How to Write Ambient Fantasy Music (Like Skyrim)

Summary

This video tutorial teaches viewers how to compose ambient music in the style of Skyrim. It covers essential techniques such as creating cinematic chord progressions, using structures like sentence and period patterns to develop musical ideas, and employing incremental complexity to add variety. The video also highlights the importance of atmosphere, focusing on instrumentation, layering, and creating a sense of depth with strings, choirs, synths, and pads. With a focus on simplicity and repetition, the tutorial guides you through the process of sketching music, orchestrating it, and experimenting with different textures and voices to create immersive soundscapes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Ambient music often focuses on harmony and instrumentation, with less emphasis on melody.
• 🎶 Cinematic chord progressions are often based on simple two-chord ideas, avoiding complex jazz harmonies.
• 🎵 For creating an ambient feel, choose simple major or minor chords, occasionally using suspended or sixth chords.
• 🎹 Use structures like sentence or period structure to expand simple two-chord progressions into full progressions.
• 📏 Ambient music benefits from repetition, which can be arranged in patterns like 'A A A B A A' to build structure.
• 🎼 Incremental complexity allows you to gradually introduce new elements to prevent music from becoming repetitive or boring.
• 🎤 When composing ambient music, the top line of a progression can act as a pseudo melody, drawing the listener's attention.
• 🎧 Focus on using ear-based voicing and inversions, rather than worrying about traditional voice leading conventions.
• 🎶 Sketches are created by starting with a basic progression and then layering voices to gradually build a complex texture.
• 🎚️ To create a rich sound, use a combination of string, choir, and synth instruments, with careful orchestration to create atmospheric depth.

Q & A

What is the focus of the video?

The video focuses on teaching viewers how to write Skyrim-style ambient music, covering topics like cinematic chord progressions, useful musical structures, and the role of instruments in ambient music.

How are cinematic chord progressions different from traditional ones?

Cinematic chord progressions focus less on traditional functional harmony and more on contemporary, epic sounds. They typically avoid extended harmonies like seventh or ninth chords and often use simple major or minor chords with occasional suspended or sixth chords.

What are the four main traits of epic cinematic chord progressions?

1) They are often built around a simple two-chord idea expanded by sentence or period structure. 2) They mostly use simple major or minor chords. 3) They avoid traditional voice leading conventions. 4) The top line of the progression often creates a pseudo melody.

What does the term 'structure' mean in music, and why is it important in writing ambient tracks?

'Structure' refers to the pattern of how different musical themes or sections are arranged. In ambient music, using clear structures like sentence or period structure helps maintain a sense of progression and repetition, which is key to creating an atmospheric and immersive experience.

What is the role of repetition in ambient music?

Repetition is a core characteristic of ambient music. It creates a sense of continuity and atmosphere, but it must be handled carefully to avoid sounding monotonous. Incremental complexity is introduced to keep the music engaging.

What is incremental complexity, and how does it work in ambient music composition?

Incremental complexity involves starting with a simple idea and gradually adding new elements each time it repeats, preventing the music from becoming boring. This approach is used in ambient music to introduce subtle variations while maintaining repetition.

What are the steps for writing the first phrase in the sketch?

For the first phrase, you create a simple harmonic variation of the top line of your chord progression. Then, you harmonize the top line using the root or fifth of each chord, without forming a full chord until the last two measures to introduce incremental complexity.

Why should you avoid using the third of a chord too frequently in ambient music?

The third of a chord should not appear more times than the root or fifth because it can create a muddy sound. Keeping the third's appearance limited helps maintain clarity and balance in the music.

What is the role of a pedal point in ambient music?

A pedal point is a single note that is sustained or repeated throughout a phrase, providing a constant background that helps create a grounded and atmospheric texture in ambient music.

How are the instruments typically used in the orchestration of ambient music?

Ambient music orchestration generally involves three main instrumental sections: strings, choir, and synths (ambient pads). Synths create subtle background layers, strings and choirs play the themes, and pads contribute to the atmospheric sound.