Scoring a silent movie
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Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can combine different elements to create a live musical accompaniment for a silent film.
Key learning points
- Music in silent movies has to transition seamlessly between different scenes and moods.
- Many performers played popular songs and used musical clichés in their musical performances.
- One famous example is the ‘misterioso’ musical cliché.
- To transition between scenes, performers often played a vamp, a repeated pattern based on chords.
- Composing music using a D minor vamp.
Keywords
Musical cliché - a musical idea that is well-known and used often
Vamp - a repeated musical pattern, often based on chords
D minor - a set of notes starting on D which includes Bb as the flattened sixth
Common misconception
When a piano player plays music with a silent movie it is always completely improvised.
While they improvise many aspects, they often use specific musical ideas to create specific effects. This includes vamps, certain chords (e.g. diminished 7th for tension) and musical clichés like the misterioso that create certain effects.
Teacher tip
To extend learning, challenge pupils to play along with famous scenes. Charlie Chaplin's 'Lion's Cage' scene is ideal - pupils can use the tools they have developed - mickey-mousing, different moods and chords - to improvise along with the scene in the manner of traditional silent movie musicians.
Equipment
Keyboards/pianos/MIDI keyboards
Licence
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