# Film scoring/The sound of joy

* Interesting examples by FIREborn: Fear.ogg ---- Sad.ogg ---- Tired.ogg ---- Surprise.ogg ---- Joy.ogg ---- Fast like the wind.ogg.
This school is:
Narrative film production - Wikiversity Film School and School of Music - Wikiversity Film School
This course is:
Film scoring
The pages in the course is:
Introduction to film scoring
Create the sound of fear from a single note
Create other moods from a single note
Create the sound of joy using a delicate rhythm ← You are here!
Create other moods from delicate rhythms
Quiz: Music which tells a story
Create a mood with a melody
Create a story with a melody
Quiz: The Spy Story - Who is who?
DVD-Video: Scoring your first scene - The Promotion
Create four motifs - Mama, papa, baby, and Goldie
Create continuity with a single motif
Foreground / Background music - soft vs. loud
Quiz: Watch a short movie - George Lucas In Love
DVD-Video: What is a "Spotting Session"? - Only A Dream
DVD-Video: Write two musical cues for Home Wrecker
More musical theory
Butchering Midi - The starwars theme
DVD-Video: How would you score Green Tea Smoothie ?
DVD-Video: Write a film score for Blindman's Bluff
Write a film score for Seduced by the Dark Side! :
Moods created from delicate rhythms
This lesson is all about repeating rhythms
For this lesson, you create moods with very delicate rhythms. The music should sound like flowing water.
Instructions for this exercise
Select one instrument such as tiny bells or a harp.
Create 6 seconds of rapidly repeating delicate rhythm using only four or five or six notes that repeat like flowing water.
There can be slight variations but absolutely no melody. (These notes act like a chord, not a melody.)
If you use a second instrument, it should be a single note in the background.
Keep it delicate. You are creating background music (soft music) because you don't want your music to drown out the dialog of the actors.
No Percussion
"Why are we doing this assignment?", you ask. The actors' voices and most percussion instruments have the same frequency range. If you use the loud percussive sound of drums, you will make the dialog harder to understand.
Rule - No drums
When you score a scene which has a conversation, you must never use drums or any of the normal percussion instruments (even piano.)
The solution
Therefore, the purpose of this lesson is to figure out ways to get a beat to your music while not using drums. Light, delicate rhythms using violin, harp, or even tiny bells is the answer.
Hold that thought
You can hold the last note or hold the last chord, etc. when you reach the last note. Then let it fade out.
Delicate rhythm assignment
Listen to an example
Your assignment
1. Create the sound of joy.
Using very delicate sounds (tiny bells or a harp), create a 6-second long repeating rhythm which sounds very happy. (see instructions above)
Keep it nice and simple.
Once you are finished, send me the file and we will go from there.
Repeating like flowing water
In this exercise, you must use a very fast, repeating rhythm with perhaps a note or two played softly in the background.
The sound of the delicate rhythm should repeat very fast like flowing water, etc.
Think LOOPS
This is the only time in this course when you can use loops if you wish. Look through your library of harp loops for the sounds of gentle repeating rhythms. Also try replacing the harp sound with gentle guitar sounds or violin sounds.
Variation in the repetition
When I say repeating, I do not mean 100% identical repetition. Instead, you can vary the notes to create a direction to the music.
Shape the volume curve
Don't forget to create a volume curve for your music. Most of the time, you will not want a musical cue to simply turn on and then turn off suddenly.
No melody
Remember: No melody or heavy rhythms. Only delicate rhythms and perhaps a few simple notes in the background. :
* Completed Homework Assignments - The sound of joy exercise
* Examples of delicate rhythms sounds which create a mood for the course on film scoring for musicians
* Rainer Pusch has completed this assignment. June 4, 2007
* From Mannheim, Germany, Rainer Pusch sent me an MP3 file for the sound of joy (actually, "Joy, but danger gets closer...") I converted the file to OGG which you can hear by clicking here. 2 points.
* Stanov has completed this assignment. June 6, 2007
* From Sofia, Bulgaria, Stanov sent me an MP3 file for the sound of joy. I converted the file to OGG which you can hear by clicking here. 2 points.
* Orsanct has completed this assignment. July 22, 2007
* From Oregon, Orsanct sent me an MP3 file for the sound of joy. I converted the file to OGG which you can hear by clicking here. 10 points.
* TBOL3 has completed this assignment. August 26, 2007
* Created in Rosegarden and TiMidity++ clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Blueygh2 has completed this assignment. September 3, 2007
* The sound of happy was created in Sibelius 4 using Garritan Personal Orchestra sound library. clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Joe Mac has completed this assignment. September 15, 2007
* The 6 second sound of joy was created in GarageBand 4 using one instrument (Boldt ensonic glock) 5 notes, played by hand on yamaha midi controller.clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* FIREborn has completed this assignment. November 05, 2007
* The sound of joy was created in Propellerheads Reason 3.0,. Clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Sowens has completed this assignment. November 07, 2007
* The sound of joy was created using Finale with the Garritan personal orchestra. Clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Robert Hall has completed this assignment. February 14, 2008
* The sound of joy was created using Sibelius 4. Clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Ben Henderson (Cubinoid) has completed this assignment. February 23, 2008
* A sound of joy was created using Logic Pro and the Vienna String Library. Clicking here to listen.
* Another sound of joy was created using Logic Pro and the Vienna String Library. Clicking here to listen.
* Both of these had melodies as well as rhythm. Many times, you do not have the space to include a melody. Therefore, I prefer no melody for this assignment.
* Another attempt at the sound of joy was created using Logic Pro and the Vienna String Library. Clicking here to listen. It still has a melody.
* Finally a sound of joy was created using Logic Pro and the Vienna String Library which has no melody. Clicking here to listen. 10 points.
* Completed Film Scoring Assignment - Creating the sound of joy from a delicate rhythm
* May 15, 2008
* Tonto Silver has created this assignment.
* Joy.