What This Module Covers
Magic was originally bundled together with the comedy theme. It got its own module because the subject is dense and has too many facets to squeeze in alongside something else. Drawing on projects like Sortilège à l'Opéra and on youth series, this module goes through the musical codes used to depict magic in detail, the positive kind and the negative kind alike.
What You'll Be Able to Do
The goal is to give you the techniques and the musical codes you need to build a wide range of magical atmospheres, whether they're joyful, mysterious, or dark.
Three families run through the module:
- Positive, tonal magic
- Mysterious magic
- Dark magic and incantations
Each one has its own distinct characteristics in terms of tonality, rhythm, and choice of instruments.
Four Ways to Express Magic
There are several styles of magic in music: joyful, mysterious, grand, or supernatural. The main factor is the choice of instruments and the techniques you use with them. Here's the overview, and the instruments in the next lessons will build on it.
Joyful magic
Characteristics: clear, tonal melodies and harmonies, and dancing, upbeat rhythms.
Instruments:
- Piano for bright melodies.
- Strings: violins and cellos to add lightness.
- Brass: trumpets and trombones to reinforce the festive side.
- Percussion: tambourines and maracas for the rhythm.
Mysterious magic
Characteristics: an intriguing atmosphere built on dissonant harmonies, with slow, spaced-out rhythms.
Instruments:
- Electronic keyboards: synthesizers for mysterious textures.
- Strings: violins with tremolo effects.
- Woodwinds: flutes and clarinets for ethereal sounds.
- Effects: reverbs and echoes to create an immersive atmosphere.
Grand magic
Characteristics: a feeling of grandeur and majesty carried by rich harmonies, with majestic, powerful rhythms.
Instruments:
- Full orchestra, using a wide range of instruments.
- Brass: trumpets, horns, tubas for the grandeur.
- Strings: violins, violas, cellos for the depth.
- Percussion: timpani and bass drums for the big moments.
Supernatural magic
Characteristics: a sense of strangeness and of a parallel world, built on unconventional sounds, with unpredictable harmonies and rhythms.
Instruments:
- Unusual instruments: jaw harps, didgeridoos for exotic sounds.
- Sound effects: digital processing to create otherworldly sounds.
- Strings with effects: extended techniques such as glissando to add a supernatural touch.
The Takeaway
Music for magic is diverse, and each type of magic calls for its own approach. The choice of instruments and techniques is what creates the effect you're after and matches the magical atmosphere you want to depict.