Trailer Music: Modern Styles | Trailer Music Course

In the introductory chapter of his course, Laszlo dissects several guidelines for writing trailer music as a review. He offers five practical points of focus that students should constantly keep in mind while composing their pieces.

Additionally, he emphasizes the advantages of being a versatile composer and expanding one's musical lexicon, which in turn influences the overall language of the music.

Moving forward, Laszlo discusses the trailer music genres that will be covered in subsequent sections, along with their common usage. He also touches upon the course's teaching approach and lesson sequence.

In this chapter, Laszlo focuses on one of the most popular styles in today's trailer music industry: Fun Percussion. Based on snappy percussion grooves mixed with brass and synth arrangements, this genre is commonly used in action-comedy and animated movie trailers.

To give students a hands-on experience, Laszlo presents an album brief, similar to what composers would receive from their trailer music publisher, and introduces common instrumentation choices. He then shares a template he would use for this type of track and proceeds to write his theme and outline his entire track, titled "Flaming Trumpets," from start to finish.

By following Laszlo's step-by-step production process, students will learn how to create their own snappy and clappy Fun Percussion cues. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned composer, this chapter is an excellent opportunity to add this popular genre to your repertoire and take your trailer music skills to the next level

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In this chapter, students will discover the exciting world of EDM-inspired trailer music, characterized by deep kicks, modern synths, and powerful effects that are often used in action and animation movie trailers. Laszlo himself has recently secured a trailer placement for the highly anticipated "Fast X" using one of his EDM style cues.

After providing a brief overview of the guidelines for this chapter, Laszlo shares his knowledge of the genre's essential characteristics, including tempo, general harmony, instrumentation choices, and production techniques. As with previous chapters, Laszlo emphasizes the importance of proper theme writing and offers valuable insight into his methods. Students will follow along with Laszlo as he guides them through the complete creation of a track from the initial note to the finished project.

By the end of the chapter, students will have the skills to create their own EDM-inspired trailer cues, with assignments available for feedback and critique via Discord.

In the final chapter of this comprehensive course, students will delve into the eerie and enduring genre of creepy carnival-inspired horror trailer music. With this style being a constant demand in the industry, this is an essential skill for any aspiring trailer music composer.

Laszlo begins by introducing the defining characteristics of this style before guiding students through the creation of a spooky horror theme using a twisted toybox and other creepy sound design techniques.

Building upon this foundation, Laszlo then leads students through the process of producing and arranging a complete trailer cue in this genre. Along the way, students will also gain insight into a range of sound design techniques, such as creating infinity risers and pluck horror effects. Don't miss this opportunity to dive into this in-demand genre and enhance your trailer music production skills.