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Compose Orchestral Magic!
Learn how to craft enchanting music in the style of your favorite movies, studying essential composition, orchestration, and instrumentation concepts.
Learn Theory The Fun Way!
Learn music theory in a practical and engaging manner without missing any essential concepts
Expand Your Repertoire with a Touch of Magic!
Join hundreds of students and learn to compose full orchestral pieces from start to finish.
Composing Worlds: Wizards and Witches | Music Composition Online Course
"Wizards and Witches" introduces our captivating new series, "Composing Worlds," inviting you on an enchanting journey through composition and orchestration.
Join professional composer Ryan Leach as he explores the mystical world of spells and wonders, inspired by the magic found in our favorite movies. Discover melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic techniques, along with common instrumentation choices, empowering students to create their own magical music.
Ryan applies these theories and techniques practically, guiding participants through the entire process of composing and producing a track, from initial concept to polished production. So, grab your book of spells, unleash the magic, and let's write some music together!
Ryan Leach
As an 8 year old growing up in South Australia, Ryan started studying guitar so that he could play Beatles songs, which marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for music. Now an award winning composer for Film and TV, his music has been heard on every major network with clients including Disney, The California Lottery, MTV, Lowe’s, Rainn Wilson's SoulPancake, and the Netflix Original film Candy Jar. Before branching out as a freelance composer, Ryan earned a degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music and worked as assistant to veteran composer Michael Levine at Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions.
Check out the Trailer
Ryan’s approach is a welcome surprise that really benefitted my own writing process. Unlike other courses, he sketches in Dorico before jumping into his DAW. Ryan’s detailed analysis of the genre that can be applied to nearly any musical style. They may call this a “mini” course… it is anything but. There is a ton inspiring material - so much so that I grabbed Ryan’s other courses!
Shane Farnan
Composer
The Magical Journey Begins
Have a look through the course:
This course is divided by the following steps:
Theory
In the first module Ryan explores the theoretical side of how to imitate a musical style and specifically how to create a sense of magic and wonder with music.After a broad overview of how to approach writing in any style, you’ll learn how to think about the four different aspects of harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration in the context of creating that cinematic magical sound. Beyond thinking about the metaphor of magic and what feelings it evokes, you’ll be able to bridge the gap between the concept of magic and actual written notes.With an understanding of specific harmonic and melodic devices, as well as reliable idiomatic instrument choices for color and timbre, you’ll have the toolkit you need to write your own magical music.
- instrument choices
- harmonic characteristics
- idiomatic gestures
- thinking in metaphors
- augmented chords
- diminished chords
- harmonic planing
- chromaticism
Composing in Practice
The second module is where Ryan actually puts the theoretical concepts into practice by composing a brand new original piece of music live on camera.Sharing the notation software on his screen and talking through the entire thinking process for every musical choice, you’ll see how an original composition forms from a blank page to a full sketch.How to structure a piece of music, coming up with basic ideas and forming them into expressive melodies, making harmony and chord choices, arrangement decisions, and so much more is covered in this “blank page to composition” section of the course.And of course he incorporates the concepts covered in the first module to make sure the music evokes magic!
- structuring a piece
- coming up with ideas
- using unusual harmonies
- applying the metaphor to the music
- arranging techniques
Creating The Mock Up
In the third module Ryan takes the composition sketch and creates a fully produced demo mockup in Logic Pro.Beyond seeing the intricacies of creating orchestral cinematic music, you’ll get an inside view of a working film composer in his element: the DAW.Part masterclass in arranging and orchestration, part masterclass in MIDI production, this is where the music comes to life! With the sketch as his guide, watch Ryan as he turns the abstract theoretical concepts covered in the beginning into a real finished piece of music.If you want to know how to create that cinematic magical fantasy sound, this is where you see it happen.
- instrument choices
- balancing sections
- fills, swells and transitions
- creating an overall arc for the piece
- MIDI mockup tricks and tips
- realism and fullness
Course Curriculum
Walkthroughs
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