Unveil the Secrets of Gothic Horror Music

Dive into the shadowy world of Gothic Horror Music Composition and Orchestration with our specialised course designed for intermediate composers. Whether you're a film scoring enthusiast or a professional looking to refine your skills, "Orchestrating Gothic Horror" offers a unique journey through the art of eerie soundscapes and intense musical storytelling.

Course Highlights:

  • Exclusive Focus on Gothic Horror: Immerse yourself in the genre with lessons on cinema scoring techniques and analysis of the piece we will orchestrate, "The Vampire".

  • Practical Orchestration Skills: Transition from piano scores to full orchestral arrangements, mastering instrumental techniques that evoke Gothic Horror atmosphere.

  • Interactive Learning Experience: Engage with video lectures, audio-text instroductions, and audio-visual presentations that guide you through each topic and exercise.

  • Peer Collaboration: Complete exercises and a final project orchestrating "The Vampire" and participate in a community of peers for feedback and discussion.

Course curriculum

    1. Temporary Course Introduction

    1. Chapter 2 - What are we doing and why?

    2. Preparation Task: Download Score & NotePerformer Rendition of "The Vampire"

    3. Preparation Task: Listening to "The Vampire" / Preparing for Analysis

    4. Take control of your studies

    5. Overall Structural Analysis

    6. Task: Label up your Score - Overall Structural Analysis

    7. Melody/Phrase Analysis

    8. Task: Label up your score - melody/phrase analysis

    9. Harmony Analysis

    10. Task: Label up your score - chord labelling / harmony analysis

    11. Performance Marking Analysis

    12. Task: Annotate your score - Performance Marking Analysis

    13. Textural Analysis

    14. Label and annotate your score: Textural Analysis

    15. Full Complete Analysis Score

    16. Conclusion / Optional Task: Planning Ahead

    17. Chapter Survey (5 optional questions - please help me improve my courses and teaching)

    1. Introduction - From Piano to Orchestra

    2. 3 Ways of approaching (Piano) scores for orchestration

    3. Lesson: Orchestral Transcription

    4. Download: Orchestral Transcription Supplementary Files

    5. Exercise: Orchestral Transcription

    6. Lesson: Idiomatic Translation

    7. Download: Idiomatic Translation Supplementary Files

    8. Exercise: Idiomatic Translation

    9. Chapter Survey (5 optional questions - please help me improve my courses and teaching)

    1. Horrifying Instrumental Techniques (Part 1): Distorting Timbre

    2. Distorting Timbre #1 - Sul Ponticello

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Distorting Timbre #2 - Con Sordino (Strings)

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Distorting Timbre #3 - Muting (Brass) and Hand Stopping (Horns)

      FREE PREVIEW

    5. Distorting Timbre - The Sketches

      FREE PREVIEW

    6. Distorting Timbre - The Sketches (Downloads)

      FREE PREVIEW

    7. Exercise: Distorting Timbre

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Manipulating Pitch #1 - Vibrato (and Non Vibrato)

    2. Manipulating Pitch #2 - Glissando

    3. Manipulating Pitch #3 - Natural and Artificial Harmonics (for strings)

    4. Manipulating Pitches - The Sketches

    5. Manipulating Pitch - The Sketches (Downloads)

      FREE PREVIEW

    6. Exercise: Manipulating Pitch

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Pizzicato (& Snap/Bartok Pizzicato)

    2. Col Legno (Tratto & Battuto)

    3. Idiophones: a shortlist

    4. Percussive Attacks - The Sketches

    5. The Sketches (Downloads)

    6. Exercise: Percussive Attacks

About this course

  • 83 lessons
  • 4.5 hours of video content

Testimonials

Taken from "Introduction to Orchestration 2023" Course Feedback Surveys

“I found it very enjoyable and engaging. The feedback and assignments where invaluable to helping me grow as an orchestrator. The course material was concise and were given with great examples. Also the recommendations on other books was helpful.”

Graeme

“I thought the course was great! It was thorough and we learned a lot in a short amount of time. I really enjoyed the lectures and I got a lot of value out of the written and video feedback! George, you are a very good teacher.”

Denis McGrath

Reviews

Taken from "Rule Based Music Composition: Tintinnabuli" course reviews

5 star rating

Excellent course!

Carmine Pastore

I really enjoyed the course. It is very well structured and full of interesting compositional concepts. I find Arvo Part’s music and compositional techniques very unique. I highly recommend this course to composers of all levels. Thanks again. Car...

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I really enjoyed the course. It is very well structured and full of interesting compositional concepts. I find Arvo Part’s music and compositional techniques very unique. I highly recommend this course to composers of all levels. Thanks again. Carmine Pastore

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5 star rating

Simple technique with profound results

Robin Willis

I couldn’t be happier. I started the course with only rudimentary composition skills. Now I know through George’s class and the work of one of my musical heroes that beauty is not complex and the divine is always close by, you just have to open yo...

Read More

I couldn’t be happier. I started the course with only rudimentary composition skills. Now I know through George’s class and the work of one of my musical heroes that beauty is not complex and the divine is always close by, you just have to open your eyes, ears and heart.

Read Less

Instructor(s)

George Marshall

Composer, Instructor & Founder

George is a seasoned composer and educator, who boasts a decade-long career in music composition, spanning diverse mediums like film, video games, and concert halls. Holding a Bachelor (2013), Masters (2014) and PhD in Music Composition (2020), he specialises in mid-20th-century and contemporary composition techniques and has accrued over 50 project credits. Notable achievements include winning the 21st Century Classical Music's Piano Composition contest and contributions to award-winning video games showcased at EGX. Their orchestration skills shine through published arrangements and compositions for various ensembles, including the University of Hull Orchestra, Severn Duo and solo artists including Anna Heller and Graziana Presicce. With a teaching experience of over two years, their approach revolves around practicality, emphasising continuous learning and portfolio building. Grounded in contemporary creative theory, they advocate a balance between theory and application, acting as a guiding coach for aspiring composers to thrive.