Action-Music Harmony in Classic Blockbuster Films

Learn harmonic techniques of well-known scores from the 1970s to early 2000s.

Copyright Notice

Lifetime Access

No need to rush through the course. Take the time you need to learn the material thoroughly.

Site Forums

Get answers to your questions, share your compositions, and talk with your peers.

Quick References

Review courses quickly and easily with summary notes on key points and details.

This Course Only

$125.00 USD
Duration: 6 Hrs 34 Min

Enroll In Course
Watch Preview

Bundle These 2 Courses Together

$125 + $125 = $250 USD
$112.50 + $112.50 = $225 USD
Duration: 14 Hrs 6 Min

Enroll In Courses
Learn About Hexatonic Course

The octatonic scale is one of the most commonly-used resources in classic action music. Learn the power of its versatility in these three lessons. Lesson 1 builds a vocabulary of common octatonic chords in action music from the 70s, 80s and 90s, many of which are connected by the “Alpha chord”, a key concept which has never before been applied to film music. Lesson 2 explores techniques for writing octatonic melodies and for stretching chords out into short passages. And Lesson 3 shows how to write longer and more complex passages.

Octatonic Course Breakdown

  1. Octatonic Scales
    • Overview
    • Possible Chords
  2. Traditional Chords from Octatonic Scales
    • Major Chords
    • Minor Chords
  3. The Alpha Chord and Its Dissonant Subsets
    • Overview
    • Large Subset Chords – 5 or 6 notes
    • Major and Minor Subset Chords – with one dissonance
    • Atonal Subset Chords – 3 notes

  1. Octatonic Melodies
    • The Whole-Tone Octatonic Mode
    • The (0134) Chord
    • Connective Scale Runs
    • Dyads Composed of 3rds
  2. Drawing Out Octatonic Harmony
    • Repeated Chord with Octatonic Melody
    • Transposed Chord with Octatonic Melody
  3. Multiple Octatonic Scales
    • Successive Scales
    • Simultaneous Scales
  1. Combining Octatonic Elements
    • Melody/Bass Intervals
      1. Unmoving Bass
      2. Moving Bass
      3. Melodic Bass
    • Melody and Accompaniment
      1. Freely-Written Chords
      2. Multiple-Strand Accompaniments
  2. Varying Octatonic Harmonies
    • Through Motives
    • Through a Common Subset
  3. Octatonic Elements at Larger Scales
    • Through Returning Music
    • Through Returning Intervals
I wanted to thank you for making this course, it has saved my life so many times in my work this year, with the crazy deadlines I have had and 8 films releasing on Amazon (including Exorcist Vengeance, Jurassic Valley, and The Offering) I can go straight to what I now know works without guesswork or dead ends and I’ve only scratched the surface! My advice to anyone would be to hold fire on that new sample library and level yourself up with this course.
Mike EllawayFilm Composer
This really IS the holy grail… Most of us are happy to admit that composers of classic blockbusters have a command of a harmonic language that seems sometimes impenetrable. But it isn’t… This course literally shows you note by note HOW it’s constructed and the logic that goes into it. Before this course the notes from many great cues made sense when I heard them, but when I literally went in and picked them out one by one, I’d go HUH?! Now I don’t. AND now I can write music that has the same harmonic flavour.
Ed BullerFilm & TV Composer, Record Producer
The content in this course is second to none. Mark’s ability to explain and simplify some of the most complex topics in your favourite action music writing and make them approachable is unparalleled. The layout of the course is excellent and is divided into easily digestible chapters, that not only cover topics that aren’t discussed elsewhere but teach you the principles of how to think and write with the mindset with which they were written.
Greg StuckeyComposer, Songwriter, Record Producer

Now Available – Action Music 3

Learn how dissonant tonal action chords are used when freed from the context of a scale, and which dissonant-bass chords and polychords appear most often, all supported by dozens of examples from classic blockbuster films.

Learn More

Join Our Mailing List

Receive an email when a new course or blog post becomes available.

By subscribing, you agree with our Privacy Policy.

Scroll to Top