Such A Simple but Great Trick

[ed buller]

The Hideously underrated Leith Stevens Wrote the War Of The Worlds music using a nice bag of tricks. A student of Joseph Schillinger and Gershwin !!!!

Bass is rooted in C#...Plunking away massive Fifths ..Roman Marching Bass Basically . Melody comes from an Octatonic scale starting on C#. It's the one that starts with a semitone. So. C#,D,E,F,G,Ab,Bb,B...etc.

He chooses Random Maj Chords that have these notes. C#M, G , etc....




A similar trick but here the chords are just planing :



Best ED

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[lsabina]

Yes, extracted major triads from the half-whole scale. A favorite of Coltrane and other post bop players, too.

 

[erica-grace]

good music, but could you imaging a composer writing a score like that for a film today? They would probably be fired on the spot.

 

[Saxer]

good music, but could you imaging a composer writing a score like that for a film today? They would probably be fired on the spot.

Pedal tones with chords on top generated from a scale are the backbones of todays film scores. Style might change but the principals are still the same.

 

[Henu]

It might be just the octatonic speaking, but I just got the sudden urge to listen to Alan Silvestri.

 

[gamma-ut]

good music, but could you imaging a composer writing a score like that for a film today? They would probably be fired on the spot.

You could say the same thing about Planet of the Apes and The Taking of Pelham 123.

Sooner or later, directors are going to get bored of braaaams.

 

[jonathanparham]

ok somethings going on I was just looking at:

The Schillinger System of Musical Composition in 2 volumes by Joseph Schillinger (2003-05-04) Hardcover – 2003

Amazon product ASIN B01FKUU7IE

 

[ed buller]

Here is a rather interesting paper on Leith Stevens technique . It goes into some depth on The Schillinger approach.

Best

ed

 

[ed buller]

Pedal tones with chords on top generated from a scale are the backbones of todays film scores. Style might change but the principals are still the same.

This is true. It's a fabulous device, well worn for good reason, However I must say I find the sophistication and depth to the sound of theses vintage soundtracks conspicuously absent today !

best

ed

 

[Rob Elliott]

You could say the same thing about Planet of the Apes and The Taking of Pelham 123.

Sooner or later, directors are going to get bored of braaaams.

And is it possible to USE woodwinds as well (I have to 'camouflage' them now just to get approvals / paid. - Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes is still perhaps a top 5 score for me.

 

[Land of Missing Parts]

This is true. It's a fabulous device, well worn for good reason, However I must say I find the sophistication and depth to the sound of theses vintage soundtracks conspicuously absent today !

best

ed

Love this riff. I remember when I first heard it in War of the Worlds, I had to keep rewinding to listen until I could tell what was going on.