7 Creepy Tricks and Treats for Writing Halloween Horror Music Halloween brings out the scary and creepy in music. Learning how to write music that is perfect for Halloween horror is easy and a lot of fun! Follow these seven simple tips about how you can use sound effects , instrumentation, harmony and more to create a convincing scary song this Halloween. Before we start talking about how to write super freaky Halloween music, let’s work on your listening skills. Listen to the sample audio Frankenstein’s Dreamscape. As you listen, use your ears to jot down just a few of the spooky characteristics in this haunting track. GO TO THE FULL ARTICLE: 7 Creepy Tricks and Treats for Writing Halloween Horror Music

PHOTO CREDIT: EASYEARTRAINING Learning how to play scary Halloween horror music can be a fun and easy music experience. You don't have to be Danny Elfman or Bernard Hermann to create a convincing horror soundtrack. Follow these easy professional tips to writing some seriously spooky music for your next Halloween party, album, or project. 1. Keep it in minor. For some reason, in Western music, minor keys just seem spooky and scary, like you just walked through a cemetery on Halloween night . What is a basic minor chord ? The C minor chord is C-Eb-G. Go ahead and play this chord on your keyboard. Break it up or play it block chord style. Be sure to tousle your hair like a mad scientist and give out a horrifying laugh as you jam. LEARN MORE ABOUT SCORING SCARY MUSIC 2. Freaky instruments equal freaky horror music. Sure, a flute might sound pretty, but a pipe organ sounds simply insane. Try some bent strings or even an eerie synthesizer in your music mix....

Low Budget Film and Video Tips:  Choosing the Right Music Without Breaking the Bank Professional tips on choosing the right music for your film or video project. CONTENT: Unless you happen to have a multi-million dollar budget and the right connections, you will not have the privilege of having Danny Elfman , Rachel Portman , or John Williams compose the music to your next film or video project. However, with some smart planning and a bit of networking, you can have a professional quality soundtrack for your film or video. First you need to decide what type of music you want for your project. Do you want a combination of edgy bands and electronica to propel your sci-fi action flick forward? Do you want a lush orchestral score to envelop your listeners in a compelling drama? Are you absolutely convinced that your film will not work with anything less than a Bartok string quartet? Experiment with different music styles behind each scene. Sometimes less is more, and sometime...

Cover via Amazon Wagner made several contributions to classical composition, the most important of which were the leitmotif and his use of dissonance. In a nutshell, the leitmotif essentially gives each and every character in Wagner's opera their own specific musical motif, or theme music . Wagner's concept of the leitmotif has translated well into modern film composition. In fact, every film composer knows that he or she must devise a theme (or leitmotif) for the protagonist and antagonist of the film. This musical cue gives the audience an aural "heads up" that a specific character is about to enter the scene or plays an important part. For example, in the movie Jaws , John Williams assigns a particular motif based on minor seconds to the shark. Every time one hears this motif, the audience knows that the shark is out there, somewhere. Stephen Spielberg and John Williams (as well as Tim Burton and Danny Elfman ) have a very unique director/composer relati...