Uplifting Orchestral

Hey guys! In this episode Espen walks you through an uplifting orchestral trailer track. Cheers!

How I write uplifting orchestral cues

The video above is Espen’s. Here’s how I go about the same thing in my own music.

Here is the process I use for this style of track.

Sketch on the piano first. I get the harmony and melody right on a piano before anything else. If a track works as a simple piano part, it will work orchestrated.

Balance minor and major. For me, uplifting is a balance of tension and release. I like to start my uplifting tracks in a minor key and sit on the sadder side of uplifting. In C minor, for example, moving to the flattened seventh (B flat) gives a nice lift, then E flat and A flat keep it hopeful before it returns to the darker C minor.

Keep melodies simple. These tracks don’t have fast or ornate melodies. The melody is really a long ostinato built from the chord tones, and it works best when it ascends.

Swell the strings. When I orchestrate, I draw the modulation as swells that grow with the chord changes. That movement is what brings the strings to life.

Drive it with short strings. Without short string patterns these tracks feel very different. The patterns give the cue drive, focus and heroic movement. I keep them small in Act 1, maybe two notes, then open them out to four-note patterns as it builds.

Layer the percussion, but keep it simple. I’ll use a big sub hit only at the start and end so it doesn’t get in the way. Individual drums might not sound great on their own, but layering a few, like a low boom, a bass drum and surdos, gives you the hit you want. Then I add rolls, cymbals and low booms to emphasise the chord changes. Mostly the percussion is just there to emphasise what’s already happening.

If you’d like to read more, try How to Make your Act 3 Sound MASSIVE, A Very British Scandal Trailer Music Walkthrough and Piano Cue PART ONE: Sketching. My Uplifting Orchestral course goes through this whole process step by step.

Happy composing!Rich