How To Write Film Music With ONLY 3 Chords!

Great example!! Thank you. A bit disappointed that the score file is no more available

I am hearing your Sting influence in this piece Rick. He could have used this in his introduction to Desert Rose.

Great video !!,lots of great information !

I'm not a pro by a long shot, but musically interested. Question to anyone who can give an answer:
So this basic chord progression was Fm Eb Db
That's three chords going downwards in a stepwise motion. The theory books I looked into said that stepwise parallel movements were "forbidden". So, does this rule apply to chords, or just to multiple part voicings, or is it one of those rules that like to be broken?

That feel when you realize the theme of Thor: The Dark World literally uses only 1 CHORD PROGRESSION in only 2 DIFFERENT KEYS.

Am, Fmaj, Cmaj, Gmaj.

Cm, Abmaj, Ebmaj, Bbmaj.

Man, I could dig into this one video and PDF file and study it for weeks to really understand it. I may have to get his book haha

A great video from 2017 with 2017 likes! Oh yeah

Great !!!

thank you for this valuable info!

I like your videos about film scoring! Keep up with it!

What the theory behinde chord progressions
How we can learn to involve advanced chords into normal regular progression
Like how we will add sus or maj7
How we should learn

U r video good at deconstructing but if u make videos about theory understanding like chord progressions mailny
It would be helpful more

My request and view to u r videos

This is phenomenal. Super impressed. As a life-long pianist, this was the first time I "got" how orchestral scoring works.

cool

The soundtrack to every Asylum film.

Which kind of vst does one use for this ?

Love your vids man... you're on another level.

Thank you so much for this Rick. I've learnt so much from it in addition to film music writing

Great video but shoot the videos in top angle from back side of ur head... So that v can able to see the piano fingering... It ll b help full for us..... Thank u..

Hey Rick, do a lesson on how to SELL film music using only 3 chords.

Absolutely beautiful. Reminded me a lot of the Shawshank Redemption. I'm gonna have to try stuff like this out one day

Hi Rick. Great vid as always. When ever I write in Aeolian I always end up around the IV and V like you do here, they just seem to "live" together like a ii V I. This relationship isn't one I've heard or read about though, what are you thoughts? Also, I find it interesting that you did this in Fm aeolian, I think there's a danger when teaching/learning music, of using chords like Db because the impression is that they are inherently more interesting that "white" chords (Am, G and F would obviously have sounded just as awesome) - again, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

this is so helpful thank you so much

Hi Rick! Greetings from Brazil =) I love this video, I'd like to study film Scoring, but unfortunately here in Brazil we don't have nothing like this. Thx for the lesson! Love your videos =)

Can’t wait to start my new career!

It was pretty good up until when you added the horns.

Then it became great.

Beautiful

Sorry, but won't have to transpose the viola? Do you mean transpose from alto clef to treble? I thought it was at concert pitch naturally

Wow. This is basically the way I wrote all of my music when I first got started composing as a teenager, but without all the cool voicing. I abused the hell out of the i-VI-VII progression. I bet if I went back to the way I used to write things, I could crank out ten tracks a day.

Halo Vibes!!!!!

Lmao these are the cords i use when playing, they just natural got into my brain...seems its actually thing

until the director calls you and says this isn’t working 😢

This kind of video is exactly what I'm looking for as a musician starting my journey of orchestral composition. Very clear, one-by-one explanations of each instrument. Do you have more videos like this?

Thank you for very useful video! Btw, great music) Pity, many modern OST's doesn't have even these three chords (especially, Marvel stuff).

Sounds like a theme by George Delerue

Thanks for making the pdf available Rick!

I could listen to this for hours, kinda reminds me of Basil Poledouris

Brillant!!
Thank you teacher!

anyone singing dangerzone on bar 5?

Thank you.

Hey Rick, thanks for all of the info you put out for us all the time. As a fairly new composer, I love watching and learning from you. I'm currently working on some underscores for our church's Easter service and this will help a ton.
Thanks again.
Andy

sounds amazing to me! what keyboard are you using, how to get this sound?

Thanks Rick! What you do is great! And I agree with your teaching/tutorial style, we have to analyze what you created in order to learn from it. And write music that sounds good to us, then we can discuss if it was the eleventh or the flat 9th of any given chord. Music was first created from what it felt pleasant and then theory was written to explain it. Thanks again!

Mahhh it's weird when the quavers are going the wrong way because of the second voice

That was marvelous, thanks!

Rick, you absolutely have to do a video on scoring/arranging for Horn (& Wagner tuben) and horn section. I really liked the video on trumpet section writing but Horn to me is more special because I'm of course a Horn player (and composer), but your approach in compositional teaching is so accessible, I think you'd do it more justice than me......

Please make more of these :D

Hey Rick! Analysing the score right now and was wondering how you're analysing the Db chord in the 3rd measure. I would be tempted to think it's a Gdim(7)/Db (II6). Except for the Ab on the piano and harp, I'd be thinking of this chord otherwise than a Db chord. My question would be, how is it a Db chord in your eyes?

I do the same thing you do, except from a different perspective. Since you have the training in modes/chords/scales, you imagine the chord b4 you write it. I instead find the notes that work together, not knowing what the chords/modes/scales are. The end result is much the same. I do wish I had your training. What I do have is the ear.

Hey, I decided to write my question here because thats your last video which is related somehow to it. I watched a few of your videos about scales, like lydian augmented, dorian b2, and I noticed that the sevenths chords can be with a sus4 but there never was a seventh chord with a sus2, why is that?
Greetings from a Polish musician, keep up the great work. :-)

How do you get those nice orchestra sounds? Do you have a notation program that plays back with those sounds, or do you notate it and then record/play it separately in another program?

Open to multiple answers/suggesting!
I’m just starting to score films and am trying to find a way to get a passable midi-orchestra sound (I know that midi will obviously not sound like a real orchestra, but I’d be happy with a sound like in this video).