Learn how film themes express certain emotions with chromatic chords and changes of key. We cover emotional expressions, voice leading, and harmonic progressions for a wide range of harmonies and modulations, focusing on their film-specific uses. We also explore many uses that are not covered in other sources, like deceptive leading-tone dominants, tritone-polyrooted chords, and modulation cycles. Tailor your use of chromatic chords and modulations to your expressive needs.
Included in the course is a set of composition exercises (with answers) on every concept in the course, provided in MIDI for DAWs, MusicXML for notation software, and PDF for pencil and paper. Get the instructor’s feedback on your work by posting in the site forums, and easily review course material with the Quick Reference sections.
Lesson 1 – Using Secondary Dominants, Augmented 6ths, and Common-Tone Chords
- Secondary Dominants
- Signaling the Classical Tradition – Using Secondary Dominants
- An Unexpected Moment – Elision
- Love or Sweetness – Deceptive Leading-Tone Dominants
- Longing or Aspiring – V#5(add9)
- Soothing, Lamentful, or Serious – Chromatically Descending Lines
- Augmented 6ths
- Overview and Notation
- Foreboding or Parody – Resolving to V or Cadential 6/4
- Love – Resolving to Major I
- Common-Tone Chords
- Common-Tone Diminished 7ths – Overview and Notation
- Innocence, Benevolence – Common-Tone Diminished 7th to Major I or V
- Mystery, Danger – Common-Tone Augmented 6th to I or i
- Composition
Lesson 2 – Mixing Modes and Harmonic Styles
- Refining Expression with Dominant Substitutes
- Beauty, Buoyancy, or Heroism – Sus-Type and Quartal Dominants in Major
- Extraordinary, Supernatural – Tritone-Polyrooted Chords
- Modal Mixture – Threats, Tragedy, Parody, or Wonder
- Minor-Based Mode in Major
- Phrygian bII in Minor
- Other Chromatic and Dissonant Chords
- Whimsical, Magical, Mysterious – Chromatic Planing in Diatonic Settings
- More Beauty, Buoyancy, or Heroism – Other Quartal, Sus, and Added-Note Chords
- Compositions
Lesson 3 – Expression with Modulation
- Overview of Modulation
- Techniques of Modulation
- How Modulation Creates Expression
- Modulation vs. Chromaticized Half Cadence
- Varying Modulation Models
- Modulations from Major Keys
- To V – Uplifting, Optimistic
- To iii – Amazement from Magic or the Supernatural
- To VII – Tenderness
- To III – Awe, Wonder
- Modulation Cycles
- Modulations from Minor Keys
- To bIII or biii – High-Energy or Action Themes
- To iv – Fateful, Tragic
- To bvii – Fearsome (and Its Parody)
- Using Chromatic Chords to Modulate
- Enharmonic Modulation
- Triadic Transformation
- Composition
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