Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's music lesson.

I'm Miss Manzel, and I'm gonna be your teacher for today.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson outcome is, "I can use rhythm and texture to develop an ostinato for a film scene." Let's look at the keywords for today's lesson.

"Driving rhythm," a rhythm based on fast, repeating notes, often quavers or semiquavers.

"Ostinato," a repeating pattern that forms the basis of a piece of music.

"Accent," an emphasis placed on a note.

"Texture," how many different layers of sound play at once and how they interact.

"Doubling," when two parts play the same melody.

Today's lesson on using rhythm and texture in film music is in two parts.

Part one is on using rhythm to create energy, and part two is on using texture to build excitement.

Let's get started with part one, using rhythm to create energy.

Rhythm in film music creates energy and builds excitement.

Compare these two clips from the same film.

How does the use of rhythm change the mood? You're gonna need to be able to find the clips from this particular film.

This is "The Bourne Identity" by John Powell.

Find them and have a listen.

What did you think? The first clip, although subtle, uses a consistent beat in the accompaniment as a contrast to the slow moving melody.

The second clip uses much more obvious, consistent quavers.

These fast repeated driving rhythms create a sense of energy and excitement.

This example from the same film also uses driving rhythms. How does the rhythmic element contrast with the previous clip? Find the clip and have a listen.

That clip is more dependent on the percussion and drums to create the driving rhythms. In the first clip, the driving rhythms are part of a pitched ostinato.

Most of the music in this film is based on ostinati.

Combined with the driving rhythms, this repetition creates a feeling of constant action and energy, which is suitable for this film 'cause it's a fast-paced action film.

What other features in this clip help to create a feeling of action and excitement? This clip is from a different film in the same franchise.

As well as the driving rhythms and ostinato, you might have noticed that there was a strong pulse, a lively tempo, accented articulation, different rhythmic layers.

The ostinato is low pitched, and it's in a minor key.

We can compose music for an action scene by using some of those features.

So we're going to start with a four-note motif.

Have a listen to the motif.

(simple four-note motif playing) We can add driving rhythms on each note and repeat to make an ostinato.

So have a listen to that.

(steady rhythmic ostinato playing) Can you hear how switching from crotchets to semiquavers to add lots of rhythms on each note, and repeating it gives it so much more energy? You can play it in a lower octave.

Have a listen to what it sounds like now.

(ostinato in lower octave playing) And then change the timbre to something more intense, such as a synth, brass, or strings.

Have a listen to this version.

(ostinato with intense brass tone playing) And then we can accent the strong beats.

Have a listen to that.

(ostinato with accented beats playing) So now, compare the original ostinato and the developed version.

So have a listen to the original version.

(original simple ostinato playing) And now listen to the developed version.

(energetic ostinato playing) Makes a really big difference.

These different features have turned the four-note motif into an exciting energetic ostinato, suitable for an action scene.

Let's do a check for understanding.

What two features define a driving rhythm? Is it (a) fast notes, (b) slow notes, (c) rhythmic changes, or (d) rhythmic repetition? Which two features? Well done if you've got these.

You should have said A, fast notes, and D, rhythmic repetition.

Which two features define an ostinato? Is it (a) repetition, (b) change, (c) forms the basis of a composition, or (d) adds interest at certain points in a composition? Which two features? Well done if you said A and C.

It's repetition, and an ostinato forms the basis of a composition.

Let's have a go at task A.

We want you to create an ostinato that is suitable for a high energy action scene.

So the steps for doing this are going to be: create a four-note motif from the notes of the D-minus scale.

So a reminder that the D-minus scale consists of D, E, F, G, A, B-flat, and C.

And we want your motif to start on D.

Record it at a moderate or fast tempo with driving rhythms, accents on strong beats, a low pitch, and a suitable timbre.

And we want you to repeat your motif eight times.

So pause for the lesson video, and have a go at task A.

I hope you've gotten well with creating your ostinato.

