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In the realm of modern music, heavy metal is the genre with the strongest connection to horror themes such as demons, serial killers and unfathomable evil. Often a childlike melody is played on these instruments and is then contrasted against a symphonic pad or drone which might be in a different key, causing dissonance. Interestingly, seemingly 'innocent' instruments, such as a piano played in the high register, or a music box, are horror staples. The foreign, oddball nature of the this arrangement helps instill a sense of 'something's not right here' that's idiomatic of horror. One interesting idea is to contrast an esoteric instrument (such as the theremin) against a more traditional collection of instruments such as a symphony or chamber group. If you're composing your music on a keyboard synthesizer, now is a good time to explore the less utilized tones and patches in your collection. Less used instrument like the musical saw or wood blocks can find a home in a horror score. The wavering theremin, almost upon its invention, became synonymous with either eerie science-fiction monsters or ectoplasmic ghosts shimmering in the darkness. (I'm dubious about the concept, but it's fun to think about.)Ĭlassical and symphonic sounds notwithstanding, exotic or fringe instruments also have their place in horror. The notes were too low to hear, but could play havoc with the human nervous system.

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* One book in the fictional teen detective series 'The Three Investigators' described a feeling of slowly building dread that could be instilled in humans by playing extremely low notes on a pipe organ. (Indeed, one could argue they've become predictable.) Symphonic and classical instruments and choral voices are hallmarks of horror soundtracks perhaps they ascribe a timeless nature to the monstrous evil which is causing zombies to rise from the earth or vampires to hunger for virgin blood. Certain instruments - especially deep, sonorous instruments such as the pipe organ* or cello - are often used by horror composers. Obviously the instruments utilized in a piece of horror music have a lot of impact. I've grouped these into two sections: 1) Instrumental Ideas and 2) Musical Ideas. I considered a number of ideas and concepts while writing my horror theme. Horror music, almost by definition, should not sound normal it should defy many of the rules followed in standard musicmaking. Since so many of the instruments, harmonies, melodies and structures used in horror stand apart from those used in 'conventional' music, writing in the style gives one a chance to try new things and break out of the box. But during horror music's best moments (say, the work of Bernard Herrmann or Goblin), it can reach the heights of any other style of music.įrom a composer's viewpoint, there's an undeniable challenge to writing horror music. And - when one is talking about the mediocrities of the genre - these charges are doubtless true. In many quarters, horror music is even maligned, lambasted as a genre of unsubtle dynamics, dissonant melodies and tired clichés. Though it's quite prominently used in film, television and video games, you don't see a lot of discussion or analysis of its composition.

Thus educated, I decided to collect my observations on the process into this article.įirst, because I will refer to it throughout the article, let me present my horror theme: 'Chamber of Severed Heads.' Recently I decided to stretch my creative muscles and write a musical composition in the style of the great horror themes of cinema such as John Carpenter's 'Halloween' or Charles Bernstein's 'Nightmare on Elm Street.' This turned out to be a very enjoyable exercise from which I learned quite a lot.

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Email: forbis the mighty at hot mail dot com (remove spaces etc.)įolks, if you're looking for royalty free music for videos, presentations, games etc, check out my Pond5 Music collection.