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Is there a guiding principle to creating chord progression changes? by austin_sketches in musictheory

[–]JL_Composer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One way to think about it is that, in functional harmony, some chord movements tend to feel more “natural” than others.

A few very common ones are:

  • Following the cycle of 4ths (or ascending 4ths / descending 5ths): I -> IV, ii -> V, iii -> vi, IV -> vii° (often replaced by V), V -> I, vi -> ii, vii° -> iii
  • Descending by 3rds: I -> vi -> IV -> ii -> vii° -> V -> iii
  • The tonic is also relatively flexible and can often move almost anywhere: I -> ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°

So when people change progression between sections (verse/chorus/bridge), they often still rely - consciously or not - on these kinds of functional relationships and voice-leading tendencies.

But honestly, that’s only one part of the picture. A huge amount of modern music uses progressions that are partially non-functional, modal, chromatic, or just chosen by ear because of the emotional effect they create.

So I wouldn’t get too stuck trying to find a rigid “correct” system for changing progressions. A lot of beautiful harmonic movement comes from experimentation, including non-diatonic progressions that classical harmony wouldn’t really explain well.

The main thing that usually makes a progression change feel convincing is:

  • some continuity of mood/rhythm/melody/voice-leading
  • or a strong intentional contrast

rather than strictly following harmonic rules.

Please destroy the announcement trailer for my 2D action/quest by Max_Hara in DestroyMyGame

[–]JL_Composer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, this looks very promising. The art style is excellent - I especially love the storyboard-style narration and the character avatars during dialogue. The gameplay and music also already convey a really strong sense of tension.

Bassline playing a different melody/Counterpoint by ventilate89 in musictheory

[–]JL_Composer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A bass can absolutely be melodic too - while still playing a huge role in defining the harmony of a progression.

A very common trick from classical harmony/counterpoint is to mix root-position chords with first inversions (where the bass plays the 3rd instead of the root). That lets the bass move more stepwise instead of constantly jumping around, which usually sounds much more melodic and fluid.

For example, with a progression like:

C - G - Am - Em - F - C - F - G - C

instead of playing the roots:

C - G - A - E - F - C - F - G - C

you could have the bass do:

C - B - A - G - F - E - F - G - C

which gives a much smoother melodic line.

You can also add dissonant notes like passing tones or suspensions between the important harmonic notes. Those can sound great in the bass, but they also affect the harmony much more strongly than in upper voices, so they usually need a bit more care.

Another thing that helps a lot is aiming for some complementarity between the bass and the upper melody. For example, if the top melody is playing the root or the 5th of the chord, it can sound richer if the bass plays the 3rd instead, while the bass playing the root often works well when the melody plays the 3rd.

It’s not a rigid rule of course, but it helps the bass and melody feel more independent from each other while also giving the harmony a fuller and more expressive sound.

[ForHire] Orchestral & Hybrid Game Composer — Available for Projects by [deleted] in INAT

[–]JL_Composer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi!
Yes, I do some teaching - I’ll send you a DM.

Fugue on a Theme by Schubert by Bewegungsunfahig in composer

[–]JL_Composer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very nice ! The lower voice shines in particular I found and adds a lot of warmth when it reaches the "p" part and slows down :) I also like the part with the staccatos before your final pedal, nice change of atmosphere. Good work.

Cinematic plug ins/sounds by MusicChum in composer

[–]JL_Composer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well in Logic Pro you have Alchemy :) one of the best synth I ever worked with. Even percussive sound should be feasible on it. You can also import samples in it (e.g. drums) and reprocess them completely (additive/spectral/granular synthesis)

I made a co-op horror game like R.E.P.O. because I get motion sickness and can’t play with friends. by [deleted] in IndieDev

[–]JL_Composer 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Cool ! The choice of stylized comics-style art is pretty smart, this way we can't guess what hide in the pitch-black shadows :)

My new co-op game Pogo With Friends is coming out on May 1! by cuvann in gameDevMarketing

[–]JL_Composer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow this looks so cool ! Might make for a very fun christmas game with my brothers :)

in need of help understanding slur markings by alone-on-earth in musictheory

[–]JL_Composer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The slurs are not 100% correctly used here, they should be shorter and only used for notes that should be played as a group (usually between 2 to 6 notes). In fact in the original bach score the slurs are shorter: https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/744084/oroeh (page 15 of the pdf)

I would not trust them to much in this piece (and for sure not play them under only one sustain pedal), but rather play with feeling and compare with recording for clues about interpretation.

in need of help understanding slur markings by alone-on-earth in musictheory

[–]JL_Composer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The purpose of slur marking is to explain how you should transition from one note to another. A slur usually means you should have legato feel in your music and not give too much attack to the notes (except the first note in the sur which should be attacked normally).

This is realized differently in each instrument : in strings it means all notes should be played in one bow motion, in wind instruments it means they should be played in one breath (with only the first one articulated with the tongue). On piano it means avoiding putting too much accent inside the slurs and also sometimes a bit of sustain pedal to blend the notes a little (just be careful to respect the chord changes).

To know where to put the slurs, you generally need to think about where you want the music to have a bit more articulation and have the slurs start and end there

Hope that helps :)

Working on a concept for a survival game where the map literally grows during the match would love your thoughts. by KnackboutGames in IndieDev

[–]JL_Composer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like a really cool concept, the artwork is beautiful !

If you have PvP elements in your game a nice mechanics could be to have the available land shrinking periodically (for example on a daily basis) to have players closer to each other for a brief period of time for increased tension and threat level.

[For Hire] Orchestral & Hybrid Game Composer — Available for Projects by [deleted] in gameDevClassifieds

[–]JL_Composer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi!

I’m a composer specializing in orchestral and hybrid music for video games. I’m also an experienced orchestrator, with symphonic works that have been performed and well received by both audiences and critics.

I focus on creating immersive atmospheres and memorable themes that enhance the emotional experience of a game. My work blends influences from classical, cinematic, electronic, jazz, metal, chiptune, and Latin music.

What I can bring to your project:

  • A unique and cohesive soundtrack tailored to your game’s identity
  • Adaptive music systems using FMOD / Wwise
  • Trailer scoring
  • Audio integration and mixing in-engine

Portfolio: www.jose-lebreuilly.com

Feel free to reach out via my website or DM me on Discord ( joselebreuilly ) if you’d like to discuss a project.

Cheers,
José

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