Suggest two ways that this ostinato could be made more energetic.

Have a listen.

(simple ostinato playing) What did you think? It could use faster repeated notes to create driving rhythms, and it could use accents to add energy.

It could be played in a lower octave, and it could use a more energetic timbre than a flute.

For example, brass instrument.

Let's move on to part two of the lesson: using texture to build excitement.

Film composers also develop texture to build energy and excitement.

Which of these examples feels more exciting? How does the texture help to achieve this feeling? You'll need to find both of these clips.

The first one is from "Vertigo" and is by Bernard Herrmann.

And the second one is from "Batman Returns" and is by Danny Elfmam.

Find the clips and have a listen.

What did you think? You could have said that the thicker, busier texture of the second clip makes it feel more dramatic and exciting.

Have a listen to this clip.

What changes in the texture that gradually builds excitement and energy? (music builds in texture) You could hear layers of percussion instruments added.

The ostinato is double in different instruments and octaves.

A base part is added.

All of these parts are gradually added, thickening the texture.

By thickening the texture, we can gradually build excitement in a film scene.

This can be done by adding percussion layers.

Watch a demonstration video of that.

<v Speaker>One of the simplest and most effective ways</v> to thicken the texture to build excitement is adding percussion layers.

So far, I've just got my ostinato, which sounds like this.

(steady ostinato playing) And it's got some of those features that we've already talked about, driving rhythms, super timbre, some use of accents to emphasize key notes.

Key notes in the rhythm.

So I'm gonna add some percussion layers.

I'm gonna create some new tracks.

I'm gonna try and choose some percussion sounds that suit the sound world that I've already created.

So here, I've got that synthesizer.

So I'm gonna use some electronic percussion sounds.

If I was using a different instrument from my ostinato, I might choose to use orchestral percussion or even things like Latin percussion as well.

So this, I'm gonna be looking for some electronic percussion sounds.

I'm gonna go into these electronic drum kits.

Some of these might work quite well, so I'm gonna just start layering up a few different layers of percussion rhythms to start thickening the texture.

I'll start recording one in.

(percussion rhythm playing) So there's one, I can do another one, and I'll just use that same electronic drum kit for the sake of this.

(new rhythm track added) Let's do one more.

Maybe try that, that's quite an interesting sound.

Not these, maybe that one.

(rhythmic layers build) Then what I can do is I can loop them.

I can adjust the balance of them, so I might need to make that one quieter, for example.

And if I need to as well, I can quantize them to get 'em perfectly in time.

Just have a listen, and I'm gonna adjust these as I'm listening.

(rhythmic layers repeat in loop) So they're all kind of similar sounds.

They're all quite high pitched and thin timbres.

I was developing this more.

I might try and choose some more varied sounds, so something that are more cliquey or maybe something that sounds a bit more wooden or metallic.

So there's a bit of contrast in there as well.

So have a go at using different layers of percussion to start thickening that texture.

<v ->Doubling the ostinato in a different instrument or octave.

</v> Watch the video to see how to do that.

<v Speaker>Second way to thicken the texture</v> to build excitement is to double the ostinato in a different instrument or a different octave.

Doubling just means that more than one part is playing the same part at the same time.

So I'm gonna create a new track.

I'm gonna put it just under my ostinato here.

And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna copy and paste my ostinato into that new track.

That will now mean that both of those are playing it together.

Let's hear the original on its own.

(original ostinato playing) And now with the other part.

(doubled ostinato playing) So they're doubling that ostinato.

Now here, I want to try and choose some interesting timbres that add something really effective to the texture.

So I don't think that classical electric piano adds that much in this context.

So I'm gonna experiment with some different instruments to see what I can find.

And again, since I'm going for a sort of electronic sound world here, I'll probably use synthesizers, but you might be doing something totally different.

(synth timbre added) I quite like that one now that's quite effective, I think.

The other thing that that one does is it plays it in a higher octave.

