Momentum Love 2022

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com
MOMENTUM
LOVE
1. Suggested Tracks
To Have In Your Template
2. Style Definition
3. Step By Step
4. Tips and Tricks
M O M E N T U M | applytomomentum.com
SUGGESTED TRACKS
TO HAVE IN YOUR TEMPLATE
Must have
Strings Sustain (Ensemble)
Piano
Solo Woodwind (Legato patch) ie.
Oboe, Clarinet, or Flute...
Harp
SUGGESTED TRACKS
TO HAVE IN YOUR TEMPLATE
Useful to have
Celesta
Violins Legato
Cello Legato
DB Sustain
DB Pizz
Cymbal Swell (mf)
...
STYLE DEFINITION
Harmony
Mostly in Major modes - Ionian or Lydian
Mostly uses triads
Common extensions are: add9, 7, 6, sus4
Resolved suspensions are common
progressions: 9-8, 7-6, 6-5, 4-3
Mostly uses diatonic progressions
Altered scale degrees such as b3, b6,
and b7 are common
STYLE DEFINITION
Melody
Mostly built around chord tones
Common non-chord tones are PT (Passing Tone)
and NT (Neighbor Tone)
Countermelodies are frequent, usually introduced
after a first presentation of the main theme
Countermelodies will usually rhythmically contrast
with the main melody
STYLE DEFINITION
Tempo and Rhythm
Usually slow without much rhythmic
accompaniment
Mostly utilize ¼ notes or ⅛ notes
Tempo would range from 60 to 100 BPM
Can be either in 3/4 or 4/4
STYLE DEFINITION: ORCHESTRATION

Harmonies can be played
by either :
a) The string section alone.
b) Any combination of mid/low

strings (viola, cello and bass),
low brass (trombones and tuba),
and low woodwinds (bassoons
and bass clarinet).
Harmonies can also be enhanced

with the Harp playing arpeggios

The melody can be played by either:
a) a lyrical solo instrument: woodwind,
horn, piano, violin or cello are
common. Celesta is a good alternative.
b) a single string section by
themselves - Violin 1, Violin 2, Alto
(violas), Cello - is also common
c) a combination of a) and b)
d) multiple upper string sections in
unisson, octaves or double octaves
e) adding high woodwinds to d)

Countermelodies played by the
horn section is very common.
Other frequently found options
would include English horn,
low-register clarinets, viola, or
upper-register cello.
Fast runs in the upper woodwinds

can be added as background
“flutter” or "ear candy"
STEP BY STEP
Before you start - you may wanna start by recording or writing down
a quick melody/harmony sketch
1. Set the right tempo
2. Direction - Write the Melody and the

Countermelody, if needed
3. Background - Create and Record

your Background
4. Bass - Create your Bass layer (if it

wasn’t included in the Background part)
STEP BY STEP
Before you start - you may wanna start by recording or writing down
a quick melody/harmony sketch
5. Thicken the different layers, if

needed (optional)
6. Movement - perhaps harps playing

arpeggios or similar…
7. Sparkle and Ear Candy (ie. adding

Harp, Woodwinds…)
TIPS AND TRICKS

For non-block chordal harmony -
just record melody and bass and
then perform (improvise) short lines
with different instruments.
Have fun!!
Don’t think you’re some sort of

inspired genius ;) Write down the
harmonies/melody if you need to.
TIPS AND TRICKS

Correct velocities of the first pass.
You may be reusing that material
(copy/paste) so make sure that’s
in good shape.
Compose at low volume. Once

every hour or so play it back at
a louder volume and fix balance
mistakes and velocities if needed
TIPS AND TRICKS

Don’t stop all things for
silence-to-transition - leave one
sustained note of one of the
instrument/section (ie. Vl I)
If you get stuck… just perform

(improvise) and delete everything
except the magic moments
Use expression (cc 11) to soften

attack notes (specially with
sustained strings)
TIPS AND TRICKS

Strings sus patch - You’ll need to
overlap ending/beginning of notes
quite a bit
If you’ve got reverbs built in your

template, you may want to increase
mix and length a bit for long
sustained instruments (but
remember that if these instruments
perform melodies later on, you may
have too much reverb then)
MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

Any musical passage can have up to five elements. These are not layers. They are more
like musical components. They can either be combined or not. The five elements are:
1. Direction
Anything that creates a tendency.
Something that leads from point A to
point B (a melody, a harmonic
progression that creates more
tension as it progresses,
increasing/decreasing orchestration
density or thickness, etc).
This element makes the listener
feel like the music is progressing
from one point to another.

2. Movement
An aspect of the music that creates
flow or action (a rhythmic pattern,
ostinato, harmonic progression
that repeats/modulates, call and
response between instruments
or families, etc). This element creates
motion and also aids
in creating direction.

3. Background (Glue)
Anything that sits behind in the mix.
It will usually be something that
is not obvious, but it is there, and
you can tell when it is missing.
This element fills in the gaps
and helps join the different
musical ideas together.

4. Enhancer
Something that intensifies,
augments or develops a musical
idea, helps connect sections, or adds
sparkle and “ear candy” (textural
flourishes like runs, scales, and trills,
woodwinds fluttering around behind
a soaring melody, cymbal or
timpani roll swells, etc).

5. Bass
Anything that adds an extra low end.
The contemporary modern orchestral
sound requires an extra layer of a solid,
compact and controlled low end.
It is important that you are able to
create it. We have many resources
available like low synths, electric
basses, sub-boom percussion hits,
and well-recorded or sampled
double basses.
EGO
Yourself
Composer Peers
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STYLE DEFINITION: ORCHESTRATION

b) Any combination of mid/low

Harmonies can also be enhanced

STYLE DEFINITION: ORCHESTRATION

STYLE DEFINITION: ORCHESTRATION

Fast runs in the upper woodwinds

1. Set the right tempo

2. Direction - Write the Melody and the

3. Background - Create and Record

4. Bass - Create your Bass layer (if it

5. Thicken the different layers, if

6. Movement - perhaps harps playing

7. Sparkle and Ear Candy (ie. adding

TIPS AND TRICKS

Don’t think you’re some sort of

TIPS AND TRICKS

Compose at low volume. Once

TIPS AND TRICKS

If you get stuck… just perform

Use expression (cc 11) to soften

TIPS AND TRICKS

If you’ve got reverbs built in your

MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

MOMENTUM AND INSPIRATION

Project you’re working on

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