

Drumdude2112 said:


> If they did the ‘monthly’ payment thing as many course’s do , i’d probably do it.
> Mattia’s presentation has always been on point.


Yeah..I was expecting to be able to buy it over a couple of months (well, 3 or 4)..If they did that (if the powers that be are listening) they'll surely sell a few more..


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## nik (May 28, 2022)

cqd said:


> Yeah..I was expecting to be able to buy it over a couple of months (well, 3 or 4)..If they did that (if the powers that be are listening) they'll surely sell a few more..


Thanks for your input guys, actually we do offer a 3 months payment plan if that helps,
best,
Nik


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## Drumdude2112 (May 28, 2022)

nik said:


> Thanks for your input guys, actually we do offer a 3 months payment plan if that helps,
> best,
> Nik


Oh very Cool !! Well this may very well be my "memorial day weekend binge" then  !!


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## axb312 (May 28, 2022)

Content seems awesome but course is unaffordable for me. Wish the creators would take feedback on this more seriously.

Oh well.


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## Henu (May 28, 2022)

Yeah, I'm sorry to say but some of these course prices caused me to literally laugh out loud.

Whoever compared this to "buying sample libraries", this would be the equivalent of paying 1750 € for Spitfire Chamber Strings or 3800 € for the Berlin Bundle. These lessons may be valuable, but a small reality-check would maybe be in order.


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## ALittleNightMusic (May 28, 2022)

Henu said:


> Yeah, I'm sorry to say but some of these course prices caused me to literally laugh out loud.
> 
> Whoever compared this to "buying sample libraries", this would be the equivalent of paying 1750 € for Spitfire Chamber Strings or 3800 € for the Berlin Bundle. These lessons may be valuable, but a small reality-check would maybe be in order.


How did you manage to do that math?


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## ALittleNightMusic (May 28, 2022)

axb312 said:


> Content seems awesome but course is unaffordable for me. Wish the creators would take feedback on this more seriously.
> 
> Oh well.


Lots of different educational resources out there, just like different types of cars - each with their own price points. Find the ones that work for you and continue making music! If this is too pricey, plenty of books out there or free YT videos (even Mattia’s) that cover similar content. Or ScoreClub is $60 per month for example.

However, just like a luxury car, there’s a reason for different price points. I’ve tried a lot of the courses out there - Evenant, Cinematic Composing, Thinkspace, Alex’s trailer course, etc. The courses for Master the Score have a level of depth, production value, and general quality of information / information presentation that I haven’t found at those other places. You might disagree and that’s fine - not everybody drives the same car.


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## Henu (May 28, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> How did you manage to do that math?


Out of my ass, basically- just to demonstrate ridiculous overpricing despite of being a quality product.


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## axb312 (May 28, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Lots of different educational resources out there, just like different types of cars - each with their own price points. Find the ones that work for you and continue making music! If this is too pricey, plenty of books out there or free YT videos (even Mattia’s) that cover similar content. Or ScoreClub is $60 per month for example.
> 
> However, just like a luxury car, there’s a reason for different price points. I’ve tried a lot of the courses out there - Evenant, Cinematic Composing, Thinkspace, Alex’s trailer course, etc. The courses for Master the Score have a level of depth, production value, and general quality of information / information presentation that I haven’t found at those other places. You might disagree and that’s fine - not everybody drives the same car.


Times are tough. Everything is getting expensive. The price for this course seems inflated as well, considering the hours and table of content (I am sure it is of very high quality, judging by Matthias Youtube stuff) in my opinion and I simply stated that.

I am not sure how a lower price point affects you negatively.


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## ALittleNightMusic (May 28, 2022)

axb312 said:


> Times are tough. Everything is getting expensive. The price for this course seems inflated as well, considering the hours and table of content (I am sure it is of very high quality, judging by Matthias Youtube stuff) in my opinion and I simply stated that.
> 
> I am not sure how a lower price point affects you negatively.


I was simply stating there are cheaper alternatives for you - and that I think the price point is worth it (especially compared to the other options and their prices on the market).


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## axb312 (May 28, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I was simply stating there are cheaper alternatives for you - and that I think the price point is worth it (especially compared to the other options and their prices on the market).


Again, I am not sure how a lower price point affects you negatively. Perhaps you would be kind enough to consider that there are others who would like to enjoy this course as you have been.


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## nik (Jun 3, 2022)

New preview! Only 4 days left to save 20% during our intro sale!









20th Century Orchestral Writing







www.masterthescore.com


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## hsindermann (Jun 4, 2022)

I got the course and - while it definitely is not a bad course at all - I found it overprized for the content (and sadly partially the quality) that I got. So I did make use of the money back guarantee 3 days ago (through the contact form - apparently there's no other way to contact anyone), but have not heard back from anyone...


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## nik (Jun 4, 2022)

hsindermann said:


> I got the course and - while it definitely is not a bad course at all - I found it overprized for the content (and sadly partially the quality) that I got. So I did make use of the money back guarantee 3 days ago (through the contact form - apparently there's no other way to contact anyone), but have not heard back from anyone...


I am sorry for your troubles, i did not receive any message about this at all. Our support email is clearly stated on the website: [email protected]
Did you send a message to this mail? There is also a message option through our platform teachable. Please send me your name via pm here and i will initiate your refund asap.


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## hsindermann (Jun 4, 2022)

Thanks Nik, left you a PM

Edit: Found the email meanwhile. It seems you can only see the email when you are not logged in. As soon as you are logged in, masterthescore.com leads you to the 'your courses' page, apparently without any way back to the main page where the email is stated. On the page for the logged in users there's no email anywhere as far as I can see.

The contact page probably has not worked properly due to my adblocker - it has messed with scripts in the background before. In any case, all cleared up. Thanks for the quick solution!


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## soothingpanic (Jun 4, 2022)

Just want to say - I'm a huge fan of Mattias' YouTube content, esp. the orchestration techniques series, and I'm sure his class content is great as well. I only question the amount of content offered here vs what the same amount can provide elsewhere (for example, I've been quite happy with the amount of material available after signing up for 1yr at cinematiccomposing.com when it was on sale)


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 4, 2022)

soothingpanic said:


> Just want to say - I'm a huge fan of Mattias' YouTube content, esp. the orchestration techniques series, and I'm sure his class content is great as well. I only question the amount of content offered here vs what the same amount can provide elsewhere (for example, I've been quite happy with the amount of material available after signing up for 1yr at cinematiccomposing.com when it was on sale)


I have access to all of the Cinematic Composing stuff - some of it is good, some of it is not as good (and some very hard to understand due to the instructors). Mattia's course is a pretty different style and approach - and one I think I prefer personally. Where he is showing you the aspects of how he creates a track - but he goes deep into each aspect (unlike some other courses that are only track walkthroughs). He also provides the MIDI / Logic files, so you can open up the tracks on your own and break everything down even further (I recommend doing it while watching the videos).

Music information is available in a lot of places - it isn't proprietary or particularly "novel". The concepts of harmony and orchestration and form are well-trodden topics. For me, this course lays out the information in a better fashion than other resources I've tried. It's not going in as deep as say a textbook, and it does require you to have a good grasp of some basic theory already (IMO to get the most out of it and connect it back to what you already know), but overall, it has progressed my abilities - and in the end, that's the only thing you can really hope for from education.


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## larry777 (Jun 5, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I have access to all of the Cinematic Composing stuff - some of it is good, some of it is not as good (and some very hard to understand due to the instructors). Mattia's course is a pretty different style and approach - and one I think I prefer personally. Where he is showing you the aspects of how he creates a track - but he goes deep into each aspect (unlike some other courses that are only track walkthroughs). He also provides the MIDI / Logic files, so you can open up the tracks on your own and break everything down even further (I recommend doing it while watching the videos).
> 
> Music information is available in a lot of places - it isn't proprietary or particularly "novel". The concepts of harmony and orchestration and form are well-trodden topics. For me, this course lays out the information in a better fashion than other resources I've tried. It's not going in as deep as say a textbook, and it does require you to have a good grasp of some basic theory already (IMO to get the most out of it and connect it back to what you already know), but overall, it has progressed my abilities - and in the end, that's the only thing you can really hope for from education.


Hi, which course do you prefer between scoring tools masterclass and master the score 20th century since you took both, important differences for you, thanks!


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 5, 2022)

larry777 said:


> Hi, which course do you prefer between scoring tools masterclass and master the score 20th century since you took both, important differences for you, thanks!


They're not remotely comparable. Scoring Tools is about mock ups (I guess - I got a refund because the first section was so basic, like how to setup an instrument in your DAW). Mattia's class is more for intermediate students and goes into form, harmony, and orchestration. It touches on mockup techniques I believe (haven't gotten there yet), but the main focus is writing music, understanding a process of doing so, etc.


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## larry777 (Jun 6, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> They're not remotely comparable. Scoring Tools is about mock ups (I guess - I got a refund because the first section was so basic, like how to setup an instrument in your DAW). Mattia's class is more for intermediate students and goes into form, harmony, and orchestration. It touches on mockup techniques I believe (haven't gotten there yet), but the main focus is writing music, understanding a process of doing so, etc.


Great, thanks a lot for your input.


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