So if you can find an instrument that automatically moves your ostinato into a different octave, that will help really build that texture as well.

If it doesn't do that, you can always move it manually by selecting all the notes, and moving them up or down an octave.

Like that.

That's another way of changing the octave.

Now, so I've got two parts, doubling the ostinato.

If I wanted, I could also add a third one, so I could do the same thing.

Again, new track, copy the ostinato into the new track, and then again, find another instrument that works.

So maybe a slightly contrasting one.

Let's see what these sound like.

(layered ostinatos playing) So we can hear there.

That would really help to thicken that texture, just by copying and doubling that ostinato.

<v ->Adding a simple base part and building the texture.

</v> Watch the video to see how to do that.

<v Speaker>I've got a nice thick texture now.

</v> There's one more thing I'm gonna do to really build this texture into a really exciting one, and that is to add a really simple base part.

Now for this, all I'm gonna do is emphasize the first note of the ostinato in every bar, and that will give it a little bit more excitement and a bit more energy.

So I'm gonna create a new track.

I'm gonna create a base instrument.

And again, 'cause I'm mostly using synthesizers, I'm gonna use a synth base, but you might do something different.

So I'm gonna choose one of these.

I'm gonna find out what the first note of my ostinato is.

So mine is D.

And I'm just gonna record in a D at the start of each bar in this base track that will help me to emphasize the start of the bar.

So I found that note.

(bass note playing) I want a nice punchy base sound.

(bass tone playing) That sounds quite good, can record it.

(rhythmic music playing) You can see they're recorded.

Those three of those in the start of the bar.

Loop it.

And now, let's have listen to my nice thick texture altogether.

(full layered texture playing) And now to build the texture, all I need to do is structure it.

So I'm gonna start with a thin texture and gradually introduce these parts.

So I'll maybe start with this version of the ostinato.

Then I can bring in this doubled version of the ostinato.

Maybe I bring the base in here, and you'll notice I'm working in blocks of four bars.

That's quite important.

I'll bring in some of the percussion here, and maybe save these ones until a little bit later.

And as I'm doing this, I'm thickening the texture.

So it's getting more and more exciting as we move through.

And then at the end there, it's a really thick texture.

So it's just listening to this whole thing.

Start with the thin texture in blocks of four bars, building up too much thicker texture.

(energetic music playing) So there, we've taken this one really simple idea, and we've developed it using those driving rhythms, building those different features into the texture, into an exciting and energetic music that would suit an action scene in a film.

<v ->Let's do a check for understanding.

</v> Which is most likely to build energy in a film scene? Is it (a) thickening the texture, (b) thinning the texture, or (c) keeping the texture the same? I hope you said A, thickening the texture.

What is doubling? Is it (a) when a melody is played twice in quick succession, (b) when two parts play a melody together, or (c) when a melody is played at double speed? Well done if you said B.

Doubling is when two parts play a melody together.

Let's have a look at task B.

We want you to develop the texture of your ostinato to create a build up of energy and excitement.

So the steps to do this are, we want you to add two to three layers of percussion.

playing fast, repeated rhythms. You should double the ostinato in other instruments and/or octaves by copying it into other tracks.

You should add a simple base part that emphasizes the first note of each bar.

And then you should structure your parts so that the texture starts thin and gradually thickens.

Pause the lesson video and have a go at task B, developing the texture of your ostinato.

I hope you got on well with developing the texture of your ostinato.

Based on how this project looks, how could this composer build up the texture more effectively? Have a look.

You could have said that they should start with a thinner texture and end with a thicker one, or perhaps use four bar regions.

Some of them are three or five bars long.

Let's summarize today's lesson on using rhythm and texture in film music.

Rhythm and texture are crucial elements to develop when creating music for action scenes.

Repeating ostinati, driving rhythms and accents can create a sense of energy and excitement.

Thickening the texture also builds energy and excitement.

Using these strategies, a simple melodic idea can be developed into exciting music for an action scene.

I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson.